Indonesian                                      
BALI    DIARY  9

               From Diary 8.

A market in the nearby village offers some motives, more rain and very little action. Realising I'm be stocked here for days, I fond a hoodie to keep me warm; €9 well spend.

A larger mini-mart have a barista, and I get to sit inside and watch the rain. Like yesterday; people tell me, tomorrow will be sunny. Well, accordingly to yr.no, it will rain the next day as well, even at the coast. That does not exactly aliened with my plans, and I might accept; I either get wet or bored.

Figuring the Bali Botanical Garden: Kebun Raya Bali at the shore of Lake Beratan might be dryer than the wild, I head there. The parking is more expensive than the entrance, and I set my expectations low.
But I am really in for a treat. The evolution house is a real fine display, huge and so well maintained. Next to it is the equal great looking Begonia house.
More collections are fund around this waste area. Some parts are rather open, others dense cloud forest. Here are so many natural epiphytes from orchids over ferns to plants I don’t know.

I see the spore-plant collection with a dinosaur-head entrance, the huge orchid collection, the bamboos and water-gardens. In between, I get to do a lot of walking in rather unspoiled nature. The rain is on an off, the light off and the mist disappears eventually. I sense a few caretakers, but no guests at all.

The cacti-house is a disappointment, as the gardener only been there for half a year, and haven’t a clue about gardening. Se is not aware, that it is shield louse that spoils her plants, nor how to get rite of them. She it unaware, some of the plants are not cacti.

After four hours, I have seen, what I hope is the interesting part of the botanical garden, and head around the corner to Candikuning and its marked: Florists, fresh vegetables and spices for the tourists. I settle for a great lunch, while a shower passes. Then I do a loop in the rather humble and wet town.

Along the shore of the mist-covered Lake Beratan, the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan temple from 1634 is found – along with 50 large tourist busses and a long line for the ticket office. Quite less interesting than I had expected. I do a walk in the area, and it seems like the tourists newer leave the parking lot and temple area.

Not many indoor activities lined up, and I get wet. The road around the big lake is one big line of cars and tourist busses, but not my way. There are a few misty glimpses of first the big lake, then the canyon in between, and then the minor lake. Everywhere you can park, a huge family of monkeys call it home.

I find the right little trail heading down the upper-site mountain side, and then the fog dominates. It seems like they have had no rain for hours. Two cemented wheel-tracks leads several kilometres down through scattered farms, and eventually Melanting Waterfall. I park at Labuhan Kebu, another waterfall.

200 steps and a lot of downhill trail leads to the river and a great looking fall. The spray is a bit annoying, and my photos are done fast. Here are several interesting plants, but I expect not all are actually native.
Up again, and then down 500 steps and a steep trail to get to the 20 meter high Melanting Waterfall. It is even more impressive, and I get pretty soaked, before I give up getting the perfect shoot. This is at 700 meters height.

I have a chat with the guy at the first fall, then head homewards. A roadside joint offers some tasty dinner, and at home, I use the last daylight to explore the nature along the road and the views to both lakes.
There is no internet when I get home, and washing my T-shirt is just not the same – although needed just as much.
 Day's highlights       All the better photos of the day

27/6. The sun is ready when I am at seven, but the car keep up being covered in mist, both inside and outside. That in combination with the low sun and twisted mountain roads make it a challenge drive.

The road leads through some nice mountains, and the glimpses I get from valleys and peaks, are great. However ditching the car and find a clear view through the trees, is not possible. I make it to little Munduk, and its tiny but neat market. Here are no prepared food, and the only open joint in the main street, only serve chicken. On the way back, I find a solitary joint in the mountains, and enjoy the sun, while I eat.

The first target is a walk in the forest of Danau Tamblingan near Lake Tamblingan. It takes a guide, if I want to enter the forest, but not for the trail through the forest to the lake.

A little muddy trail leads halfway around near the shore, and I enjoy it in the sun. I might have peek in to the forest once or twice... The trail become a staircase at a little temple, and that calls for a break. I have only walked two kilometres in two hours; it must have been good.

I see so many butterflies and hear so many birds. It seems like quite some of the flowering plants are invasive. A single little snake hides before I get the flash working. A toad sits on the stairs to the temple, and skinks are numerous.

There is another trail further into the forest, leading back, and as the sun have gone anyway, I chooses that. It is a treat as well: Giant strangler-fig trees, mosses, odd looking plants, bird voices and some tiny watermelons: Around six millimetres; Cucumis maderaspatana. I only meet two rangers, and they don’t seems to be bothered by my off-trail adventures. Back at the sealed road, I find coffee.

Then by the real narrow roads back to Murduk. I pass, what might be millet-terraces, just out if the town. A good curry for lunch, and I’m ready for a five kilometres walk through the farmland. Well, it turns out to be 15% village, 75% forest and only a few rice patches. Most are harvested bye now, and it is another sort of rice. Way more elongated than the previous.

I end up way out in the forest. First by scattered farms and ancient terraces in the forest. Then it turns into wild forest on the steep hillsides. The trail get narrow, then it kind of vanish. Newer the less, my GPS have it, but only if I zoom out quite some?! I meet none in this remote forest, except a two meter lightning fast snake. The river is crossed by a single bamboo stem.

Back to the civilisation, I see a long bamboo stem, made to a ladder, reaching the coconuts. Just before I back, I finally make it to the rice patches. Then a lot of mopeds are gathered, and my assumption about a cockfight sticks. It last less than half a minute, bye one rooster’s sudden dead. Animal cruelty, but not compared with raising a pig.

Home by Gobleg, made-up by five small houses. Then a wild mountain road, mainly in first gear. It offers great views, but not for the camera.

A shot walk in another settlement in the heights. It is misty and a bit chill here at 1250 meters height, and not much is happening. Well; several moped-kitchens are gathered near the crossroad.
Close to home, the sun breaks through, and the farmed valley can be seen.

Dinner at my host’s restaurant, trying anything vegetarian and non-nasi gorang. I do get my share of that everywhere else.  Well; the mie gorang was good (rice noodles instead of rice), and my dragon-fruit is delicious, although quite colouring.
 Day's highlights       All the better photos of the day

               And then into the next page; Diary 10.