Tuesday 24th October

Day trip!! No mooching by the beach. Finally get to see some of Bali!! Two pristine, air-conditioned, Toyota Advanza’s arrived at the guest house at 8am. Off we go.

First stop was Banjar Hot Springs (Air Panas Banjar) surrounded by a pretty tropical garden. The complex was made up of three public sections. The first was an oblong tepid pool with eight water spouts depicting carved Naga - that’s dragons to you and me. Adjoining this was a larger, square shaped pool, with five Naga spouts, perfect for gentle floatation. The ground was extremely slimy and slippery; a feature of the sulphuric water (37 degrees). The third section consisted of three very intense shower-like pressure spouts that poured down from 4m high and pummelled you with water. Invigorating, they said. Painful, I said.

To get to the springs we had to pass by many market stalls. Since we arrived very early most had not set-up by the time we entered the baths. Leaving, was another matter. While it was only a couple of hundred meters to the exit, it really felt like a gauntlet run as you made your way past all the hawkers on both sides of the street, each wanting you to buy sarongs, t-shirts, umbrellas. Basically you had to avoid eye contact, keep your head down and nearly run. Their disappointment as you went “No, sorry” was crushing. Jenny bought quite a few items, and if you bought at one, that didn’t give you a free pass by the rest, oh no, in fact that encouraged them to call after you. Teasing with ever so slightly cheaper deals than their neighbour.

Second stop was Brahmavihara-Arama, Bali’s largest Buddhist temple, built 1970. Here we had to wear sarongs to cover our legs, but surprisingly exposed arms and shoulders were not a problem. The monastery entrance consisted of beautiful stone statues and a flight of stairs where the steps were marked with practices of the “Eightfold Path of Enlightenment”, I’m not sure how that worked as there was more than eight steps, on all of the levels within the site.

A gift of a bronze bell from the King of Thailand hangs in a bell tower on the lower level of the site - nothing too spectacular about it, if I’m being honest. Unfortunately the fountain at the entrance had been drained and covered in scaffolding as there is construction underway currently; a new Buddha is being added.

The Stupa, a giant bell like structure, shone in the morning sunshine, guarded by Hindu gods, the colours and shapes in the area were like that from a child’s imagination.  The site is very serene and commands quiet. Luckily it is still early and so there are not many people about. Geoff in a moment of levity hid behind a tree and was like “What fictional animated character am I?”, he started moving branches of the tree with his arms. Easy! Grinning I murmured “Groot” as I passed him by.

At the highest point of the monastery I was delighted to find a mini replica of Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist archaeological site. Morning meditation by the monks was underway so we were not allowed to enter. Again the place simply commanded respect, reverence and silence.

Third stop was at a coffee plantation called “Kubu Kopi”, there we learned how the infamous Kopi Luwak is made. Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee and Luwak is an Asian palm civet. So, in a nutshell, Kopi Luwak is coffee made from berries that have been eaten by civets and passed through their faeces undigested. Yup! Don’t ask me how someone decided this was a good marketing idea, or even how people were prepared to pay through the nose for this stuff. It’s the most expensive coffee in the world - I think! It has a smooth taste. It is quirky. It’s a fad. Coffee critics have claimed it’s pure cack (pun intended!).

There was one caged civet at the plantation: Lena. Our guide told us she was old and simply there for tourists to see what a civet looked like. However the poor animal was huddled in the corner and looked to be trying to sleep, not at all impressed with us gawking at her. Granted they are nocturnal animals and so she should have been in a hole, in the dark, sleeping and not on display. Seeing her caged, alone, made me think of all the recent outcries about the abuse these poor creatures now face.

Due to the huge popularity of this novelty coffee, the traditional method of collecting faeces from wild civets has given way to intensive farming methods. Civets are being bred and placed in battery farms, and being force-fed coffee cherries. Our guide assured us that their coffee was only made from wild civets, but I’m not entirely convinced. Granted their “plantation” was small, and I use the word plantation loosely as it was really just a large garden, so I’m sure they didn’t have tens of cages of civets stored around the back. But then there was poor Lena, and maybe she was the sole origin of their product. Hmmm!

We were given a tour around the garden and came across clove trees, cinnamon, vanilla pods, ginger, string beans and pineapple plants. Got caught in a huge downpour and we found shelter under the tall trees. One of the girls working there came to our rescue and ran up with three large rainbow coloured umbrellas for us. Our first bit of rain! Hopefully the wet season hasn’t started. (Although, I’m sure it’s just the current elevation, no doubt the sun is still shining in Pemuteran).

On the veranda we sampled eight different flavoured teas: jasmine, ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon, Bali, vanilla, rosella and spice. They all smelled amazing, or at least were very fragrant, yet upon drinking them, they were all terribly insipid. Wet was the defining feature I found for most of them. The taste just did not equate to the smell. The colours were amazing: yellow, orange, red. Pretty to look at but that’s about it. Such a pity!

I will admit that despite my misgivings on the Kopi Luwak, I did sample some. It was presented in a beautiful cup and saucer made from coconut shell. As light as you could imagine and I was sorely tempted to smuggle them into my backpack. The coffee itself I had unsweetened and black. Verdict: very smooth, it was nice.

Our fourth stop on the tour was Munduk Waterfall, located in the lush forested region of Buleleng. To reach this sight we had to walk down a steep trail off the main road. Five minutes the sign had claimed. (Being Irish I completely understood what that meant, hehehe!). After about 10 minutes zigzagging down, down the valley Robin began to question the Balinese idea of 5 minutes and threatened to head back up. His logic being the further we descended, the longer and more painful the walk back up would be. The idea of a pretty waterfall wasn’t enough to outweigh the tropical humidity that was drenching us. I could tell that he was seriously considering aborting so I chastised him gently, referencing an internet graphic I’ve often seen online. There is a circle and it is labelled “your comfort zone”, located a bit away from this circle is another larger circle and it is labelled “where the magic happens...” ; embrace that larger circle Robin! Man up like!! Mwhahaha.

On reaching the valley floor, we did see a beautiful waterfall. I am a sucker for them, so pretty, and the roar of water was immense. Simply stand and stare. Soak up the picturesque sight (literally!). The falls were very concentrated and the spray was deliciously cooling; after a short while it produced an impressive array of goosebumps!! It nearly got too cold for me to stay. Amazing how your body temperature can sway so rapidly from extreme heat, to perceptive cold.

Stomachs rumbling we left the waterfall and hiked back up out of the valley. We ate at the Bali Jegeg Restaurant which gave spectacular panoramic views of the area. Thankfully we missed a massive torrential downpour while lunching. Perfect timing!!

Fourth on the list was just a scenic viewpoint overlooking the Twin Lakes in Sukasada. Originally this spot was one massive crater lake within an extinct volcano, however a huge mile-wide landslide divided the area in two nearly 200 years ago and it’s since known as Lake Buyanand Lake Tamblingan. The clouds had rolled in and it’s definitely cooler up here compared to Pemuteran. We hopped out of the Toyotas and gazed at the scenic prettiness that surrounded us.

Bali is a stunning island with an astonishing array of varied landscapes. Exotic paradise beaches with dazzling marine life, rainforests with incredible banyan trees and tropical flowers, lush agricultural areas with vast terraces of paddy fields, high mountains with active volcanoes, wild forests preserved in the national park, savanna-esque landscapes with the presence of palms, mangrove and acacia scrub. It really is all that, and more. I’m in awe!

Final stop was the charming Lake Beratan, which being 1,200m above sea level meant it had a cold tropical climate. Long sleeves had to be donned by me as it was a tad nippy around there! Having paid our entrance fee we made our way into the site. There was a large sign of general rules written in Balinese, English and Chinese outside the main gate, usual stuff like be dressed appropriately for entering a place of worship, be respectful, stay away during your period, keep the area litter free... ahmm, one sec, what was that third one again? Stay away during your period. Okay, really? What da?? How are they going to enforce that like?? Do they think we will attract bears and get them all murdered? It better not be a case of we are considered impure, unhygienic or unclean during this time. Oh my! Google better assist in quelling the indignation that was fast building.

So, from what I can gather, although I’m not sure how accurate this interpretation is, Hindus believe that menstruating women are open channels for energy and become more susceptible to different energies from the environment. Negative energies can enter and positive energies are easily dissipated through us. Apparently we even have different auras during this time. (In essence we are living goddesses folks, oh yea!). And so, some Hindus believe that the energy of the god or goddess which is stored in the idol in the temple will move and be drawn to a menstruating woman which means that the idol being worshipped in the temple becomes lifeless while the woman is alive, or some such. Hmmm! Not entirely convinced with this, might stick with the bear luring theory and potential vicious deaths that could occur amongst all the menfolk... Grrrr!!

Blatantly flaunting the rules, I entered the site. Wasn’t smited down by hell fire. So far so good. Wait, smiting, that’s Catholicism though isn’t it. Hmmm, anyway, the lake was pretty. The Shaivite water temple: Ulan Danu Bratan was beautiful. It was a nice place to visit, even if it had an absurd entry rule stipulation.The principal shrine of this temple is a meru tower which consists of a wooden pagoda-like structure with multi-tiered thatched roofs. This tower is used to make offerings to the water goddess Dewi Danu, since the lake is used as the main source for irrigation in Bali. I noted that the temple was on an island, which wasn’t accessible to the public, so my energies would get nowhere near those of the idol. Sadly today I do not get to become a water goddess...