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| All ready for our ride to the rice terrace |
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| Taking a coffee break |
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| At Alas Harum, Tegallalang |
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| Richard was all smiles after decades away from a motorcycle |
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| Caught at the traffic lights |
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| Fueling up with the help of a funnel and petrol stored in Absolute Vodka bottles. |
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| Richard staying out of the heat while we refueled. |
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| Caught by another red light |
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| Lots of monuments in the city |
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| Tony popping a bottle of tapai |
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| Look ma, I made a huge mess!!! |
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| Orchid farm |
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| Beautiful ride along the countryside |
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| Roads were well paved |
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| Passing villages |
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| Shops |
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| Padi fields |
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| Small towns |
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| Alas Harum's breathtaking view |
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| Making our way back to Kuta |
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| Many monuments in the city |
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| Capt, readjusting his makeshift hand phone holder! |
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| One more knot while we take a photo |
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| Bali's motorcycle lanes |
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| On a Sunday, the roads were not as congested |
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| Roadworks which costed us a 3 hour journey from Ubud to Kuta yesterday |
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| Pipes laying |
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| Pertamina refueling before home |
We did not have a good night’s sleep. After saying goodbye to Tommy last night, we had returned to roam the streets of Kuta. Turning our noses up to pubs with loud music and half drunk party goers, we found a street cart plying bakso and mie kuah. The few working girls from the nearby spa saved us from paying tourists’ prices when they dropped by for supper and even pointed out to us a coffee vendor by a street corner! No thanks… we prefer to sit on proper chairs with back rests; not tiny stools by five foot ways!!! Besides, the coffee served from a hot flask was too primitive to some coffee connoisseur amongst us.
On a quest for a sit down café, we soon bumped into 2 men crouching by a darkened site street. Taken by surprise, we over reacted by walking away hurriedly, only to realize they were only scavenging for food. With flashlights attached to a headband around their heads, they were going through garbage thrown away by nearby restaurants!!!
Funnily, we found our sit down café on the same street with Sun Hotel! Enjoying each other’s company, the café’s horrible non-alcoholic drinks were soon forgotten but never the loud drunks who were screaming their lungs out as midnight approaches.
Calling it a night as Cinderella do, we were rather thankful Tony and Richard made it back in one piece. No, their scooter did not turn into a pumpkin midway through the ride!
Coming back to not to sleeping well…. many of us could not sleep well for many reasons. The coffee consumed at the Ikan Bakar place or the shared laughter could have contributed to our sleeplessness. For Richard however, it was the indecisiveness of riding solo in the morning; his second motorcycle ride in decades!!!
Our ride to Tegallalang's rice terrace started late. Richard had to wait for his rented bike which came slightly later than promised. When the bike was finally delivered, our over eager friend revved the bike, hurtling it forward and causing panic to both Tony and the rental company.
While all this was taking place, VT and Claudine explored a bit of Bali. They found a breakfast place near the market but this time, without the local girls, their bowl of bakso costs slightly more! Try complaining and the shopkeeper will tell you she pays rent while the street vendor has no overhead costs!
The ride to the rice terrace was an exhilarating one. Off peak hours, traffic was manageable. We passed many babi guling stalls, some with a whole pig, this early in the day. Durians and mangoes were in season.
Looking for a coffee break midway, we were advised to go down the road as our first stop only served assorted coffee in sashays. Grateful, we found ourselves a nice stop a few kilometers down the road. A proper shop serving nasi padang, we only ordered coffee from the smiling lady and her curious son. Instead she allowed us to use her wares to eat pecel and mangoes bought from a shop a few doors away.
Continuing on with our journey, the sceneries started to peak. Leaving behind townships, we passed padi fields, all green and golden set against blue skies.
At one point, we made a wrong turn at a junction. However, there was only praise for Tony’s amazing stewardship as it is not easy to ride a bike, read a map and even manage small talks with his pillion.
Not long after the hiccup, we came upon an orchid farm. Soon, the roads became familiar. We climbed the same steep slope that many had failed the day before. Naturally, it was a breeze on a motorized scooter!
Then, almost like a homecoming, we made the same sharp turn. Right before us, was Sthala but we had to carry on as the rice fields were waiting.
Not far from Sthala stood a small village with a few rows of shops, all hoping to score from the tourist industry. There, we made a short stop for durians and were clearly ripped off by the trader! Another local on a motorcycle tried to prey on us as well. Striking a conversation with Tony and Richard, he invited us to a nearby kopi luwak farm where he allegedly works. We followed him good naturedly, but when he made a turn, we sped off pretending not to see him at all!!!
We could feel the weather changing. Initially burning hot in Kuta and Jimabaran, the air started to cool as we made our way up the mountains. Thinking it was cooler at higher altitude, our joy soon turned to horror when the rain clouds caught up with us.
Thankfully, we arrived at Alas Harum, Tegallalang in the nick of time! As it was beginning to rain, we were each handed a brightly coloured umbrella before our appointed host took us on a brief tour of coffee roasting in a mock set up.
As kopi luwak is heavily promoted here, several caged civet cats were put up on display as a gimmick. They were actually quite cute and furry from far but stank of urine and faeces when near! Generally nocturnal in nature, we found most of them in deep stupor except for a suicidal feline which was stomping back and forth in its small enclosure!
Everything about the place was charming and beautiful despite the rain. We were brought to one of the many double storied verandahs in the complex for coffee tasting. Disappointingly, kopi luwak is NOT FREE but they made it up with a complimentary tray of assorted coffee and tea.
Sipping coffee by the verandah which comes with a wide open deck, we could see the rice terrace and running stream below. A few giant swings offer adventure seekers an elevated view for a fee. A glass bottomed viewing deck and hanging pods of gigantic bird’s nest made it to many Instagram accounts.
We stayed longer than expected hoping to sit out the rain. Tony’s rain app showed the whole place surrounded by rain clouds. However, his interpretation did not quite work out…the rain did not stop in 20 minutes!!!
Bracing the wet weather, we returned to the car park for our bikes. Then, panic ensued when Richard could not start his bike!!! Fixed with an immobilizer, he could not turn the switch. The grooves were worn out!
Thankfully, Tony’s quick thinking saved the day. All he needed was a small piece of tissue to give traction and we were soon on our way again!
We made it back to Kuta after a late lunch. As there was ample time, managed an early dinner at the same ayam penyet shop before playing chaperone to Anna who wanted to swim a few laps. A good thing, we were there by the poolside, for the few drunks who tried dunking each other in the pool would have loved to dunk her as well.
When we finally parted ways with Tony and Richard, we knew it will not be forever. Au revoir, till we meet again for Bali had helped us seal friendships for life!
Motorcycle rental – IDR 70,000 per 24 hours
Bensin or Petrol in blue and yellow shades, stored in Absolute Vodka bottles - IDR 5000.
Pertamina - IDR5000 per litre
Pertamina - IDR5000 per litre
Bakso on the street – Foreigners pay IDR 15,000, locals pay IDR 10,000 to which price variation is justified by the sizes...not sure if this is true!
Bakso in a shop – IDR25,000
Mango – IDR10,000 per kilo
