A Whirlwind Day

It was another early morning for us, but a day we've been waiting for all vacation. We planned very little before coming to Bali, but this was one treat that was on the books. The rainy weather was not going to dampen a good time!

We were greeted by Nyoman, the owner of the Jegeg Bali Cycling Tour. Nyoman received raving reviews online for providing a truly unique Bali experience. He was a small man with a happy face and respectable English (probably because he lived in the U.S. for three years). We climbed in to his van, which surprisingly held half of the Australian continent (okay, maybe eight Aussies). They were all lovely and greeted us warmly.

The driver headed over some bumpy terrane as Nyoman started our Balinese education. We learned about everything from the Hindu religion to the caste system to how children are named. My head started to expand under the pressure of so much information.

We were first driven to the Kopi luwak coffee plantation where we looked at plant life, learned about the coffee making process, and tried 10 coffees/teas, including the infamous "poop" coffee. The luwak poop coffee is known around the world because the civet eats the coffee beans, digests, and poops out the beans. They are then harvested, opened, cleaned, and processed. It is tedious work (hence, the skyrocket price). So, we settled for sharing one small cup. Yes, we drank poop coffee. And yes, it was good!

Next, we headed to breakfast. We drove all the way up a mountain to see Batur, a volcano. Batur last erupted in 1973 and the evidence is still visible. Scorched black land falls down the volcano missing one remote area which remains green like an island within an island. The fog burned off enough for us to appreciate the mystic beauty while enjoying a delicious breakfast.

It was time to work off our meal. We drove to a drop-off spot, saddled up on our bikes, and began an adventure! We rode through gorgeous rice fields and small villages. The rain pelted down on us for the first half of our ride, but it didn't faze us. We weren't cold and found the fun in splashing childishly about. Before long, the sun came out and dried our clothes. We waved and said hello to small children and even stopped to learn about the Hindu cremation ceremony.





As our ride came to a close, we were muddy and happy and deserved a hard-earned lunch. With that, we were off to Nyoman's home. Upon entry, we were greeted by Nyoman's entire family and they had prepared a remarkable spread of food. It was heaven! Nyoman had a three month old baby which I fell in love with and held for most of our visit. What a delightful day with a lovely family.








Although dirty, we knew we wanted to do a little more shopping so we headed for Ubud to shop (and have a drink). There were amazing finds; too many in fact. We were going to need to find another bag to pack our treasures.
After a loooong journey back to our hotel (our taxi driver got lost), we took a quick swim in our infinity pool and had a wonderful dinner. The dessert stole the show - black rice pudding, a warm slice of heaven! It was a perfect way to end our time in Ubud and Bali. Tomorrow it is time to pack up and prepare for the next part of my journey!









- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad