Balangan Beach

Those pictures below are probably one of the best expressions of the Balinese "vibe" as I found out that the fisherman and those kids were complete strangers and yet I had the feeling that they are the family. It was hilarious when he started to collect those tiny fishes from the net the kids were "stealing" some of them and began to play with them in shallow water. Normally I would expect that the fisherman would get angry, but no. He simply let them play and went back to the see.

Lembongan was planned as our paradise spot. Our plan was to spend those 3 days in full relax mode with swimming, sunbathing and continuous cocktail drinking. In order to get there, we booked a driver who took us to Sanur beach. From there we took a speed boat directly to Lembongan. It cost ~50 EUR for both (one way) and it takes around 30 min. Luckily In our case, it was a smooth ride, so the lunch stayed in the place.

Getting back to our plans, to be honest, in the end, we didn't manage to do much swimming mostly because of my leg (I was not supposed to swim or get the wound wet for 3 days) but also due to big waves. Otherwise, we stuck to the plan :) This island is very small, so getting around on motorbike is not a problem. The only issue was that our accommodation was located on the top of the hill with a fantastic view, but the road there was not exactly finished :) This was a bit tricky during the day and let's say very adventures during the night.

On the other hand, back to Lembongan we also visited "Mangrove Forest kayaking" which in our view is not worth it unless you are a big botanic enthusiast. We took a kayak to get more flexibility, so we can stop for pictures. The reality was a bit different because we had to constantly watch out for bigger boats to pass by. Also, to be frank, the Mangrove Forest itself is not the most thrilling to watch for 45 min. So, long story short drive to Ceningan Island or visit "Secret Beach" (which you can easily find on Google maps :)) instead.

Ada Garuda Galery

This was a short and completely random stop on our way from the rice terrace. We just simply couldn't ignore that massive statue guarding the entrance of the gallery. To our surprise, it's not primarily the gift shop, but it's a gallery/museum/workshop. It is run by a family company of Mr. I Made Ada. As we later found out he is one of the best artists specialized in traditional woodcarving, Garuda Wisnu, and his work really impressive.

he level of detail and the sire size od those statues are impressive. It was very interesting to see this place, but I'm not sure if we would drive there just to visit the museum. It's also relatively small, so it's better to combine with rice fields or some temple.  

Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple

Temples in Bali...Well, there are many :) I mean like many, many...many temples. What was quite surprising though was the fact that every family house (2 or 3 generations living in) also has its own temple. These can vary in sizes and the number of ornaments and decorations, but in most of the cases, they are equally or even bigger than the houses.

I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of temples but in this case, my preferences were peacefully ignored by my wife and we ended up visiting quite a few there :) 

Satria Agrowisata - Coffee Plantation

Another random stop on our trip around Ubud. At least we thought it was random :) 

This is a local coffee farm and plantation were types of coffee beans are harvested and produced, including the world-famous Luwak coffee, also known as Civet coffee. It feels just like walking through a garden.

Along the way, we could see the coffee plants, cocoa plants, and different kinds of plants the cages where the civet cats live and where the beans are collected. This was a quite conflicting experience because of the size of the cages...So, maybe not for everybody.

There is also a hut which displays the different type of ingredients used in their coffee. Before we reached the main coffee tasting area, there was a display of various stages of the civet coffee beans and powders with the people explaining to you how the process is. Finally, we reached the huts where we could sit down and taste different types of coffee and drinks! Surrounded by lush forest views in front of us. We loved that part.

We could also choose if we want to taste the civet coffee which is charged separately. It cost about 4EUR, pure coffee without sugar and milk.

Genuine Farming in Bali

The Balinese people are still an agricultural society. A majority still tend farms despite the growing tourism industry. Actually, not that long time ago, agriculture was the main livelihood. Balinese farmers developed their own methods of farming such as the subak system which evenly distributed water among rice fields in the village. They also cultivated many crops from sweet oranges to exotic coffee. The farmers also cultivated a variety of rice exclusive to Bali. The fabled Bali rice crop took around six months to harvest and was cultivated with minimal pesticides and fertilizer. 

Obyek Wisata Goa Gajah

Our first stop of the day was the Obyek Wisata Goa Gajah also known as Elephant Cave. This temple is located only a few minutes from Ubud. The word Goa Gajah comes from the word "Elephant Lwa". If we would translate it into English, it would be something like "Place of worship for Buddhist monks".

This time we managed to be there almost as a first guests. Yes! :) When we reached the lower area after descending the stairs, we could hear the sound of water flowing from the statues. As there was almost nobody it was really relaxing experience.

Taman Mumbul Sangeh 

this was another location which was not on our itinerary, but as we were passing by and as this place (it's literally on the side of the road) we have decided to stop for the moment and cool down a bit. Yes, it is a temple. Another one :) Huge trees, shading an expansive clear green lake which is edged by a beautiful temple. Across the road what was once a popular fishing pool has been transformed into a bathing area with spring for collecting drinking water. The spring-feed pool remains important in the agriculture of the area and channeled to local crops forms part of the subak irrigation system. The newly developed bathing area features a pool with waterspouts watched over by statues of various gods from the Hindu mythology.

Sacred Monkey Forest

Even though this was not the first time we have seen the wild monkeys, but the warnings were quite convincing. Don’t look in them in eyes, don’t panic if they jump on you, etc. Luckily there was nothing to be worried about if you behave responsibly and if you keep in mind that those monkeys (long-tail macaque) are still wild animals. However, we have seen some tourists try to take away food from a monkey in order to get a better picture. In my view, this person should be nominated for the "Darwin Award" (google will help), because this level of stupidity is hard to excuse.

The complex itself is very nice and it's surrounded by huge trees with very unusual hanging down branches (Tarzan would have a lot of fun here). As expected there were also 3 temples inside the park, but they were all closed. I’m also not sure if they are ever open for the public. Don't worry there are many, many others :) Altogether this stop took us like an hour or hour and half.

When I'm looking at those pictures I just can't stop thinking how much different it would be to try something similar anywhere in Europe. Most probably I would be in jail by now with restriction order to not get any closer to any school for the rest of my life. In Bali It was so uncomplicated. I simply asked the janitor if it's possible and you can see his attitude your self.

Should I? Hell yeah! Parking the motorbike on the side of the road trying to memorize the spot.“

Lesson learned from the previous night where we spend 30 stressful minutes looking for our motorbike. It's quite easy to lose track especially if you change the motorbike so often that as a result, you don't really remember the type, number plate or even color.

Anyway moving to the first stand with flowers and immediately opening conversation with my special friendly-curious expression smile and asking if I can make some shots. As usual with Balinese people no problem whatsoever.

One thing that I love in countries like Bali is the life story written directly in the face of the people. This woman is one of the greatest examples. Her facial expression is telling more than a thousand words.

"I'm walking thought the market already bought tons of stuff which I don't really need or want, but I felt obligated. Moving from herbs, spices, and fresh fruit probably one of the nicest smells you could imagine to one of the smelliest parts of the market. Butchers and fisherman corner. Taking a few shots and very quickly moving towards the entrance of the building realizing that the market continues inside the 3 store building.

Walking up the stairs to the second floor. In the corner, I'm meeting yet another charming lady. This time a completely different character...pure happiness and positivity. She is just finishing her breakfast, but it's not preventing her from trying to sell bananas. I'm trying to explain to her that I have more than enough, but I failed. My bag is getting more and heavy and I have not yet reached the second floor.