Today we have booked a tour to go and see some of the UNESCO World heritage sites around Bali. We got up early, had breakfast at the hotel again and then went to meet our driver.
We were picked up by our driver and our tour guide. Our guides name was Abyu and our drivers name was Guzman. We set off for the day and Anthony and Abyu discussed the differences in government and farming between here and Australia. Also while I remember our guide has a YouTube account : Abyunique. We stopped in at a coffee plantation as a bonus stop where we were shown all the different plants and coffees that their tea and coffees use. We saw vanilla plants, cinnamon trees and lots of other cool stuff.
We were also shown how the Ludwak coffee is made, which if you don’t know is made when a Luwak (a civet animal) eats coffee beans and poops them out and then the use them for coffee. Now I did a lot and I mean a lot of research about the ethics around Luwaks because to be honest there are big issues in Bali with this. I learnt about the signs of Luwaks that are looked after and what to look for. I also read that you should support businesses that look after their Luwaks but never buy the Luwak coffee as that’s what keeps the bad care routines in place. Anyway sorry for the rant, but this place had a sleepy little Luwak out in the main restaurant. He was looked after, you were not allowed to touch him and he was just having his sleep. (They are nocturnal) He was an absolute darling. My friend Dani who I was messaging said he looked like a raccoon but in a different font which I thought was a very accurate description.
We had a huge amount of free coffee and tea samples and some were quite good. Even though I hate coffee but I tried them and actually didn’t mind the avocado coffee and the ginger coffee. In the pictures you will be able to see the ones we put up the top of their picture were our favourites. I loved nearly all of the teas too. We decided to pay for a tea/coffee to support the business. Anth ordered a Avocado tea and I got a Mangostein Tea. It was a lovely stop.
Back in the car we headed up into the Mountains to Ulun danu beratan temple. It is a Hindu temple that sits atop a plateau on Lake Beratan about 1,500 meters above sea level. Ulun Danu was built in adoration of the Goddess Danu. Danu, in the Balinese tongue, means lake, while the goddess Danu is queen of water, lakes and rivers. It’s is a really beautiful spot. The lake is also super important to Balinese agriculture. Abyu came into the temple with us and showed us around and took pictures for us. The area was a little busy but still so relaxing. Anthony wanted me to tell everyone he had to pay 2000 Indonesian rupiah to go to the toilet.
On the way out we went past the cutest little deer they have little fangs and of course I wanted to pat him. When I went up and patted him he gave me a big lick! I loved him, especially his little fangs.
Next we were dropped at a random Warrung for lunch. It had the most amazing views of the mountains and the fields absolutely stunning. We ordered very delicious food and sat back and enjoyed the view.
I will say at this point that the driving between places was absolutely stunning too. Seeing all the local villages, fields and jungle was worth booking a tour out to the North of Bali. There are also heaps of dogs and loose chickens.
We arrived next at the Jatiluwih rice terraces which is described best example of Bali’s outstanding picturesque rice fields and represent the Subak system as Bali’s Cultural Landscape which has been inscribed a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. The fields were amazing. Most of the rice was at different stages of harvest so so we got to see a bit of everything.
We headed back to the car and went on an epic journey through the country side. We went on this back road that the guys called snake road. It was 2 lane traffic but very teeny tiny road.
The last stop for the day was Tanah Lot temple. This is also a Hindu temple that is located 300m offshore sitting in the Ocean. It was definitely the most touristsy place we have visited and super humid. We walked around the temple grounds before we got too hot. Anthony also wanted me to tell you he had to spend 3000 Indonesian rupiah here to go to the loo. (Teacher bladder for the win)
It was then a long drive back to Ubud through some crazy traffic. It has been such a great tour and we were so lucky to have a great guide and driver. I definitely wouldn’t want to be driving on the roads here.
We spent the rest of the night chilling and went to a great taco restaurant in Ubud.
Off to Singapore tomorrow.
