Our Bucket List ~ Asia Here we Come! : Day 8 ~ Eco Cycling Tour Ubud

Bali Eco Cycling Tour - WOW! Click & SEE!

We so enjoyed ourselves! Wow what a day it was! At 7:30 am a Van picked us up! There were already some people in the van, and more to be picked up at other hotels, homestays, and youth hostels! What fun! It would be a group of 8 that had signed up for this morning!

"Bagus" would be our

Tour Guide for the day...he was a friendly guide and he had with him a driver - Putra who would be driving us to and fro and here and there to the different places! OK off we went

- two gals from Brazil, Gina from San Paulo and Abigailku (oh I really messed up on the spelling but just didn't hear her name clearly!) she was from Rio de Janeiro - two sisters! Then came a couple from Australia and also a gal from Germany Katarina and last a girl named

Kim and guess what? Yep you guessed it - Kim was from Holland - traveling on her own for the first time ever...and deciding she liked it - reason...? She said it was easier to meet up with people and easier to make friends being alone...otherwise you would also be with your traveling companion - there is a difference she said....Katarina agreed...it was also her first time to travel alone! I told Kim about Marleen our good friend in Holland and how she has been doing it on her own for years...and loves it! Marleen is now in Brazil...for 3 months!

Kim's background was also Indo and it was so fun to hear her story about her grandparents having lived in Indonesia during the Dutch history time and how they too left for Holland after the war...how she had always wanted to visit this land that her parents had spoken about - just like me! Kim was a cutie and we enjoyed her a lot! She comes from Amsterdam and proud of it! ha! We know some other good friends who come from Amsterdam...yes! But the biggest chuckle we received was this: Kim has family living in California and she came out there some years ago to visit them..and we asked where? Pinole she said...say what? Pinole? Did I hear that right? Yes Pinole! Oh my, Nico...right next door in the town where Mom & Jim live! And the strangest thing is this...we asked her the name of the people her family there...and she said "Wijnschenk" and ... a day before we left on this big adventure - Nick was there in a drugstore and overheard someone speaking with a "Indo" Dutch/Indonesia accent..and approached them...yes they were Wijnschenk too... talk about a small world - people! Does that blow you away?????!!!!! (Nick has sent them, "the Wijnschenk's an email letting them know he met Kim!) Wow!!!!

We picked up the last person and then headed out of town climbing in elevation - towards Mt (Gunung) Batur - oh we stopped along the way and saw some gorgeous scenery!

.Or my Nico---look at this!!!! We cranked out those cameras and went crazy taking pictures of what was down below.....Beautiful!

Again...the farmers first have to levels the side of the hill to even begin to grow the rice...such tedious work to cut into the hill, level it, make a border/edge so that the rice will grow and the irrigated water will drop from level to level all the way down~ Nick and I imagined the hard work it took to do all this...years of work..done from father to son... and everything by hand and hoe only....we commend the people for their hard work and diligence...TRULY!

Our eyes practically fell out of our..... ...heads...gawking!!!!!!!!!!

Gorgeous? Beautiful? The heartland of Bali.!!!!

It was really hard to leave this....just breathe taking! Piled back into the Van and we continued up the mountain and then came to the next stop.......
We stopped again...and got out...and then saw a view....oh my - we didn't even realize how high we had climbed although it WAS a steady climb.....

This area was called Penelokan....and walked up to the entrance of the pavilion - they handed us a refreshing cold & freshly squeezed jambu juice

and Bagus suggested we take a picture here on the balcony - oh yes please!

our next stop the have our breakfast here! And with the gorgeous view came a delicious breakfast buffet...with a view of this mountain called Genung Batur.

Mount Batur Click on this Link to Read up on it!


This little turtle was a astray made from a coconut!

...the top erupted and was blown ff and now it was just a partial volcano with this vast crater lake spread alongside! There was a large lava flow (seen a lot of those in Oregon!) and the gorgeous sights were tremendously beautiful! Bagus said this is where you will be having your breakfast...no kidding???? For real? Overlooking this area? Oh and what a beautiful view.

Breakfast

it was...top service...wonderful Indonesia meal overlooking this gorgeous view...you guys...pinch me!!! Nick & I were so thankful we had done this!!!

It was just so pretty up there....we enjoyed the views

and had a very nice breakfast

chatting a bit with the others and then it was time to move on!

A group of men were playing Gamelan music...so nice!

Then Bagus & driver brought us to a coffee

plantation too..there we saw these beautiful trees...Bagus showed us all the herbal trees...and then shrubs of all kinds of interesting

seeds, many used for remedies ~

and the cocoa tree,

and then also the Luwak..yes the

animal that gives this,

coffee out of his .......well you might know what I mean...hopefully you do...and there he was in the cage...oh no way...no luwak for this

girl...and Nick neither....umhm! :(

This young man was roasting the coffee beans...right over a fire simply using wood...he kept stirring the coffee making them darker and darker...

After a very interesting & educational tour (love to hear all this God surely has provided this planet all we need to stay healthy and eat well...just gotta go back to the basic!) - so much we can eat from the land...and so healthy - and so many med's that bring healing to the body...it was very interesting indeed!

Bagus explained that there was a "male" coffee..

and also a "female" coffee too...did you know that? Two different kind of beans!

We were directed to this cute pavilion where you would receive a tray with multiple

glasses to try different drinks:the male & female coffee and different teas and mocha's - all samples to try! There was a Gift Shop with a variety of herbs, coffees, & teas to purchase on your way out. Fresh! Nick bought ginger powder and cinnamon powder and we brought back for Beppie some vanilla beans - ! Nothing like fresh to make that vanilla pudding right Beppie? She is a great cook/baker just like Elisha! No wonder they have Kawan Kitchen..it is the place to eat in Salatiga...of course!

Back to the van after a very interesting tour! Oh how I am loving this...Nick & I enjoyed learning and seeing and hearing all this!

YES IT WAS TIME...TIME TO GO TO THE BIKES WAITING FOR US!!!! Whoppeee! WE ARE ALL ready!

We drove to this spot and there was the 9 bikes, helmets and even a water bottle...time to adjust the bikes to our height...put on the sun lotion...much needed - it was high up here and hot! We then received some instructions to stay single file - and watch for traffic...even though we were way up here...there were villages/villagers, motorbikes and cars to watch out for...and the roads were mostly one lane...OK...got it! Instructions received! Let's go ...

We headed down...following Bagus our guide...yes it was all down hill from here! Oh what fun...we saw such beauty on the way....and so great to ride around & see life here in the mountains & villages and all these pretty surroundings!

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We stopped at a Kampung (compound) and Bagus shared with us the way of life

of the people here in the mountains.


This woman was making baskets from bamboo she was shaving and cutting in strips.

Later she would be painting them...it would turn out so pretty!

Even though Nick & I live in a Kampung - it was still interesting to hear...and see it a bit differently here in Bali. How everything is organized, families live, that there is a head person - there is a place to record births, deaths, and notices if something needs to be done etc or picked up at the local toko...all interesting to hear!

The kids swing set....

These girls had this tree branch bent over - had this plank balancing on this rock and they were tethering on it...on how we thought of all that we buy for our kids in the past...and look how contented these kids are...they have joy and laughter and do not know anything else...how we can learn so much from them...to be way more contended with what we all have been blessed with!

e girls were laughing and singing together while we wandered through!

They probably see a lot of foreigners come through - just adorable to listen to them sing!

The community (compound) about 3 families live there and they had a community kitchen but the women prepared their own personal meals - The compound had a community toilet and also a small temple in the midst of the compound.

We then thanked the people there in the Kampung and got back onto the bikes...and continued to head down the mountain...passing a really neat

Bunyan tree. Bagus explained that they cut and trim these trees on the bottom so that they CANNOT connect back into the ground - thus controlling the growth of the tree this way! Interesting huh? We were offered a snack - a banana - and that was nice! This elderly

man took our banana peels from us - no throwing them on the ground - this Bunyan tree has special meaning in the Hindu religion and so they keep it really clean around the area we were told. We continued down the road and came to this little shop where this man & his sons were making these wooden alters for their Hindu rituals.

The sons behind him were also learning the trade...oh my so young and already so discipline!

The Craftman

who was making these family

alters with his sons, we were told were making them for the local temples..or for personal use because everyone has their own alters in their houses to burn incense ...the man was doing everything there on the spot...chiseling away...hour after hour...on the ground.....my...I can not even sit on the ground like that...and then to do it for hours at a time! The work was beautiful and he was a very good at what he was doing!

Got back on the bikes again and continued to ride through so much beauty....along the way kids would stretch out there hands for a "high five!" which we gladly did!

stopped to see more sawas / rice fields...walking along the road was a elderly lady

carrying a big rice bag on her head...but we think it was filled with grass to feed the goats...nevertheless...she balanced that so perfectly on her head!

She looked to be in her late 70's...my can you imagine how many years she already does this..getting feed for her animals?

We enjoyed a good steady ride...lots of nice wind...and every once in a while we would stop to see this or that...then the group split - for there was a very steep climb that you could take if you wanted a little more adventure before we came to the end and would finish with lunch...well some did just that...decided to go for it...and others found it was way to HOT...Nick & I and a few others decided to go for the van instead!

Oh my - it was coming to an end...and we had had such a fun time!!!!

We got to the end area a wonderful 3 hour ride and now it had come to an end....

each of us were handed a rolled up ice cold towel... to cool us off with...wow that felt so' refreshing... How considerate & thoughtful that was...those little details...made this day so special!!!!

Way to GO! Bali Eco Cycling Tour !!!!

We left our bikes and

helmets and got back into the van and headed down tihs pathway

to another covered

pavilion to enjoy a late lunch! Oh how nice again...a BIG open airy pavilion and we received a drink, the buffet was spread out with lots of delicious food and fresh fruit and we all sat with the whole group together...talking about our great day.....

Boy what fun we all had...and everyone was so much fun...we all got along great even with FIVE different languages spoken! (Bintang & Makanan again :o)