Mountain Biking

KVD here again...

Yesterday was a magnificent day for me. I had my first experience of mountain biking in Bali, and it was wonderful. I went on an organized tour, and I really didn't know what to expect. In the end, it was, as the Aussies say, "brilliant."

I was picked up at our hotel early in the morning, and we drove for about an hour and a half into the centre part of Bali, which is more lush and tropical than the south, where we're staying. I was in a group with two families of Australians and a Balinese guide. Our first stop was at a small farm set up for "agrotourism." We saw vanilla, cocoa, and coffee plants, and many more. We had a nice stop to enjoy some of the drinks made at the farm, and I sampled some Kopi Luak coffee! If you don't know what that is, google it or watch The Bucket List movie! The farm had a little shop where I bought perfumed oil and coconut body lotion - yay!

From the little farm we went to a restaurant with a verandah overlooking two of Bali's volcanoes. It was a spectacular view - lush valleys, a crater lake, the volcano crater in the distance, and lava rock. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera! As we ate our breakfast of fried bananas and tea, the drivers got our bicycles ready outside. Then, it was time to go.

What an amazing ride! It was a 30-k descent through country roads, paths, and a few busier streets. We passed rice terraces and coconut palms, and many small villages. In all the villages, the children would run into the street to greet us, and shout, "Hello!" from their houses. We rode over unhusked rice drying in the street, past little boys swimming and adults working in the fields, and past a temple magnificently decorated with yellow, white, red, and black. There were beautifully arranged piles of fruit and flowers as offerings, and lovely fabric decorating the statues and flying as flags in the air. What a sight it was! I got to see the rural part of Bali for the first time, and I absolutely loved it.

Our ride was eventful - two little crashes (not me!), and one lost rider (me!). I was the strongest rider in the group by far, so I would get way ahead on the descents and then climb back up to meet the others. One time I missed a turn, and the support truck had to go after me and find me! That was a pretty fun part too, because I was riding behind the support truck to meet up with the other riders, on a continuous steady climb, trying to catch the slow-moving truck.

The scenery and the experience of riding were so amazing that I've decided to head out of Kuta for a few days to explore the region more. I'm going to stay in Ubud for a few days and do some more mountain biking, walks, and hiking. I'll take pictures so that you can see this beautiful area!

Oh, I've posted the photos for my last several blogs now, so check them out!