Blogs from Kintamani, Bali, Indonesia, Asia

Our 315a alarm came very early, but our guide was meeting us at 330am for our Mt Batur Sunrise hike. We had just enough time to brush our teeth, pull on clothes, walk up to the reception area and have a quick coffee before being handed flashlights and heading out. The hike is approx. 2.5 miles up the 5,300 foot mountain and timed so that the average person will make it up in 2 hours, for the 6am sunrise. Because we were staying at the foot of the mountain, we were lucky to start at 330a and not the 2am that those staying in the beach areas were forced to endure. However, it also meant we could walk through paths around the village for about 1 mile to the start of the trail. Ken was disappointed ... read more

Apart from Tana Toraja, one other place in Indonesia known for its unusual death rituals is the village of Trunyan, which is located along the shores of Lake Batur, about an hour north of Ubud. This village is unique because, unlike other Balinese who typically cremate their dead, they leave their dead out to decompose next to a sacred tree. The tree is said to mask the smell of the decomposing corpses. I’d been to Bali four times before and I’ve always wanted to visit this site, but each time I put off going there because it was difficult and expensive to get to. This time round, with Trixie in tow, I bit the bullet and booked a trip with a local tour company. Our driver and guide met us near our accommodation at Penestanan, and ... read more

Jati Luwih - largest rice terrance - totally massive. green green green. Here you're either a farmer of a trader. Every household has a temple - over 2000 temples in Bali alone. Befriended some monkeys at the monkey temple. I'm growing to like our primate friends Royal temple - check then to Tanah lot - this is where i nearly drowned swimming out to the templ on the sea, named the rocky temple. I felt pretty rock once i managed it back with rice stuck to my face and a soggy flower falling from behind my ear Nonetheless... still beautiful xx... read more

Bargaining - In Tulamben we didn’t need to bargain much. Matahari Dive Resort had everything we needed at really good prices. When we left Tulamben for Kintamani I realized my bargaining skills were not up to par. This realization occurred when we stopped at a fruit market on the side of the road. I chose some purple mangosteens (most delicious fruit on the planet) and asked how much. 30,000 Rupiah! I should have said “too expensive” and walked away but I really wanted the Mangosteens. I paid the equivalent of 4 bucks for 6 mangosteins! From that point I decided to put my foot down. The next day we went to a buffet lunch that was a set price of 80,000 Rupiah (10 USD), which is way too expensive for Bali. I said this out loud ... read more

A number of farms in the Tampaksiring-Kintamani area north of Ubud have realized that there are any number of visitors who have a deep interest in chocolate, coffee, and spices. These farms are open to the public, usually for free, figuring, and rightly so, that you will buy some of their products directly from the farm. My driver took me to Santi Agrowisata on the way back from seeing the holy springs at Tirta Empul, and I’m glad he did. With me, if you say coffee and cocoa in the same sentence, my little ears perk right up. Unlike rice cultivation, which requires dedicated fields, at Santi Agrowisata the plants are intercropped. That means that as you walk the shady paths you will find coffee plants next to vanilla beans around the corner from cocoa plants, ... read more