A Soggy Day with Suadi

There was a gentle rain falling as we rose and made our way to breakfast. But, by the time we had eaten and prepared for our outing, the skies had dried up. It promised to be an overcast and slightly cooler day.

Suadi was waiting outside the front of the hotel and quickly flipped the roof of the Kubel down. We headed off in open-aired splendour to the hills of Central Bali.

We had no particular plan. We would climb up to the heights of Brattan via the small back roads. Then after lunch plunge down below Batukaru Nature Reserve to the lush terraces around Blimbing.

We stopped wherever the fancy took us. We stopped to watch rice being winnowed, to watch a family temple roof being repaired and to simply chat to an old man with his grandchildren. We drank bitter dark home-grown Bali coffee with relish and chattered, half understanding one another, with young mums and their families. But one thing did distress me: Around the normal tourist areas the children are friendly and playful, showing a natural cheeky curiosity about the fat tourists. But here in rural Bali the children happily accepted Jan, but would scowl at me, the youngest often bursting into tears! One of the mums provided the answer for me: the only tall, fat man they had ever seen was the Giant Rangda in Balinese dances. So I was immediately a threat - much like the child-catcher in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”!

As we rose ever higher the weather cooled and the clouds came down to meet us. Soon we felt a few cooling spots of rain and then, inevitably, a tropical deluge. The hood was quickly raised and we plunged on, over the top of Lake Brattan and then down again towards Blimbing. We stopped whenever the rain provided a break, sometimes just sitting patiently at a viewpoint until a temporary lull gave us a chance to get out and savour the view. At one point several tourist vehicles pulled up in the pouring rain, their steamy windows obscured by rivers of rain water. They stopped only briefly before lurching on again. Their occupants can have seen precious little of the stunning views …. Thank heaven for the open sided Kubelwagen!

After a meal at Blimbling, overlooking a stunning series of terraces, we were whisked away to Suadi’s home in Denpassar. He proudly presented his beautiful wife and two young sons and we sat gossiping, swapping family ‘photos and drinking Bali coffee.
All too soon we returned to the Hotel and an emotional farewell. “Please remember me to your beautiful daughter. Please do not forget us and come back soon…..”

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