Okay it has been maybie 2 and half weeks that I saw
Bali s nightlife and wave, but nothing realy Bali
! I decided to do what Michael (Germany) did. Have
a look of the Bali...the one tourist from the coast
don t know.
First of all, take a transport.
- car (no way)
- taxi (to expensive)
- bus (unindependent)
- walking (not enough time)
- flying (heuuu, next life)
- motorbiking (why not ?)
We had a motorbike tour with Michael and Wonyi few
days ago. The only bad thing about Motorbiking is
not motorbiking but the fact that there is almost
1000 chance of 100 to be arrested by the police. Why
? Simply because they love to get pocket money from
the tourist.
But we took the risk. Wonyi had an international driver
licence. I didn t.
And so we rent a bike (its as easy as buy a bottle
of water.). And next day we leave the hostel early.
- The Police story -
The traffic was turbulent. Bali is full of motorbikes...realy
full, and the cars and little truck don t realy take
care of them. Well we drive like the other...turn
and swing between the traffic. Until well what should
happen happened. POLICE CONTROL. A police motorbiker
make me a sign to go on the side of the road. AHHHH
it hasn t be 5 minute that we left Kuta and still
a police man. Of course I know what he want ! Money
money money. But not the kind to fill the gouvernment
treasure, no more the one who feel his own pocket.
I give the police officier my driver licence..but
its not international. And so he beginn to explain
me about illegal driving and of course the fee I have
to pay. But what he didn t expect was my secret weapon
! James Bond has allways a escape and so I . James
bLond is born. I take out of my pocket
something I had printed the last night on the internet
Cafe. A list of the Ambassador in Bali. The French
Ambassador that work at the Consulat in Jacarta. Names,
adress, telephones. Of course its just a stupid list
that doesn t mean nothing. But I have a big big Blufffff
in mind. I make him believe that I know the Ambassador
of France in Bali, a very very important person. The
guy first don t care...until I tell him that he can
phone him know....that I will not pay any fee and
that my International Driver Licence is there....The
guy look at me. I m at this moment the best actor
ever. (remember the scene of " Catch me if you
can " when DeCaprio bluff Tom Hawks in the room....well
that exactly what happen with me and the officier.
The guy give me my paper ...and....and turn on his
bike and leave us.
What happend ask me Wonyi. What is this paper. Well
just a stupid list of names that I never heard before.
Just a print that save me time and money.
We continue our trip with a little break in Sanur.
- Celuk and the gold
and silver -
 On
the road we decided to stop in a goldsmithing centre.
We didn t search so much. As I asked my way a motorbiker
bring me to one of the many manufacture of gold and
silver. Here the people work in simple condition the
different jewellery. We didn t spend so much time
here but it was still nice to see.
The more we go inside the country, the more artisanal
the towns. It goes from little organized companie
with craftwork and selling place, to the family enterprise.
Well when I speak from enterprise, its just a roaf
under wich the people, kids include, work all the
day.
- Ubud -
 This
little town is a busy city. Everywhere the people
sells clothes, sarongs, footwear, basket and the thing
you should buy for souvenir. Even strange phalic sculture.
The main attraction here is shopping on the day in Pasar Seni, the art market and see
a Balinese Dance on the night. Of course I went shopping,
but not the traditional things, no I found something
realy realy seducing: an ultra light hamac made with
Kitesurf materials. Its fantastic. On the evening
I tried it. It will now come with me. ( Normal price
50 dollars - Paid price 13 dollars ) I normaly don
t count so much but I think its interesting to get
an idee of the price difference between USA and here.
I know some people attach so much importance on money...and
allways find an excuse not to go travelling because
its expencive. But here its not. And the quality is
top.
Concerning the dancing well, it was to touristic for
me. The only balinese people will be the dancer...all
arround just white people with sunburn like me...I
don t want to see that. Its a thing I regret that
I couln t find a place with local peoples. Next time
maybie, I will be lucky to participate to a ceremonie
and see what s realy goes on !
 Okay its early in the afternoon and what will be a
day in Bali without a good meal. We decide to go to
a typical Warung. We seat down on the flor, and order
the menu. But there is no menu. Just one dish for
all. Okay that s good for me. What we get is a good
good spicy (Chili) homemade indonesian meal. Excelent.
Here a picture without taste....Hot hot...
After that we continue to visit the city. And walk
all arround Ubud. The night comes, time for Reggae
music concert.
- Gunung Kawi -
 Breakfast
and back on the road. Little ones. Bordered by more
and more ricefields. Its nice. I love the trip. Very
authentic now. The road are empty of tourist. Just
locals that are going to work or still work. On the
side of the road the rice is posed on a plastic and
is drying.
As we arrive in Gunung Kawi, the
people on the way to the entry tried to sell what
they can and of course the sarongs. But again we don
t buy anything. We take a sarong at the entry and
put it arround us. Then we enter inside the balinese
temple. Its not a common balinese temple. The memorials
are graved out of the stone in kind of niches (dates
the 11 th century). Its not realy impressive but the
place is wonderfull. The rice terasse encircle the
temple and a river down split the place it two distinct
aera. After a walk we stop inside the temple for a
coconut break. And this coconut is great. 1 for two
is to much, big and ggooooood. Okay lets say enought.
We spend maybie one hour doing nothing just observing
in front of us what happen. First the people were
sleeping under the shadow of the balinese open houses.
Then slowly the peopel wake up. Leave the place and
come back few minutes after with a basket full of
food. It take about 10 minutes until the roal is full
of baskets with different food. What happened ? Maybie
they share the food given for the ceremonie of the
last 3 days.
We leave the place were womans with menstruation are
not allowded to enter and continue our route to Batur.
(its not a joke girls !)
- Batur -
The road goes up and up...the street are almost empty
between the towns, but we have to be always concentrate,
on the road there are this stupid dogs that just walk
were they better should not. Realy stupid. And sometimes
a car in the opposite direction is passing a motorbike
and if you don t go on the side....pafff - you lose
back to the sky or one meter under the ground - Dead.
So better don t think about not going on the side.
The rule is USE the claxon all the time you feel a
danger.
Nowm its colder because higher. We arrive in Penelokan
were we get a magnificiant panorama down to the crater
of the lake Batur and the volcano. We are lucky because
there is a clear view as we arrive. We try to enjoy
the view, even if some hawkers persist to sell us
some Chest game and fruit. Sorry but on my motor bike
I can t take all this stuff. Lucky also because the
volcano is not errupting. 1917 an erruption took more
than 1000 people with him. 1926 erruption again...
Okay lets go down and try to find a place to stay.
Dangerous road down ! A lot of trucks that take the
volcano sand (don t ask me to do what ?) The trucks
try to go up...but because they are to heavy they
get to hot, and consequently stop until they get colder.
During this time they put some stones
behind the weels and sometimes the stone just are
on the road....without truck. So watch out.
. We are going down. Its not less dangerous because
the road is sleepery on the sandy curves and the gravity
push us faster down....
Then after the down-the-hill road, the up-and-down curvy road. Because of the lava flow the road is built
on a very unflat way. Its kind of funny to drive here
with bike. Maybie scary with a car because its very
narrow, specialy when the trucks full of sand come
in the opposite lane...actualy the same lane because
there is just one for both side .We arrive. Where
? In the township of Toya Bungkah,
the village of the hot springs. To be exact there
are just two different hotsprings. The free public
one and the Natural Hot Spring swimming Pool, nicer
and more than free : 5 dollars. For balinese price
its expencive. We will go later to this Hot pool chapter.
First find a room.
We cross the town and stop to a place. Check the price
and the beds...not good...lets try something else...
The place we stay is almost empty. The season in september
is not very crowded. As we get into our place to stay
: the Under the Volcano II we were
treated like kings.Pic season is of , so you can imagine
how it was as they saw us coming. The 5 womens were
so existed...maybie to much...because when wemens
are exited it sounds like a bunge of chickens...PAOKKK
PAAKKK PAAKK....I don t understand anything when everywoman
speak simultaneously.
I don t know if its because we were to lazy or to
hungry but we decided to eat at the Under the Volcano
II restaurant. Afterwards I will probably say it wasn
t a restaurant but a private experimenting kitchen.
The food was okay but the drinks ! We ordered a pinaple
juice for Wonyi, a banana juice for me. What we get
was surprising ! We were so dursty that we drink with
energy ! But Wonyi beginn to scream. BEUUURRKK its
uggly. And I begann to realyse what happend. My drink
to was disgusting....What happened is simple in some
way! The girls prepared the juice, cut the fruit and
put in the mixer. Then they took what should be water
to diluate the juice...but the water was not water
it was Arak, a local rhum...and this one was strong
. So strong that when you put it with the juice its
disgussssssting.
- Hot springs -
We survived the food and the drinks and decided to
go to the HOT SPRINGS. Their are two of them. The
one for the local people and the one for the tourist
or ritcher inhabitants. The first is realy dirty and
shallow, the second of course clean and more comfortable.
I like adventure but I think risking my life two time
in the same day is little bit dangerous (I mean after
the poisonous drinks). So we get in the Comfortable
secure Hot springs. There we get some nice orange
juice welcome drinks and a nice nice hot spring pool.
No people in our pool. Juste the quiet sound of the
waterfall in the pool. We are like kings and enjoy
the moment. Well until the Gods comes! Maybie 10 mens
in one shot enter in the pool. They are loud and order
food. They behave like super Gods...oder order order
and eat and smoke in the pool. French frites with
cafee. Strange mixture. My first thinking is >
this guys must be ritch locals to order so much <
They realy don t behave respectfull and guess who
they are ? Comon guess ? Try ? Of sure they are not
Gods...but Police officier. Wonyi and I tried all
the time to escape from the police guys and we landed
in a Police filled swimming pool. I dreamed about
a hot swimming pool full of beautifull chicks but
get a pool full of chicken *name we give
to police men in french: Poulet=Chicken.
And the best is that this people landed here with
the money of the tourist. Corruption can bring you
a lot if you re a cop in Indonesia. Actualy cop is
a good job here.
- on the road to Besakih
-
On the road from Batur to Besakih we passed a lot
of artisanal worker. We decided to stop and have a
look to the people who work the thing that are sold
to tourist, hotels and the others. Sadly I had to
see sad the whole family participate to the artisanal
enterprise including young boys. Life is realy not
fair.  In
Europe and other country we enjoy the luxury of TV,
entertainment and comfort when we are kids our problem
consist of homework (on paper) and some stupid banal
things. Here homework is the work that can aid the
family to contribute to food. I look at the kids doing
the sculture in such a guilty confidence. They manipulate
the tool like the adult will do. And that s the problem
for my mind. I m part of the thinking that kids should
explore the life of the kid and then the life of the
adult when they become adult. Kids should learn and
play...learn life, play with their inocent joy of
life. But the world is what it is...maybie it will
one day change.
- Temple of Besakih
-
>>>> to come
- Padangbai -
 >>>>
Wonyi and I arrive in Padangbai. We found a place
to stay, a place to eat (Wonyi had the choise and
chance to try shark, normaly the Shark has the pleasure
to try the human...but here for Wonyi s luck it s
different !). We also found some palms to put the
hamac I bought and a beach......
>>>> more to come one day...
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