Sanur, day 2 + Kuta

In the afternoon we walked around the beach to look for a cafe with a good wifi connection so I could work while Maarten went swimming. We finally settled at Sand, a quite posh restaurant with a very good wifi. So I started working and later Maarten went for a swim in the calm sea of Sanur beach.

[m] the quiet beach of saner

[o] kayaks

The food at Sand was very good. We had a Chicken Caesar Salad and it was very tasty. The smell of the pastas ordered by guests next to our table was also very inviting.

[m] oxalis works while maarten is sipping his watermelon juice

[o] chicken caesar salad

At around 5-ish we went to Mangsi Coffee to meet mas Tirta who was currently on duty in Bali.

[o] mas tirta and maarten pose at the supper snapshots exhibition

[t] maarten and oxalis at mangsi

[o] french fries with cheese

We wanted to see The Hobbit so we went all the way to Beach Walk mall in Kuta (where the cinema played The Hobbit every three hours).

However, when we got there at 8, the movie tickets for the 21.15 screening had already sold out, and there were only few seats left in the front row for the 23.45 screening. So we decided not to see the movie..

We went looking for a place to eat and finally had a dinner at Rollaas cafe, which served Indonesian and Western cuisine. Plus they served some very nice local drinks like tea with some Indonesian spices, local coffee, mixed tropical fruit juice, etc.

[m] beach walk mall, kuta

[o] meeting mas tirta in kuta

[m] oxalis smells tea

[o] southeast asian tea

Gunung Batur // descent

In full daylight we started to climb down the slope that we had ascended in the dark.

[m] Climbing down

[m] Climbing down

[m] Oxalis descending gunung batur

[m] Stop taking photos and catch up, we haven’t got all day

[m] View from the slope of gunung batur

[m] View from the slope of gunung batur

Slowly the temperature got higher and the sunlight got brighter. When we looked behind us, we could see the mountain top that we climbed earlier. Maarten was intrigued by strange hills or piles of some sort, that were scattered around the landscape between the mountain and the lake. Were they natural formations or garbage dumps?

[m] Almost there

[m] We were there

[m] We were there

[m] We were there

[m] Strange… thing

Gunung Batur // the summit

When we finally reached the top the sun had risen completely. It was a big disappointment to find that the weather was very cloudy. Upon reaching the top all we could see from the top was, literally, greyness everywhere. Mountain touts offered us some ridiculously expensive drinks. From our guide we got banana sandwiches and boiled eggs. Fortunately, after this breakfast we were taken across the mountain top. The guide showed us some steam vents, holes in the rock where hot steamy air escaped.

[m] That was quite a climb

[m] Oxalis on top of the misty mountain

[m] Oxalis on top of the misty mountain

[m] Maarten warms his hands at the steam vent

[m] Oxalis warms her hands at the steam vent

We then had a look at the crater. The passing clouds kept revealing new parts of the crater ‘walls’, which had some beautiful colours and textures.

[m] The crater

[m] The crater

[m] Posing at the crater

[m] A cave next to the crater

[m] The crater

[m] The crater

[m] The crater

[m] The crater

When we returned from the crater, the heavy fog had gone and we could see more clearly from the top.

[m] Oxalis and two other members of our hiking group on top of the volcano

[m] View from the top of gunung batur

[m] View of a cloudy gunung agung from the top of gunung batur

[m] The lava field remains of an eruption in 1968

[m] Posing in front of the lava field

[m] Posing on top

Gunung Batur // ascent

We decided to climb the Gunung Batur, the central volcano of Bali. It is known to be relatively easy to climb in around 1,5 hours, also for non-experienced hikers. We were picked up by the mountain guides at night and after a visit to a plantation where we could try (and were encouraged to buy) several coffee and spices brews, we started the ascend at around 4 in the morning in pitch dark.

It turned out that the climb was a bit heavier than expected. The slope got exponentially steeper as we progressed, and in the final part Oxalis got some trouble breathing, so we had to take lots of breaks, which also gave us the opportunity to look back from the mountain slope at the mountain lake and the tallest mountain of Bali, the gunung agung,  in the distance.

[m] The gunung agung seen from the slope of the gunung batur

[m] The gunung agung and danau batur seen from the slope of the gunung batur

[m] The guide and Oxalis on the slope of the gunung batur

[m] The gunung agung seen from the slope of the gunung batur

[m] The danau batur seen from the slope of the gunung batur

[m] The gunung agung and danau batur seen from the slope of the gunung batur

Sanur, day 1

We arrived in Sanur at almost 3 in the afternoon, as we were stuck in traffic around Bedugul – due to tourist buses that parked around the Pura Ulun Danu Beratan (Bedugul). After checking in our lodging, the Little Pond homestay, we went out to get some linner (our word for lunch+dinner). We walked along the Jalan Danau Tamblingan and looked for some cheap food. We finally found a local reggae-themed warung/bar called Coconut Tree. Their food is around 10,000-20,000 rupiah. I had nasi+ayam kecap (rice and fried chicken with soy sauce) and es buah (mixed fruits with ice). Yum!

[o] maarten and our linner

[m] oxalis and es buah

[o] es buah

Afterwards we went to the beach, where Maarten went swimming in the sea while I did some photo-editing on one of the beach chairs.

Sanur beach is always much nicer than Kuta. It is calmer and less touristy, and the beach is cleaner as well.

[o] the calm sea

[m] oxalis edits some photos on the beach

[o] maarten prepares to dive

[o] maarten embraces the sea

We went back to our homestay when the sun set, as we needed to save our energy for the trekking to Mount Batur.

ps: On our way back to the homestay we saw this huge gecko (tokek)!

[o] tokek

[o] tokek!

Munduk, day 5

Our last day was sunny again. For the first time, we realised we could actually see the sea, the north coast of Bali, from our homestay.

[m] A clear view from the restaurant

[m] A clear view from the restaurant

[m] A clear view from the restaurant

Our final breakfast suddenly had milk-soaked toast with sugar, something we call ‘wentelteefjes’ (flip bitches) in Dutch, alongside the usual tropical fruit mix.

[m] Wentelteefjes for breakfast

[m] Tropical fruits for breakfast

And after breakfast we took one last look around the homestay, and made good use of the sunlight to make some more photos of animals, flowers and other things.

[m] The entrance of Meme Surung

[m] Oxalis is taking photos of the moss on the walls

[m] We found a spider

[m] Lots of orchids around Meme Surung

[m] A pommegranate tree at Meme Surung

[m] Flowers at Meme Surung

[m] One of the beautiful houses of Meme Surung

[m] Lots of orchids around Meme Surung

[m] Flowers at Meme Surung

[m] Ants, busy as usual

Munduk, day 4

On the fourth day of our stay, we decided we were quite happy with just hanging around the small mountain village of Munduk. Munduk basically consists of one street. We bought some souvenirs, learned to play various bamboo musical instruments at a house labelled ‘tourist information’, and gathered some lunch and dinner from various food stalls.

The weather was cloudy again, and although it resulted in some very nice views, we started to miss the sun.

[m] The misty mountains

[m] The misty mountains

[m] The misty mountains

[m] Don’t ask

[m] The misty mountains

[m] The sun sets through the clouds

[m] The sun sets through the clouds

[m] The sun sets through the clouds

Munduk, day 3

Today we did jungle trekking in the area of Munduk with a guide. This tour passed by two waterfalls and through several plantations with coffee, cloves, and others. We saw jackfruit, salak, guava, and even a pineapple growing in the wild. The first part of the trek took us to the first waterfall:

[m] Oxalis and guide in the jungle

[m] Oxalis and guide in the jungle

[m] Wild jackfruit (nangka)

[m] The first waterfall

[m] Oxalis reached the first waterfall

[m] The first waterfall

[m] It has been confirmed that Oxalis is smaller than the waterfall

[m] The first waterfall

[m] The first waterfall

We came across a group of local people who were executing some ritual which involved preparing the local delicacy, babi guling (pig roast). Later they passed us by, carrying the babi guling meat which was cut to pieces by then. Maarten tried a bit of the meat. It was very juicy and slightly sour.

[m] Babi guling being prepared

[m] Babi guling being cut

[m] Babi guling close-up

[m] Babi guling close-up

[m] Want to taste some babi guling?

After the first part of the trek we took a small break at a spot where we met some other tourists and played some bamboo instruments.

[m] Taking a break

[m] Our guide

[m] Oxalis is taking a rest

The second part took us to another waterfall, one that was more influenced (dammed) by people.

[m] Jungle trekking

[m] Jungle trekking

[m] Guava?

[m] Wild pineapple

[m] Jungle trekking

[m] Jungle trekking

[m] The second waterfall

[m] Oxalis observes the second waterfall

[m] The second waterfall

[m] The second waterfall

[m] Wild salak

[m] Jungle trekking

[m] Jungle trekking

[m] Munduk rice fields

After the trekking we had a well-deserved meal at the restaurant, and we made a small stroll through the village in the evening.

[m] More food!

[m] Mountain view in cloudy evening

Munduk, day 2

The previous day had been very cloudy, so when we woke up this morning we were very happy to see lots and lots of sunlight.

[m] Sunny tropical Munduk

[m] Sunny tropical Munduk

[m] A banana flower

[m] A banana flower

[m] Sunny tropical Munduk

[m] Sunny tropical Munduk

[m] Breakfast was very good

[m] Breakfast with tropical fruits

[m] Family shrine in the compound

Our main objective for today, and basically for our whole stay here, was to relax together. But we quickly realised that our cash money had almost run out, and that there was no ATM in Munduk! The nearest ATM was in a nearby town and one of the people of Meme Surung was kind to take Maarten there on the back of a motorcycle. Later in the day, the clouds returned again.

[m] View with clouds

[m] View with clouds

[m] View with clouds

[m] View with clouds

[m] View with clouds

[m] View with clouds

In the evening, when the sun started setting, yet another spectacle unfolded:

[m] Cloudy sunset in Munduk

[m] Cloudy sunset in Munduk

[m] Cloudy sunset in Munduk

[m] Cloudy sunset in Munduk

[m] Cloudy sunset, view from the restaurant

After this day we felt quite happy about choosing Munduk for our holiday location.

[m] Oxalis seems not impressed

[m] Dessert: pandan pancakes filled with coconut and palm sugar

Munduk, day 1

When our driver drove us up into the mountains to take us to the Munduk village, a huge rainstorm created large pools of water on the roads and bad visibility, forcing the driver to drive very slowly and cautiously. It seemed as if the further we approached our destination, the worse the weather got. And of course, there is always more rain in the mountains. It was not quite how we imagined our idyllic stay in a sunny Balinese mountain village.

When we finally arrived and ran to our cottage through the rain, we could relax on the porch with coffee and tea. We were staying at the Meme Surung homestay. We had our own house for ourselves, built in traditional Indonesian style. Our bed was protected from animals by a large klambu hung from the ceiling.

[o] Maarten relaxing on the porch

[m] Oxalis relaxing on the porch

Even with the clouds, we had a great view over the mountain area around Munduk.

[m] Munduk view from the restaurant

[m] Munduk view

[m] Very tasty food from the Meme Surung restaurant