Our Bali road trip

Another early morning as Bill was tempted by the sunrise yet again. He couldn't stay for too long though as we were being picked up pretty early for a big day out. We were off to Lovina Beach on the other side of the island and what an amazing day we had. We had an early breakfast at the hotel and while nice it was the pretty usual hotel fare. We waited outside the front entrance for Wayan to drive past and pick us up and it was a pretty warm steamy morning. Lots of offers of transport while we waited but all good natured when we said no thank you. Once in the car we set off for our long day driving along with many early morning commuters. The roads were very busy but one amazing sight that we were not too early for was the 'monkey man'. Each day we had passed this intersection near Denpasar we saw these fellows with monkey masks over their heads. As the traffic stopped at the lights (yes lights) they came along side trying to sell them. I'm not sure how many traumatised passengers there were but they were there every day. We also saw sesame buns being offered as well. No takers though whenever we saw them.

Wayan drove us all though the local roads until we had finally left Denpasar and it's outlying villages. It was so much more interesting seeing all these areas than driving along the main highways. It was really quite interesting to see how the locals live away from the hustle & bustle of the tourist areas. Our first stop was a couple of hours later at the Tegal Sari Coffee & Spice plantation. Here we walked though the trees where could could see Cocoa Beans, Coffee Beans, Ginseng, Ginger, Jackfruit, Bananas & a baby pineapple growing. The other coffee that they produced here was made famous by the movie "The Bucket List". Yep, Luwark (Cat Poo) coffee. For those that don't know this coffee is Called Kopi Luwak, it's an Indonesian coffee made from the faeces of a Luwak, a small cat-like creature native to the island nation's coffee-growing regions. The Luwaks select the freshest coffee cherries to eat and once the bean passes through their digestive system it remains intact but is no longer bitter. They say this creates a sweeter-tasting coffee. People collect the animals' droppings along with the coffee beans. The excrement is then separated from the actual coffee before being washed and brewed up. The heat of the initial brewing process eliminates any disease, fungus or parasite. I sure hope so because I just had to try it.

Before we got to the tasting table we passed through a little shack in the middle of the field where a little old lady was roasting the beans in a wok over an open fire. After we stopped and watched for a moment she told me to sit down and do it. I think she wanted a rest. I was only there for 5 mins and boyo boy was it hot work. Beside her was a very large mortar & pestle where the roasted beans were then crushed. Once at the tasting table we were able to sample Bali Coffee, Bali Cocoa, Bali Tea, Ginger Tea & Ginseng tea. These were all free and if you wanted to try Kopi Luwark it was 40,000 rp. At about $4 how could I not try it. Usually it sells for about $50 a cup. So what was it like - strong & black. We all had a taste of it and while it was OK I certainly wouldn't rush out to pay the real price for it. And on the way back to the car we saw the little creatures that produce the coffee. Very like a pointy nose possum. And of course there was the shop which you had to pass though before you could get to the exit. I did buy some Ginseng Tea & Ginger Tea.

Once on the road again we continued to climb as the most straight forward way to Lovina is up and over the ranges through Bedugul, Gitgit & Singaraja. It makes for a very long day but you see so many different sides of Bali it is really worth the trip. We stopped at one resort just before Bedugul and the views over the rice fields were just spectacular. Our next stop was the Bedugul markets which were just wonderful. Just like the South Melbourne markets here they catered to the locals and tourists with amazing displays of fruit & vegies, spices, clothes & souveniers. I could have stayed there all day but after buying a few bags of vegie chips it was time to move on again.

Our next stop was just a little further up the road where the monkeys gather in roadside bays waiting for the passing tourists to stop and feed them. An enterprising little lady was selling bananas and once you had them the persistent little creatures were all around you wanting them. It was a bit of fun watching them take the bananas, peel them and eat them. They were all very fat little creatures as no doubt this is a daily ritual. One tiny little one kept shoving food in and it was pouching at its neck as it really didn't want it but still it came begging each time it saw a new banana.
Of course there were lots of photo opportunities here and after about 20mins we moved on again this time not stopping until we arrived at our destination - Lovina Beach.

We had a buffet lunch here in a restaurant right on the beach and finished off with Black rice pudding, yum. Bill spent some time chatting with the local beach hawkers and while the sarongs were very pretty he did not succumb. While it is lovely having lunch beside the water there is nothing to see here other than the horizon. After lunch it was back in the car to begin our journey home taking a different route.

I'll tell that story tomorrow......