Bali by Bicycle!

Local children we passed along the way

School children from a local village

One of the many beautiful rice fields that we passed

At the elephant park with a few months old baby

Day 113: Friday, November 20th

The morning came early today. And that was just fine with me. On the agenda for today was a bicycle ride through Bali! At first I was a little nervous. It is both hot and humid here during the burning hours of the day; PLUS, I do not know what kind of shape I am in for long distance biking. Pathetic, I know. Trust me, I plan on working on that one upon my return to the good ol’ US of A. But for now, I wasn’t feeling super-confident!

A van came to pick us up, and we drove the hour and a half to our beginning destination. Up and up and up we wound through the mountains until we reached the summit of one of them. What a view! In the near distance was a glorious looming active volcano. It was absolutely gorgeous to gaze upon. From the other three sides we were afforded a beautiful view of the hills all around us. My excitement regarding this little excursion was mounting by the second. Dan and I grabbed a cup of coffee made from the very same beans grown on the volcano in front of us. I downed the ridiculously strong coffee, grew some hair on my chest as a result, strapped on my helmet, slipped my water bottle in place, mounted my seat, and was ready for action. Bring it ON!

I quickly figured out that this was not going to be as hard as I once thought. All that would be required of me was a strong left hand – necessary to hold that rear brake in place for the ten-mile downhill ride! What a piece of cake! Add to that, the fact that God was most merciful on us regarding the weather. The clouds graciously shielded us from the searing heat of that sun on steroids! Our rapid pace created the loveliest and most refreshing of breezes. This was – hands down – the best bike ride that I have ever experienced. We glided down the hill as though we were coasting on ice. I shifted my eyes left and right, trying to absorb as much of the local color as possible. The countryside of Bali is surreal. Locals waved and called out to us from every side, their beautiful smiles bursting with sincerity and good will. Little shops, one after the other, lined the road. These Balinese may be simple folk, but don’t let that fool you! They are quite skilled. I mentally decorated my entire house on that ride! My eyes grew exponentially as they saw the gorgeous hand-carved furniture and statues. I knew exactly where I would place that stone statue in my garden, and which exotic plants would grow around it! That glass mosaic platter would be lovely in the kitchen. Oh! And that one would be beautiful in the guest bathroom! Wouldn’t some lovely linen curtains be beautiful around that canopy bed? Trust me on this one. The little house in my head was cozy, comfortable, and gorgeous! If only… If only…

Our guide finally made our first stop – the first of many local villages that continues to live as it always has. We parked our bikes and took a look around. Wow! Talk about simplicity. All of the little houses, or should I say “huts” were single-roomed and measured about 12’X12’ at the most! We walked between the rows of living quarters and gazed directly into the houses from the “streets.” No glass in the windows. Some didn’t even have doors. Almost everybody was gone! It was explained to us that the children were all in school, and the adults were all in the fields. Amazing! No cars. No roads. No privacy! Our guide began to narrate more of their traditions. Interestingly enough, when the village teenagers reach sixteen years of age, both the girls and boys go into the jungle by themselves for seven days, during which time they pick their spouses. Both the boy and the girl have to agree to the match. If you are not picked or accepted by the other party, you simply return the next year and try your luck again! Well, SIGN ME UP! What a great idea! I would be more than willing to give this a go, and I told our guide to expect me again in February, when this mating game is next scheduled. You never know – it could work. OH! And I almost forgot about this very bizarre tradition. Upon leaving the village, we passed through a heavily treed area, in which coconuts were hanging everywhere by ropes. We were told that – are you ready for this one? No, really, are you sure? Okay, don’t say that I didn’t warn you! When a baby is born in the village, its placenta is stuffed inside a coconut and hung from a tree branch – where it STAYS! This is to remind all the villagers (if they are ever tempted to leave), that this is their home, and that they should stay where their roots are! Ughh! It was so creepy! Their placentas in all of those coconuts. I sped through that forest as I quickly as I could pedal. My skin was alive with repulsion.

We stopped at other little villages and spoke with any locals that we could. In addition to that, we stopped and visited a primary school. The students ran from their little classrooms and came to greet us! They couldn’t have been cuter or friendlier. They said “hello” to us until the cows came home. I took pictures of them, and then showed them my camera. They were delighted and surprised to see the images of themselves. Some were shocked. Others were amused, but all of them were delighted. We made our goodbyes and carried on. At several points along the way, our guide pointed out all the various crops being raised: cocoa beans, coffee beans, ginger, cumin, peppers, sugar cane, cinnamon trees, etc. There is absolutely nothing that won’t grow here. My mouth was salivating at the thought of what kind of garden I could actually have here. It would truly be a wonder to behold.

Finally, we made it to the end of our ten-mile journey. Our tour ended at an Elephant Sanctuary. We turned in our bikes and hit the trails in search of the mighty, but gentle beasts. The children and I oohed and ahhed over the three babies, who were only a few months old. I had never seen such small elephants. They were positively adorable – and terribly friendly! Dan was trying to get pictures of all of us next to the adult elephants in the water. Now remember, I love nature, but I do not like when it gets too near me! I squatted down on the ground to take a quick picture, but the elephants smelled the banana bread that I was still chewing, and out of nowhere, I was surrounded by four sniffing trunks – right in my face! I panicked and screamed! No one could understand my fear, because everyone else thought that the “up close and personal” experience was ideal. I tried to make sure that all the banana bread residue was gone and ran in for a quick picture. As I knelt down next to one elephant, the one next to it wrapped its trunk completely around my head! I just knew that I was a goner! I leapt from my place and ran away! Dan got a picture midstream, but it made me look maniacal in my state of panic, so don’t ask to see it, because it has been mercifully deleted!

I will end on this note. If the reader of this journal entry ever visits Bali, this day of bicycling is a MUST! Today will be remembered as another one of my favorites on the trip.

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