Mt. Batur

This mission had both success and failure. First off, I didn't get to rent the big bike. I had been told I could rent it, when I went to pay for it I was informed it was already rented. They tried to track down another, as did another individual unsuccessfully. I decided maybe this was a clear message that I shouldn't get that bike, so I rented an older manual shifter scooter. It actually turned out to be a good thing in more ways than one which I will get too.

So, woke up at 12:45m with little sleep to embark on my journey. Got the hang of driving the scooter quickly, not many vehicles on the roads at 1am. Getting to Mt. Batur was a challenge in itself. First of all, not many clear street signs pointing me in the right direction, the roads are twisty and you lose sense of North East etc fast. Oh yeah, the bloody dogs! At night going through neighbourhoods you notice that none of the dogs are inside, none on leashes....they make dog gangs and they HATE scooters. They'll come right at you and try to nip at your feet on your way by. A few times I tried to pull over and take a look at my ridiculous little free map when dogs come on the attack and I'm forced to peel out of there. Remarkably I found my way after 2.5hrs and a few turnarounds on gut feeling. I saw a young truck driver getting into his truck (hardly anyone out and about at that time) and asked him how to get to Penelokan, he said I was there!! He pointed me in the general direction of the volcano (it was dark , really dark). I found a lake which had two large looking mountain type silhouettes on either side...both looking to be about 10kms away. I then realized that I was ridiculous. How did I think I was going to show up to a mountain I've never seen before, find the correct spot, and climb the bloody thing in the dark?? Sometimes winging it works, sometimes it sucks. So, I was sitting there, freezing (this is the first time I've been cold in Bali...and I was REALLY COLD....shivering), exhausted, and defeated. I could've turned around...except I didn't even think I'd make it back to Kuta with the Petrol I had. All I wanted was a blanket and a bed. I found a little boat on the shore of the lake, decided to try and sleep in it. All I had on was a sleeveless quick dry shirt, board shorts, and luckily my MEC rain shell. I was freezing from the motorbike ride and couldn't seem to warm up. My hands were ICE! I tried to sleep for a couple of hours on the wooden seat of the boat but ended up tucked in a ball trying to get warm, shivering for a few hours. FINALLY the sun came up @5:30ish am. I saw which mass of land was the volcano and headed for it.

in the boat

the boat after sunrise

I found this crazy little maze network of trails leading towards the mountain, starting out wide and not too bad....ending in ridiculoulsy narrow little walking trails I would consider mountain biking. I took the scooter up these trails anyway, see how far I could get. It was nuts, roots sticking out, steep ledges on either side, rocks, steep banks....the scooter ruled! This is why I'm glad not to have had the big bike, I would've died. I had a few close calls with the scooter but came out unscathed. Found some cool stuff in the bushes: A temple thingy, cool farm houses, a few farm families (unsuccessfully tried to communicate with them)...yeah, crazy. So I parked my scooter at one spot and tried to climb my way out of a deep gorge canyon thing. Took me a while as I couldn't find a path, it was the worst case scenario of bush wacking. Didn't get to high up before deciding to tuck tail and turn around, at the point of getting lost and losing the scooter!! Anyway, found a cool place to eat breakfast after with a sweet view on the lake.

getting gnarly on the scooter!

where I hiked too

peaceful breakfast view!!





BESIKAH
The largest cash grab.....I mean temple in Bali :)

After my morning with Mt. Batur I check out my map and found I wasn't too far from the largest temple in Bali, Besikah Temple. On my way there I was stopped by a lady on the side of the road...she asked if I was heading to the temple, put a burning insense on my bike, and attached a little basket offering thing to my bike (didn't want to offend her and decline). Then she said, "ok, you pay money now". I said "for going to see the temple", "yes, 100,000 Rp". I told her that was too much and I'd give her 5000 Rp. We argued back and forth for a bit, I told her 5000 or nothing...she accepted. I drove away and felt like an idiot....who was she? Was she even part of the temple? I was still a long ways off from getting there, but I didn't know that at the time. Anyway, got near the temple, had to buy a ticket for 10,000 Rp....ok. He said I would need to rent a sarong type thing (or else you're not allowed to see the temple??), I asked how much, he said he wasn't sure but he thought around 5000 Rp. Drove another km to park my bike where I was outfitted with my sarong. 50,000 Rp to rent....couldn't talk her down. They know they can charge whatever at that point, you've spent too much to turn back. FINE, 50,000 it is, even though I know they BUY them for like 4000 Rp. On my way in, a gentleman asked me for my ticket, then wanted me to follow him to a table and talk. He said "well, today is a special day, it's a big celebration. I can only allow you on the very front step. IF you want to go further, you need to be accompanied by one of our guides". I said "let me guess, that's going to cost more money correct?"...."yes" he replied. Then I got a bit mad, I told him that this whole thing seemed like a ridiculous cash grab. That for an island who claims to have their religion and their sacred temples as being so important to them, they should want to share it, not act like a market and rip people off. I was so choked I asked for all my money back, everything....I didn't want to see the temple. He said "ok ok, you can give our guide whatever you want, big or small". I told him fine, then I wouldn't give him much. He escorted me to the front step and then said I needed to negotiate a wage with the guide. Hahaha, I told him not to go back on his word and that I'd give hime "whatever I wanted". He agreed to take me for 3000 Rp, not much. Anyway, the whole thing got to me. AND, inside the temple area (the area is made up of tons of little temples and stuff, not allowed to actually go inside) there are persistent little hawkers trying to sell you postcards, all in your face and stuff. I'll bet this is what it was like when Jesus snapped and turned over tables and crap. Oh yeah, I asked where this big celebration was (the reason I wasn't allowed to enter the temple area myself that day)...he said it wasn't starting until later that afternoon....unbelievable. Anyway, the whole thing was ridiculous, looking back I should've put that $ towards organizing a guide up Mt. Batur to see the sunrise. You live you learn.

curtsy in the temple area



After that I just had fun touring around the island on the scooter, those little things rip! I started getting pretty confident with that sucker and drove like I was a local. Two lanes pretty much turn into 5 lanes on a bike, the shoulders, the lanes, and the middle!! Haha, it was so much fun, I was even passing most of the locals and keeping up the fast ones. BUT, I was cautious most of the time mom :)


Cool door carving on the door of the temple I found in the bush

random toilet shot at the breakfast place. You're right Kristen, they don't use toilet paper!! Nastified.