Balinese ride: rice fields, temples and markets

Sana, one of the young guys who work at the small hotel Wawa Wewe IIsuggested a motorcycle tour of the interior of the Amed region (north-east of the country). Bali). On the agenda: rice paddies, temples, markets and... cockfighting (yes, I found myself in a gallinaceous arena, as I'd been told). an the Philippines).

Rice fields and market

And so we set off, under a slightly grey sky, towards the heights. For the first time since my arrival, the weather's a little worse. But that's all to the good for riding.

It's amazing, you just have to go a few kilometers inland to find yourself in a greener, more humid area. With pretty rice fields, bits of fresh and luxuriant forest.

First little stop and detour, to start with, on the road to Tulamben, to fill up at the gas station. A liter of petrol here is currently priced at IDR 6,000, or around €0.42, which is huge for Indonesians. They too have seen prices at the pump soar, and there have even been major demonstrations in Jakarta because of the price of petrol, in short...

Second stop at the Culik (pronounced "Tchoulik") market, where I buy a scarf belt to go with the sarong I'll have to wear to the temple. As always, the people are very friendly and have a good laugh when I pull out my camera and point it at their stalls.

Prayer at Pura Lempuyang

We first stop at the Pura LempuyangIt consists of two temples, a small one with just a sacred pool and a big one with huge stairs decorated with dragons.

On a clear day, the view of Mount Agung through the split gate must be spectacular. Unfortunately, with all these clouds, it's difficult to appreciate the panorama to the full.

We tie the sarongs. Then I imitate Sana, who has bought offerings and lit the incense sticks.

Once seated cross-legged in front of the altar, hands turned towards the sky, we must take three times a flower from another small basket of offerings at our feet, make a small circular gesture, then put the petals in the hair, then behind the two ears. After that, time to pause, hands joined, for a prayer. Then we are sprinkled with holy water, by the priest in faction, all dressed in white.

The prayer ends with water being poured over the hands, which must be drunk or pretended to be drunk, three times, and then grains of rice being stuck to the forehead and temples.

Even if it does not have much meaning for me, I really enjoyed this little time of prayer in this large temple almost deserted. On the way, we only met Balinese people in sarong, with their offerings. Not a single pale face.

Update 2024. This visit dates back to 2008. Pura Lempuyang has unfortunately now become a crowded instagrammer spot, where you have to queue and get your ticket... 😱 I'm glad I knew Bali before Instagram.

Lunch and shopping in Amlapura

Lunch break at the market ofAmlapura. That comes to 26,000 Indonesian rupiahs for two, or less than €2! I also take the opportunity to change my euros at a better rate here, as this is the big city in the region. I'm a rupiah millionaire again!

A quick shopping trip to the market, then to the local supermarket, Harry's, where I spend tens of thousands of rupees (€5) on a jacket and a pair of new flip-flops...

Sana takes the opportunity to pick up girls in the parking lot, with an unstoppable tactic: a direct exchange of cell phone numbers with the promise of text messages.

At the age of 21, my young guide explains in his broken English that his friends make fun of him because his previous girlfriend dumped him... So he has to find another one, fast!

The palace of Tirta Gangga

We hit the road again and then, a few kilometres away, visit the water palace of Ujung, built around 1920 by the last king of Karangasem.

There are few people, just some Asian tourists and locals. It's an amazing building on the waterfront, in the middle of a big park with nice lotus ponds, very soothing.

Then we stop at this other palace, not far from there, built by the same king, much more frequented and better known, the palace of Tirta Gangga (photo opposite).

I already knew it, having visited it during a previous stay in Bali. It's a bit of a must-see in the area.

The place, certainly very touristy, is really pretty and rather pleasant. I am delighted to rediscover it. I particularly like the big pool filled with huge fishes, that we cross by jumping from slab to slab.

A little cockfighting?

Finally, Sana wants to take me to a cockfighting arena. He can hardly believe it when I tell him I've already seen it in the Philippines. That the Filipinos, like the Balinese, really enjoy cockfights and organize lots of them. And they bet too? Of course they do!

Same scenario as in Siquijor, Philippines. Read ➜ The roosters are fighting on Sunday (article from February 2008). All men around the little clay arena and everyone getting excited at betting time...

Sana bets a few thousand rupees, which he obviously loses. He's disappointed. He thought my presence would bring him luck.

Stroll along the coastal road

The next day, I leave to explore alone on my motorcycle (I say "motorcycle" because everyone calls it "motorcycle" because everyone calls it "motorcycle"). motorcycle here, but it's actually the equivalent of a scooter) the magnificent little coastal road to the south. Every time you turn a bend in the road, you come to the top of a promontory and discover a new cove of black sand, with its little boats lined up in a row, and the sea as far as the eye can see... It's beautiful, it's beautiful!

I then wander far beyond the village of Aas, well past the scrap lighthouse, far down the road, somewhere between Seraya and Ujung.

Everywhere I go, I still feel like the Queen of England, enthusiastically greeted and challenged by the locals. "Hello, mister! Hello, mister!" (In Indonesia, "mister" is given to all foreigners, whether male or female). I distribute small hand gestures to the right and left, as I'm so good at doing, and continue on my way.

Just before a rickety bridge, a vague imitation of the one on the River Kwai, I opt for the small road on the left: it goes down to the pantaiThe beach, says a guy to whom I ask my way. And there I discover, below a tiny village full of goats, cows and children, a village where nobody speaks English, a magnificent beach, perfect. An arc of black sand, real sand, without any stones in it, surrounded by small cliffs.

There are the fishermen's boats and a family busy emptying their nets, watching me curiously as I approach. The exchange will be limited, given the meagre extent of my Bahasa Indonesiathe Indonesian language. The teenager who puts the net in the big bag held by two small children speaks as bad English as I do Indonesian.

Batteries dead... no pictures!

I take a long break on this beautiful beach, named Pantai Soan or Sohang, I'm not sure. I'm transcribing roughly the name given to me by the teenage member of the fishing family... I don't know exactly where I am, but I understand that I'm really far south, compared to Amed, as I can see both the island of Lombok (to the east) and those of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida (to the south-east of Bali).

Well, I can't even show you this magnificent beach! My batteries have run out!

The spare batteries I had taken were dead. And in the area, not a warung (small store) had no other batteries than those damned local ABC batteries, not powerful enough for my camera.

Too bad. If one day you follow this splendid small coastal road as I do, turn off at the yellow iron bridge, follow at low speed the bad road full of holes, wave to the children, don't run over the chickens and stop at a flight of stairs on your right. There it is.

Updated August 19, 2009. Check out images of this lovely beach (Pantai Songean, as it's really called, it seems) in this article, posted a year later:
➜ Bali: they found "my" beach

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