April 20th Traveling to the North of Bali

Royal Family Temple in Mengwi

We were up early and off on a tour with our friends Maria and Joe to Lovina Beach and north Bali. Our first stop was the Royal Family Temple in Mengwi and, as it was the dark moon day, everyone on the island was in traditional dress. Because we were just going around the outside area and through the gardens, we were not required to wear a sarong and sash.  The priest was there in his white clothes to bless the food offerings that people brought, which they then took home and ate.

Next stop was Pacung to view the beautiful view of surrounding rice terraces, and then on to Lake Beratan and the Ulun Danu Temple.  The road was increasingly curvy as we rose into the mountains.   Again at this temple we had people bringing their offerings in woven colorful basket boxes on their heads, and again there was no need for a sarong or sash for us. At this location there was also a mosque call for Friday prayer, so we were reminded that though Bali is primarily Hindu, the rest of Indonesia is Muslim.

We had only a 300 meter walk up and down stairs to get to Gitgit waterfall, which is the largest water fall on the island before we were off for lunch at Lovina beach. Both couples had debated whether it was worth spending more time there, and had been interested in this day trip as a way to check out the area.  We were both glad we had done so, as we were not convinced the area had enough to warrant an overnight.



Twin Lakes at Munduk

The highlight of the trip was really the last area that we visited, which was Munduk, at an elevation of perhaps 6,000 feet, above two natural lakes.  Coffee plantations and trekking opportunities abound here.  Munduk is a cute little eco-friendly village high up in the mountains with gorgeous views, numerous waterfalls, and is a great place for hiking through clove, cocoa, coffee plantations and rice fields. This beautiful village was once a popular place for Dutch colonists to escape the heat from coastal Singaraja, so they build their rest houses here for visitors starting in 1903.  Some of these old homes have been converted into proper guest houses.

We arrived back in Ubud around 7:30pm, and the trip down the steep road at dusk and then later in the dark was an interesting ride.  Our car was very well equipped and we were all happy to have seat belts.  Leslie had to move to the front seat with all the curves in the road.