I remember on my first trips to Bali and Europe in the late 90s, internet was mostly a frustration while traveling. You had to find an Internet cafe. And then it took 15 minutes to download the yahoo page. Then there was no "e" or "t" key functioning. And you'd send a hurried two line group email and try and get out before 20 (expensive) minutes passed. And it is with these distant memories that I feared I would be wifi-less up in the mountains of Bedugul, especially as the plan was to go for budget accommodation, which we didn't bother booking in advance.
In fact, this little side trip was only dreamed up last night after beginning to feel a bit claustrophobic in over-crowded Legian. I thought we might end up on the neighboring island of Nusa Lembongan, which sounded lovely, but dry and hot. And we felt like being a bit cooler. So to the mountains!!
When looked at from some angles, it can be difficult to see what there is to like about Bali. It's crowded with some of the yobbiest (not bogan, I did NOT say bogan), loud, rude people; it's incredibly touristy-tacky (one restaurant advertises "f'ing good tucker and ice cold piss" - horrible); there are touts everywhere trying to sell you things ( and they're all the same things) you probably don't want, etc., etc. And it's all true. But on the other hand, there is another side to Bali. One thing I love about staying here is how incredibly easy everything is. Example on point, last night we decide to get out of the south for a few days. By 10am this morning, we'd packed. By midday, we had eaten breakfast and cleared out of our room. At 12.15pm we wandered down to the nearest tourist booth and askdd for a driver to take us to Bedugal. By 3.30pm we arrived. Impressive, no?
At breakfast, a little googling of Bedugal brought up wikitravel's excellent travel page - which brought us to the place we are now - Strawberry Hill, a gorgeous hillside, new-ish collection of mountain lodges just shy of Bedugal. There are amazing views, very pretty gardens, including a strawberry patch which you can help yourself to and excellent free wifi.
Pretty, huh?
Because it's in the mountains, it gets cool here in the evenings, so they also have Bali's only........ Fireplace. Yes, a fireplace. I've seen it. Hilarious. I mean, yeah it's cool, but we're still on a tropical island here.
It was a lovely drive up here. Nearby are the famous Jatiluwih rice terraces which are beautiful. This is the sort of views you get on the way here:
We also stopped for yet another variation of Babi Guling, or suckling pig at a roadside restaurant. Yumm... Soup, vegetables and lots of porky goodness. Two servings of this cost Rp 30,000, or about $3.35. Wow.
And now that we've settled in and walked down to Bedugal, it feels as though we have been lifted up off the planet and dropped down in a completely different country. For a start, the mountains and forest are a completely different landscape and very atmospheric and spooky, all cloaked with mist. Then on the way to Bedugal, we could hear the call to prayer from a mosque - first time I've heard it in Hindu Bali.
And there is something about Bedugal that is like arriving in a small country town after being in the big city. On our walk into town to find some dinner, a driver stopped his car on a tight bend in terrain reminiscent of the Dandenongs and got out of his car to ask us if we need a ride. If this happened to you in outback (or South Australia, home of the serial backpacker killers), you might justifiably freak out.
Here, there's no need to worry. "Where are you staying"?, he asks. "At strawberry hill". "Oh, my friend, he is there, I am the driver for there". Coincidence, or more? For a second I thought he might also tell us he was the sheriff! Once we'd assured him that we really had purposely set out to walk, he returned to his car, only to come back a moment later with his card - just in case we need it! As it turned out after a fantastic dinner at a little warung in Bedugal, the road which we needed to walk to get back to the hotel was dark. Like pitch black. Not all atmospherically dark and moody. Like it didn't matter if my eyes were open or shut dark. I was extremely grateful for a bus driver who saw us, took pity, pulled over to the side of the road and gave us a lift back!!
As it turned out when we returned after dinner, the manager of the hotel had indeed called his driver friend out to meet us and plan our next days of sightseeing. I have no idea how long the poor guy had been sitting there waiting for us. And no, it wasn't the same guy who stopped for us earlier. I guess Mr hotel manager has a few friends in this town!!
I should mention that my mum went home last night after her stay. She loved it, left with a goats skull ("I used to teach it you know, in science"), bed sheets and some great memories. On her last day, we went for a breakfast high tea at Biku, a gorgeous cafe filled to the brim with Indonesian antiques. If this doesn't make you want to head straight to the Windsor for some tea and scones, I don't know what will:
- Posted using the power of greyskull
That He-Man reference just made this my favourite blog.
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