motorbiking in bali

Meet ze Germans! Here are my 2 new buddies, Robert and Benedikt.  We first met in Singapore (Benedikt is the lucky man who dates my buddy, Erin) and we happened to meet up again in Bali. These 2 took me under their wings and allowed me to tag along with them for a bit... it was wonderful having Robert take the lead as he studied abroad in Bali a few years ago and knows the ropes well and having Bene as a constant source of entertainment :) Here we are in the back of a truck, hitch-hiking on the island of Lombok.

Before heading to Lombok we rented motorbikes on Bali and headed north to get away from the crowds and see some other places in Bali. First stop was Ubud, a town I could easily stay in forever. Filled with temples, museums, art galleries, rice paddy fields galore... this place is beautiful. We made a stop at the famous Monkey Forest where monkeys run around all over the place. Luckily there are these monkey whisperer guys who keep them relatively in-line. This guy was more interested in his banana than in say, trying to steal something off one of the tourists, which they are known for doing. Somehow though, these guys aren't as scary after having had my run-in with the massive orangutans back in Sumatra.

From Ubud we drove on what felt like an endless road of rice paddy fields to end the day in Tirta Gangga.  We woke up to go visit the Water Palace and realized we had accidentally chosen a homestay that overlooks the palace, what luck! After enjoying our breakfast overlooking the palace, we hopped around on the little stone paths that go through the different pools surrounded by gardens and amazing flowers... such a beautiful place to visit :)

 

Next we headed straight for the coast where we planned to go snorkeling in Tulamben, a town known for its famous dive-site where the US Liberty boat sank just off the coast. The drive there was absolutely gorgeous as we winded up and down mountains that opened up to this valley- mountains, farms, palm trees, ocean off in the distance- what more could you ask for in am amazing view?! Once we snaked down this road we reached Tulamben and the snorkeling really was awesome. The boat is super close to the shore so its easy to reach and you can even swim through some of the parts of the sunken ship.  I chickened out but the boys had fun while I looked on and swam with the pretty fishies :)

We ended the day in the quiet fishing town of Lovina where we enjoyed a delicious fish dinner and beers on the beach... I know, another picture of a sunset... I can't help it.

The next morning we headed to the waterfalls of Gitgit.  On the way to the waterfalls we came across this guy, struggling alone with a huge mattress trying to make his way through the jungle. As we watched him bump into a palm tree, Robert and Benedikt decided to lend a hand. They got more than they bargained for as they had to carry this thing up a steep path quite a ways to this guys' home. His family was very appreciate and were kind enough to invite us to sty for coffee. We enjoyed the visit and the wonderful coffee that's grown right there on their family farm.

The last bit of our motorbike trip was down through the mountains where a few lakes and beautiful lookouts are hidden. Before getting back to the more citied areas we passed through some sweet strawberry fields where we devoured some yummy little strawberries and continued on our way.

The trip was a wonderful success and I somehow, again, managed to not kill myself by way of motorbike... Now it's off to Lombok (by way of ferry)  in the morning!