Day trip on a motorbike…never again…well maybe.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed my day thoroughly, I saw so much in one day it was just amazing…but I almost shit myself on a number of occasions while doing it.  So I think it’s best if I don’t do it again, after all, that many close calls at the age of 26 is simply not normal.

Zack, a local guy I met who does tours as one of his many jobs, and I set off on his motorbike in the morning from Kuta (Bali) for Kintamani, a small hill top village with gorgeous views of Gunung Batur, a volcano rising 1717m above sea level and towering the beautiful Lake Batur.  The drive offered stunning views of the coastline for the first portion, an awful road that has been under construction for far too long for the next part, and tiny villages surrounded by vast bright green rice fields for the majority of the drive once we were far from Kuta.

We reached Kintamani around lunch time, and had a wonderful buffet lunch with a beautiful view of the volcano and lake.

Continuing on after lunch, we passed shrines and temples decorated with handmade crafts for a Hindu celebration.

We passed villages, children playing, dogs play fighting, people walking home from the market, and the most vibrant, lush, and rich vegetation I think I have ever seen.  

Finally reaching Git Git Waterfall, after Zack taking one too many wrong turns, we walked through bright green rice fields set amongst a mountainous backdrop. 

  There were of course stalls set up along the trail to the waterfall.  Women selling traditional Batik fabric, wood carvings, paintings, beaded crafts, and untraditional sarongs.

As with everywhere, there was a shrine covered in offerings at the waterfall adding punches of colour to the striking blues and greens.  

You may be wondering “what is this girl complaining about?!  what the hell is so scary about that trip?!”  Well, finishing at the waterfall later than planned we head straight for Kuta, first making a loop from numerous wrong turns, we finally set off on the right track.  Travelling through dense clouds, and thick fog and the windy mountain roads, it quickly turned dark…and wet.  The clouds grew thicker, the roads seemingly more twisty due to the rising fear and poor visibility, and consequently my screams grew louder, my grip tighter, and my desire to believe in a higher power grew stronger than ever screeching “oh my god” at every turn in the road.  As we drove into Kuta a shit storm began.  It was raining so hard that I thought maybe it would be ok if I did shit my pants because the rain would clean me right up.  But alas I didn’t shit my pants, and more importantly I didn’t lose my life.  I did however learn that a small white girl from Burlington, Ontario should not get on the back of a motorbike for a full day of driving through treacherous windy roads on the sides of mountains.  Lesson learned.  On to the next lesson!