On the Road in Bali

Jul 24, 2014
One of the best ways to see more of Bali is to plan a day on the road and venture off your base. The most common way to do this is to hire a taxi driver, sit back and enjoy! This is exactly what we did on one of our first days in Ubud, and looking back now in retrospective it was an excellent choice. In just one day we saw so much of this stunning island, and not only these impeccable "sights", but also the real Balinese villages and the raw nature. Who would have known that driving through these authentic villages would end up being one of the highlights of this little road trip! Also, like I wrote on my previous post, our driver was full of stories and every time we would see some ceremonies or happenings along the way, he would jump right in and explain what was going on. So, it was all pretty much a visual learning experience...

Panoramic views over the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces

We also did -what seemingly everyone does on this day trip- a stop on one of the many coffee plantations. Admittedly it's a bit of a touristy thing to do, but we totally enjoyed tasting all those different coffees and teas- we even went for the famous Balinese "poop" coffee (Kopi Luwak). In short, it's coffee made of beans that's been digested by a civet and it's often claimed to be the most expensive coffee out there. We ended up paying something around 3€ a cup, which, believe me, is a lot for a cup of coffee in Indonesia. However, the price is apparently 10 times more over in Australia, which I guess means we had a steal... ;). And was the taste overpowering the rest of the coffee industry? Probably not. But in all honesty it wasn't bad either!

Other major stops we did along the way included a few temple complexes such as the Taman Ayun and the Ulun Danu, which both count to some of the most significant ones in Bali. Also, we spent a few hours wandering around the world-famous Jatiluwih rice terraces. The immense slopes of green, the tranquil and the mountains in the background made it all look so beautiful and surreal. We finished off with a lunch overlooking the rice paddies...over a big plate of rice, naturally. Last but not least, we drove up to this vista point where we had stunning views down to couple of lakes surrounded by jungle. Exotic and different must've been the words running through our heads at the time.

This day served as a great introduction to what this island has to offer, and we were already looking forward to experience more of it. Even so much, that for the upcoming days we had already booked us to couple of new adventures...

 Taman Ayun - "Beautiful Garden"


Coffee Plantation


Jatiluwih Rice Terraces






Ulun Danu 







Lake viewpoint 


 {All pictures © Voyages of Discovery}



TIPS & LINKS


Getting Around
The most common thing is to hire a driver (or taxi) for a day. The prices vary somewhere between 40-80€, depending who you hire (privately or via tour agent). They will take you around all major spots in the feasible area. Such a convenient way to see more rural parts of the island, and also chance to get real good insights from your local driver! Regardless if you go with a private taxi or via agent (or hotel), they pretty much take you to the same places but with a private one you might get a cheaper deal...just make sure that whoever you hire speaks well enough English. The SUVs they use in Ubud and Bali are generally new and all equipped with AC. 

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