Bali by Bike - Part 3
The next day was Galungan day.
Today's plan was to ride the backroads and observe how Galungan is
celebrated. Everybody was dressed up for the day. Women were in their
colorful sarongs with baskets full of offerings balanced on their
heads. Men wore cream colored long sleeve collarless jackets, sarongs
and headbands. They congregated at their town temples to pray. Bands
of teens in tradtional outfits wearing sunglasses and riding mopeds
were a sight to see. The changing personna of
Bali. Top left: Ubud backroads.
Almost free from traffic. Look at the arching bamboo poles
used as offerings. Top right: During
Galungan day, everybody goes to the town temple to pray and
bring offerings. Bottom right: Everybody
dresses up in their traditional Balinese outfit. Famed terraces of Bali in
the town of Tegallalang, about 10 miles north of
Ubud.
Traffic was almost non existent this day. We road the backroads
meeting Jewish tourists on a walking tour, farmers bathing nude along
the irrigation canals, and locals washing their cars and mopeds. The
highlight was stopping at the rice terraces minus the tourist buses
and street hawkers.
For lunch, we ate at a local warung. Cooked food is displayed in a
glass case. You point to what you want and the dish is spooned over a
bed of rice. At about $1.50 a person with beer, this was the tastiest
meal we had - even compared to the most expensive places.
Finding Ubud interesting, we decided to stay another day. We moved to another hotel rated at the top - Tjampujan. We stayed in a bungalow once lived in by a foreign painter named Walter Spies who was responsible for influencing Balinese painting as we see it today.
This last day in Ubud was spent
shopping and getting the bargain
massages. A dragon dance in the
streets of Ubud.
At about $30, we decided to rent an airconditioned sport utility
vehicle back to Kuta. It was just too humid and hot to ride.
Back at Kuta, the day was spent exploring. The next day, we went to explore Nusa Dua. It is a planned hotel community with hotels like Bali Hyatt and Club Med. The day after was our last day and spent packing and doing last minute shopping.
It seems that the day goes fast in Bali. Riding was short of planned. We however have to conform with what nature and weather has to offer.
If I were to do this again, I would go straight to Ubud to soak up more of the culture and small village life. Since riding distances are low, I may even try to bring a folding bike. If the weather gets too hot, you can instantly fold the bike and ride the bemo (public mini bus). You can really travel light. I survived on 2 shorts and 2 tops and one pair of sandals. You can also buy clothes cheap.
The beauty of planning your own trip is the flexibility. No need to follow a regimented schedule. There are enough resources (books, newsgroups and web sites) to plan one independently. There is also the possible savings. Our whole adventure cost us under $1300 - including airfare, all meals, tips, transport, etc. We were not "roughing it". Most lodgings were in places rated at the top by Lonely Planet. All meals included beer and all the works.
We hope this short account encourages you to plan a bike trip to Bali. Please feel free to email us for any questions. We are putting all pictures, cost breakdown and a more detailed narration in CD ROM. If you want a copy, we can make you a copy for a very nominal cost (about $2 for blank CD and postage).
Happy Riding
J Gaerlan - Gaerlan Custom Cycles
(415)362-3866 ..........(415)677-8943 - fax