Lovina Tour

Rain began to pour. I was outside waiting for a bus at 8.30 on a Saturday, with a hangover! This was not a good start to my weekend. My stomach was churning and my head pounded... this better be a bloody good tour.

The bus finally arrived. I climbed on and sat next to two guys from Germany whilst Lindsey sat in front. Setting off I began to feel better and the clouds began to part. The rain subsided as we approached our first stop , the Family palace. It is entered from a bridge that leads across a lake to an ornate entrance. It oozes traditional Balinese architecture, with its geometrical designs, carved into red brick and stone.  A sign to our left reads:
''During menstruation ladies are strictly not allowed to enter the temple"

We walked through to a courtyard and then round back to explore the other structures. It was set amongst a forest with paths leading down to a river. It was peaceful and a nice start to the day. As soon as we got back into the van, the heavens opened. Good timing!

The Coffee plantation was next on the agenda. Driving past rice fields and small villages, we headed down a country road to the plantation, which also grows galangal, lemongrass, cocunuts and other crops. A lovely woman showed us round and told us about the renowned Civet coffee. Locally known as Kopi Luwak, the coffee is made from coffee cherries which have been eaten and then digested by the Asian Palm Civet. The lady insists it tastes great, but at Rp 40,000 a cup, I am not convinced (plus the fact Linds said it really isn't anything to shout about). Bypassing the over-priced cuppa we sat down to a free tasting of Lemon Tea, Ginseng Coffee, Ginger Tea, Bali coffee and Hot chocolate. I ended up buying the first three as they tasted so good, mainly due to the high sugar content.

Leaving the plantation, we drove through Strawberry hill. Unsuprisingly, farmers grow Strawberries on its slopes and the market town you pass on the decent is scattered with bursts of red and pink from all the punnets lining the vendors displays. Cars lined the streets of our next destination. We arrived at a Temple in Bedugul, set on the Beratan lake. Ulun Danu temple is dedicated to the goddess of the lake, and is famous for Hindu worship. We were very lucky to witness a ceremony when we arrived and it is nothing like you have ever seen. Thousands of people descended on the temple, all dressed in their best Kabaya (lace blouses) and Kamblan (batik waistbands) to pay respect to the god(s). I tried to ask our tour guide what the ceremony was about but unfortunately the language barrier invalidates the response I received. We spent almost an hour just soaking up the ambiance and people watching. It was my favourite part of the day.

After denting a car whilst trying to maneuver out of a parking space, our driver hastily drove us to Git Git Waterfalls. The decent from the roadside down to the falls was quite a challenge for our weary bodies but me and Linds managed to make it, partly due to stopping every 5 minutes to browse the wears of the hawkers lining the steps. We gathered speed as we heard the booming sound of water against rock. Some 35m high, it is protected by a dense forest that caresses the hillside. Just 10 minutes from Singaraja,  it feels like you are far removed from civilisation, well apart from the Chinese tourists and the kids trying to sell you bracelets.

Lunch was spent at Lovina and we were thoroughly unimpressed. The tide was in and the beach non-existent. The town seemed to be just a narrow strip of overpriced restaurants on the sea-front (although we later realised this was simply because our driver took us to the rubbish part) and misunderstanding the restaurant owner, we paid Rp50000 for our meal when we thought it was to cost just Rp15000. Oops.

The hot springs of Banjar was our last stop. It was a great way to relax after a very hard day of sightseeing. The water was more luke-warm and although it is considered to have restorative and healing powers, I found the water to be somewhat slimy, and couldn't help think of all the dead skin cells. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it as it was mainly used by locals and they were all smiling. The setting was serene, nestled amongst a forested garden and although we were a little rushed, it was a great end to the tour.

Our driver kindly stopped on the way back to let us take photos of the twin lakes of Tamblingan and Buyan although the sunset he promised was somewhat non-existent.

Saying farewell to the driver and its passengers, I stepped off the bus at ARMA. The museum of art and performance is just a stones throw away from where I am living in Ubud. I had heard there was a free Bellydancing show on that evening so I went to check it out. I had arrived just in time and sat for most of the duration. I was so glad to finally catch a show and all the more it was for free! I walked home with a smile on my face. What a productive day for a hangover! I was about to call it a night when I heard an interesting noise coming from the direction of the community centre. Right next toChakra's house, I decided to check it out. Inside there were 50+ locals watching a performance of what I can only describe as stomp. Men in tradtional outfits were doing body percussion and chanting in a hypnotic manner. It was mesmerising. I sat down and watched. They were finishing their performance but I was glad to catch the ending. When I thought I had been performanced out, another group emerged onto the stage. Dressed in japanese martial arts gear, a group of 20-something kids started performing martial arts whilst drumming (I later found out it is called Wadaiko). It was insane. I was so captivated and although the performance lasted over an hour it felt like mere minutes. Returning home feeling exhausted, I was greeted by Chakra, Justin and his friend Evan playing drums and guitar. I retold my tales from my epic day and then headed to bed.