Monday 19th we took a three hour bus ride to Lovina, not so much a town but many small villages put under one name. Lovina is on the northern coast of Bali. We found a sort of ‘hut’ I would call it to stay in at Nirwana Water Garden just down the road from the volcanic black sand beach. We’re the only ones here, nice to have the huge pool to ourselves! We opted for the hut to save some pennies but as I am a mosquito magnet we will definitely go back to a/c next time!
We rented a scooter for two days so we could explore a bit more, (3euros/day). We drove out to the Air Banjar holy hot springs. Hot water was gushing out of stone carved statues into small pools. The hot springs are in a tropical jungle area, a nice cool break from the sun. From there we went to find the SingSing waterfalls, only 10 minutes away. The locals were happy to point the way when we got lost! The falls are fairly hidden and any potential rock-climbing skills I might have were put to the test! (Photo of Mike in the springs).
We then drove along the coast, through the different towns where the kids in their school uniforms would shout out and wave. We took random roads through rice fields or towards the beach, we even found a vineyard. We would love a glass of wine now and then but the European wine is so expensive out here so we may be converting to the local wine soon!
We rented a scooter for two days so we could explore a bit more, (3euros/day). We drove out to the Air Banjar holy hot springs. Hot water was gushing out of stone carved statues into small pools. The hot springs are in a tropical jungle area, a nice cool break from the sun. From there we went to find the SingSing waterfalls, only 10 minutes away. The locals were happy to point the way when we got lost! The falls are fairly hidden and any potential rock-climbing skills I might have were put to the test! (Photo of Mike in the springs).
We then drove along the coast, through the different towns where the kids in their school uniforms would shout out and wave. We took random roads through rice fields or towards the beach, we even found a vineyard. We would love a glass of wine now and then but the European wine is so expensive out here so we may be converting to the local wine soon!
Après nos péripéties dans
la region d’Ubud , direction Lovina , dans le nord de Bali . Presque 3h de routes sinueuses et nous arrivons dans une cîté balnéaire plutôt
sympathique où le sable est noir . Dans cette partie de l’ile peu de transports
en commun , nous avons donc loué deux scooters ( étant donné que chacun avait
envie de conduire ! ) afin de parcourir les alentours : les sources chaudes de Panas Banjar , la
chute d’eau de Singsua et le temple de Sangsit . La pluie eût raison de nous en
milieu d’après midi et nous avons repris le lendemain notre ballade , vers l’intérieur
des terres cette fois-ci où les paysages sont à couper le souffle .
Since we arrived in Bali I’ve wanted to climb one of the mountains at sunrise. So we chose Mount Batur, an active volcano which only takes an hour and a half to climb, a more realistic option as opposed to Mt Agung, the highest mountain on the island and a five-hour trek. In retrospect I’m glad I didn’t overestimate my climbing endurance.
We were picked up at 2am in Lovina, drove for two hours through the hills to the starting point where we met our guide, Wayan. No one can climb the volcano alone since a couple fell into the crater at the top over twenty years ago so now it is obligatory to have a guide for the trek. We climbed up in the pitch black with only our flashlights to guide us through the maze of lava rocks. At the top we sat and waited for sunrise at 5.40am, a really amazing view. Although a little cloudy we saw the sun come up from behind the mountains opposite. An unforgettable moment on our Bali trip. Then we had breakfast (our eggs had all gotten crushed on the way up), saw steam coming out of active craters, visited the monkeys who live up there, listened to a brief history of the volcanic activity and prepared for the hardest part -coming back down. Our legs were like jelly afterwards but i loved the whole experience. From the volcano we drove to the southern town of Sanur, (a stepping-stone on our way to the island of Lembongan) found somewhere to stay, and slept!
(This photo was taken around 5.30am, waiting for sunrise...)
We were picked up at 2am in Lovina, drove for two hours through the hills to the starting point where we met our guide, Wayan. No one can climb the volcano alone since a couple fell into the crater at the top over twenty years ago so now it is obligatory to have a guide for the trek. We climbed up in the pitch black with only our flashlights to guide us through the maze of lava rocks. At the top we sat and waited for sunrise at 5.40am, a really amazing view. Although a little cloudy we saw the sun come up from behind the mountains opposite. An unforgettable moment on our Bali trip. Then we had breakfast (our eggs had all gotten crushed on the way up), saw steam coming out of active craters, visited the monkeys who live up there, listened to a brief history of the volcanic activity and prepared for the hardest part -coming back down. Our legs were like jelly afterwards but i loved the whole experience. From the volcano we drove to the southern town of Sanur, (a stepping-stone on our way to the island of Lembongan) found somewhere to stay, and slept!
(This photo was taken around 5.30am, waiting for sunrise...)
Depuis Lovina , nous avons organisé la suite de nos aventures en terre balinaise : un trekking sur le Mont Batur . Levés à 1h30 du matin , 2H30 de routes de montagnes plutôt sinueuses plus tard , nous atteignons le départ de l’ascension . Celle-ci se fait obligatoirement avec un guide étant donné les risques liés au cratère de ce volcan et à une éventuelle éruption de lave. L’ascension n’est pas très longue mais dans la nuit on est vraiment dans l’inconnu. Arrivés au sommet , nous pouvons contempler un magnifique lever de soleil avec une vue générale sur Bali (la mer , le lac Batur , le mont Agung) et prendre notre petit-déjeuner en compagnie des singes qui peuplent cette montagne. Notre guide nous fait découvrir le temple du volcan , les différents endroits d’où s’échappent des vapeurs brûlantes et le repaire des chauve-souris .
Cette expérience fut vraiment rafraichissante ; déjà par la température qui régnait là-haut mais nous eûmes aussi le sentiment que cette île recèle véritablement des trésors qu’il faut découvrir un à un .
Cette expérience fut vraiment rafraichissante ; déjà par la température qui régnait là-haut mais nous eûmes aussi le sentiment que cette île recèle véritablement des trésors qu’il faut découvrir un à un .
Après cette intermède volcanique , nous mettons les voiles vers le sud
, Sanur plus précisement , qui sera notre point de départ vers l’ile de
Lembongan . A Sanur j’ai pu louer une moto (une vraie) et aller explorer les
environs pendant que Stacey choisissait dans quel spa ses pieds allaient se
faire masser. Nous nous sommes cependant accordés ensemble un fish-spa :
des dizaines de petits poissons vous dévorent les pieds , ce qui est censé
rendre la peau lisse et douce . La première impression est assez bizarre (
comme un chatouillement ) mais on s’y habitue et on y prend même un certain
plaisir .
We took a short boat trip over to Lembongan Island from Sanur and ended up staying for a week. We’re staying in a great bungalow just behind Mushroom Bay. We spend our days between Mahana Point Bay and Dream Beach, going for swims every five minutes it’s so hot! We have a scooter to get from one side of the island to the other. We are so lucky to be here, we’re really loving every second. Our mistake though was thinking there would be an atm on Lembongan; there isn’t yet, but to future travelers, there is one in the works!
(Here we are trying to protect ourselves from the sun!)
Time is flying by, only six days left in Bali!
(Here we are trying to protect ourselves from the sun!)
Time is flying by, only six days left in Bali!
Nusa Lembongan est un petit paradis où nous sommes depuis le 24/11 et où il fait très bon vivre : très peu de circulation, des plages de sable blanc magnifiques ( parmi les plus belles de Bali ) et des vagues où seuls les surfeurs expérimentés peuvent s’aventurer . Nous nous baladons la journée à la recherche de petites criques à l’eau turquoise et le soir nous dînons face à la mer. Nous logeons dans les bungalows de la famille d’Adi, qui nous a accueillis de façon vraiment chaleureuse. Il semble que l’on ait trouvé un endroit paisible où tout n’est que bonheur !