As traffic moved along, I passed my Dutch friends on the road, then fell behind, then passed again, as is the course with more maneuverable motorcycles versus larger vehicles in Balinese traffic. While riding along, enjoying the fresh air of my open-faced helmet, I caught a tiny glimpse of a fleeting black object, just as it hit me smack in the eye. I presume it was a bumblebee or something of that size, and I did manage to close my eye just in time, but the force of the solid bug hitting me at 40 mph was enough to keep my eye watering and throbbing for the next 30 minutes of riding, though I was fine after that. Also along the way, I came across another roadblock, this time for one of the numerous ceremonies in the devout small towns of the island. This one was a funeral ceremony, where the whole village gathered around in traditional outfits, following the procession and finishing off the road-blocking event with a huge float with a carved white horse atop a massive pedestal which was then thrown off the side of the road into a large pit where the whole piece was burned, though we luckily didn't have to wait for that portion. Although it makes it tough to travel quickly through the small towns, I was amazed by the frequency and breadth of these ceremonies, both from seeing this one and a few along the way to the river rafting site.
Moving on, I climbed up a high mountain pass, winding back and forth, hoping to find the road intact around a series of blind turns, honking around each one in hopes of not meeting a truck deciding to cut the corner a little too close (which happens quite often). Along the top of the mountain, views of the vegetable gardens below gave way to the vast green interior of hills and rice fields, making their way back down to the coastal plains. Also along the top, in not so natural of a setting, a local man had a stand with some exotic wildlife for pictures, though I felt bad for the shivering flying fox, iguana and python, as this cool mountain weather was certainly not their natural habitat. Soon afterwards, I passed down the mountain to another picturesque lake, surrounded by a few small mountains and partially covered in the nearly perpetual mist of the area. This lake, Danau Bratan, is also home to one of Bali's most photographed temples, the scenic Pura Ulun Danau Bratan. A small set of temples stand proudly in the lake, looking over the adjacent courtyard and worshippers, often portrayed with the dark, brooding landscape of the cloudy mountains in the background.
From Danau Bratan, the road again climbed up a winding mountainside, passing groups of monkeys along the side of the road, waiting for passing tourists to stop and offer a few bananas and pose for pictures. After cresting the mountain, the curvy road led me to an almost imperceptibly marked waterfall with a tiny parking area. There was another nominal fee for entrance into the park, and I followed behind a French tour group to the set of waterfalls in the town of Gitgit. Unfortunately, the tour group wasn't too friendly, but they eventually moved on, so I had the trail to myself again, passing by a group of children on a huge rope swing, diving into the cool pools of water below. Around the corner was the first of the three waterfalls in the area, a dark canyon revealing an opening in the rocks, releasing a powerful stream of water about 35 feet into the pool below, surrounded by large boulders and rock walls. Just a few minutes downstream, the creek narrowed and dropped again over a thin crevasse, creating a blue green pool amidst the greenery, banana plants and bamboo. The final waterfall required a little more effort and asking directions of some local children as a few trails veered off in all directions, though I found my way up and down the narrow, though mostly paved, trail, dodging a few chickens and over-protective dogs along the way. The final set of falls seemed to be more a series of cascades in a bigger opening of the river, ending with a large waterfall (around 30 feet high) surrounded by hanging vegetation that would have made a great picture if not for the mix of sunlight and shade. Nearby, I found a nice boulder and perched myself along the edge, enjoying the natural serenity of the majestic waterfalls. Getting later in the afternoon, I decided that I'd have time for one more stop, another waterfall in the town of Munduk.
Getting to Munduk required more steep, windy roads, passing along the ridgeline of another tiny mountain range overlooking two more scenic lakes before heading back down towards the Northern coast of the island. Again, I worried about making it back up the steep road, especially after talking with a French guy who said his scooter had quite a bit of trouble making it up the hills. Nevertheless, I continued on, finding another tiny sign and parking lot for the waterfalls. I hurried down the trail, knowing that I didn't have a lot of time to spare, as it would be getting dark in a couple of hours, and I was still a long way from home. I wandered through the noticeably drier forest of the area and soon could hear the sound of the thundering falls, like music to my ears. Up a small set of stairs, the amphitheater-like setting opened up to me, showing off a massive 75-100 foot waterfall, powerfully falling off a sheer cliff into the U-shaped area below, covered in trees along the ridge and huge ivy leaves clinging to the walls of the rocks, forming a stately green backdrop for the waterfall. Having seen many waterfalls in my life, I sometimes find myself disappointed, but this certainly wasn't one of those times, as this was another masterpiece that deserved a few moments of quiet contemplation. Just to the left of the tiny stairway, the powerful mist of the waterfall was enough to soak you if you stayed there long enough, as proven by a few random visitors who showed up here and there, but I mostly had the place to myself. The site was incredible, and I wished I could stay longer than 45 minutes, but I knew I had to get back, and my camera battery had also died, so my typical photo session didn't last nearly as long as it would have in a place as scenic as this.
As I headed back in the late afternoon, I passed up and down again and again, becoming fully aware that my small motorcycle wasn't the most comfortable day cruiser, especially for a few long day trips. I adjusted in the seat, moved backwards and forwards, side to side, hoping to find a slightly more comfortable position, ready to be back in Ubud. I passed through a few dark clouds, thinking that rain might make things even worse, but I was only treated to a few sprinkles before heading back down out of the mountains, into the clear skies of the valleys below. Eventually, I made it back to the outskirts of Ubud, just as the sun was setting in my eyes, making navigating an unusually large amount of traffic a little more stressful than it already was. And just to add to the misery of my aching body, I ended up on a different road in the city, not recognizing where I was and having to circle back around the city until I finally found a road that I recognized, squeezing along the shoulder of the one-way road in the opposite direction (quite a common practice in Bali) and finally getting back to my hotel, local cafe and inviting bed for a much-anticipated rest and end to a long day of temples and waterfalls.
(A typical view of the young rice fields lining the country roads of Bali. I would recommend waiting until after the harvest before trying to eat this.)
(Pura Taman Ayun - the fortuitous, unexpected stop along my way to the lakes and volcanoes of the island.)
(Again, I was amazed at how painful it is to have someone take a picture that included both me and the temples behind me. This is the best one that I got.)
(The string of temples were surrounded by a small stone wall and a moat, keeping the plebeians away from the royal parts of the park. As you'd guess, I fall into the former category.)
(This would be a nice, serene image, but thanks to mass marketing, I can't help but think of the Verizon commercials with all of the trees and buildings resembling a strong reception signal on a cell phone.)
(Just minutes before being hit in the eye by a large bug while speeding down the road, causing quite a bit of pain and eye-watering. But I wasn't crying. Nope.)
(The iconic temple at Danau Bratan. Perched at the base of a few mountains, the temperature here was actually a little cold, especially with some strong winds blowing through, bringing streams of clouds over the surrounding peaks.)
(The first of three sets of waterfalls at Gitgit, after the pushy French tour group squeezed past me, observed the water for two minutes and pushed their way back through the narrow trail.)
(The second of the three falls, this one was higher, falling into a blue green pool at the bottom.)
(Then further around the windy roads and down some very steep hills, I made it to this scenic waterfall in Munduk. My camera battery was all but dead, but I was luckily able to squeeze in one or two quick pictures of the spectacular place and spent the rest of the time staring in awe.)
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