Well, it’s been a couple of weeks since my last Journey article, and a lot has happened. I apologize for it being so long between drinks, but I’m afraid I’ve been guilty of “playing tourist”. As you may have guessed from the title of this post, I have left Bali, in the short term, and landed in Jakarta where I have linked up once again with Jo to explore West Java. But let’s have a look at what I’ve been doing in the meantime.
Jo actually decided to surprise me a couple of weeks back by jumping on a plane and coming to Bali. She was accompanying her sister and brother in-law on a long weekend trip, and I had no idea! Before I knew it she was back with me and the quiet, boring and lonely weekend I had expected was turned on its head.
As soon as she landed we headed directly for one of our favorite warungs for dinner. Then it was home to work out how much we could actually pack into the few days we had together. Little did we know that it would turn out to be much more than we expected.
Over the next few days I did a few things that I had been shying away from over the 18 months I had been living in Bali. First, there was a visit to Tirta Empul Temple. This is an amazing place just past Ubud, and the reason I had avoided it was basically due to the usual crowd of tourists. Tirta Empul is a stop off for nearly every single tour that you can take to the Ubud area, and photos of the place always show lines of tourists waiting for their turn to hop into the pool. Not for me, I’m afraid.
I am vindicated somewhat from the fact that during Covid-19 the temple was actually closed for a long time. So that is a good, solid reason that I haven’t visited as well, so I will stick with that one for now.
Last weekend, however, there was no dodging it anymore. Jo and her family wanted to visit, so I tagged along. Little did I suspect how much I would enjoy the experience.
Firstly, there was no one there. Second, the experience of being at the water temple and seeing a different type of the Balinese Holy experience was incredible. Despite the usual lines, I would highly recommend anyone to get along when they are in Bali and have a look at what it is all about. Check out a great tour that visits the temple HERE.
The next day we went out white water rafting. Although I had done this before in Bali, I have always seen it as a “tourist activity” and essentially I believe I am right. What I had never taken into account, though, is that the mighty Ayung River is in itself an amazing thing to behold, and the amount of waterfalls flowing into it that can ONLY be accessed by boat, make the entire outing worthwhile. For someone who has seen so many Bali waterfalls, and loves them to no end, the two hour trip down the river was heaven!
There is one particular waterfall that, if it was located anywhere else on the island, would be a popular tourist spot. We stopped the rafts at the base of the falls and took time out to have a “shower” and get some photos and videos. I personally stood in the middle of the river for an inordinate amount of time just gazing upward. I was mesmerized by the three tiers that these falls consisted of as they bounced, zigged and zagged their way down the cliff above me.
If you haven’t been white water rafting before, there is nothing to it. The companies are safe and run highly professional tours. Check THIS ONE out for a good example.
While the weekend of shenanigans was going on, my Kitas that I had been waiting on came through! This meant that I was free to head off to Jakarta, which I had been waiting for weeks to do so I could meet up with Jo. As fate would have it, she was already with me, and together we could head off to Jakarta on Sunday afternoon.
Not before one last dinner, however. Saturday night saw us in Ubud and enjoying dinner at Bebek Tepi Sawah, a famous restaurant that we often rode past, but never actually stopped at.
Now, this is a place you really should come to if you are in Ubud. It is located among the rice paddies, and if you are lucky, or just ask, you can get a table actually out IN the rice paddies. On this night we were led to a great table in a choice location that left me amazed at the ambiance created by simply sitting and eating among the paddies.
We remarked on this to the waitress later, and we told that the President of Indonesia often stops by to dine in the restaurant when he is in Bali, and ALWAYS chose that particular table! No wonder we thought it was good.
The next day, Jakarta was on the radar and by late afternoon we were jetting our way north, and saying farewell to Bali. Our plan is to be back by Christmas, but who knows? Plans can change pretty fast.
Now, I have been in Jakarta nearly a week. We spent a couple of days back and forth to Bogor, just to the south of Jakarta, visiting their amazing Botanical Gardens, Kebun Raya Bogor. They are incredible and beautiful, and in the end we spent quite a bit of time there. You can read all about them in my article at THIS LINK.
Yesterday, we headed into old town, Kota Tua, where the buildings are old Dutch structures from the very early days of Batavia. (Jakarta was originally named Batavia) I am currently doing the prep work on an article about old town, so keep tuned here as I hope to have it done in a few days.
The next week is a little up in the air, but hopefully we will get out to nearby Bandung for a few days. It is a more mountainous area and one of Jo’s favorite places in Indonesia, so I look forward to seeing it. From there we catch the train to Yogyakarta, before heading back to Bali.
Thanks for sticking around and reading once again, and I will catch you all in about a week.
J
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