Scooting Around Bali

While we were in Ubud, we were looking at a map and decided it would be fun to go up and over the mountains to the northern coast of Bali. After renting a scooter and packing a small messenger bag with toothbrushes and bathing suits – we were off!

We headed north into the mountains where the temperature started to drop and we realized we were pretty much in the clouds. It was a welcomed feeling, as we had been sweating in the morning sun as we left Ubud. We passed through many small villages and towns with Balinese people going about their daily routines. It was a pleasant sight to see villages that hadn’t been commercialized for tourists and were real, Bali towns. Once we were outside the towns, we were again immersed in fields and fields of rice paddies, this time terraced because of the slope of the mountains. After about two hours, we arrived in the small, lakeside mountain town of Bedugul, where we visited a temple set right on the lake. When we arrived, a ceremony was just beginning as they paraded through the temple grounds.

Us & the temple

After a quick tour of the grounds and a bite to eat, we were off again. As we continued north, the road began to follow the rim of the crater of the volcano. We could see Lake Buyan down the slope to the left, and fields of rice paddies down the slope to the right.

Pete & Lake Buyan

We took the scenic route from Lake Buyan to the northern coast, which meant scooting through the gorgeous, picturesque town of Munduk and driving along a narrow, VERY steep, road to Banjar.

This picture does not do the road justice - it was VERY steep in parts!

We eventually made it to the coastal town of Lovina, where we stayed the night. In our one night there, we were lucky enough to catch a beautiful sunset and an equally stunning sunrise. (I went on a boat ride at the crack of dawn to see dolphins – Pete opted to sleep in to fight off stomach ailments).

Sunset in Lovina

Another picture of sunset

This little guy ran by our table at dinner

Sunrise in Lovina

Dolphins!

After my boat ride and some breakfast, we hopped back on our scooter and headed south over another volcano to Kintamani. We weren’t as lucky with the rain (or lack there of!) on the second day, and had to pull over at a little roadside stand with an awning when the rain changed from a drizzle to sheets of rain. We waited it out with a Balinese family and when we could see a break in the rain, we went for it. Let’s just say the hot sun in Ubud was very welcomed as we rolled back into town!

And we made it back safely!