Some days are just the type of days that fill me up and remind me why we are doing this. Yesterday was one of those days. Bicycling through the Balinese countryside with new international friends, stopping to visit the homes of smiley locals, learning about rice cultivation and irrigation, taking a break to eat a locally grown banana under a 500 year old banyan tree … I kept thinking THIS IS IT. This is why we did it- why we sold almost all our material possessions in order to set out and give our children the world.
There have been many days of wonder, learning and adventure on this trip. Many. But, for some reason, this day stood out. This. Being with my family on exactly this type of adventure is what I hoped and planned for us. It was perfect.
Eating black rice coconut pudding for breakfast on the edge of a crater, looking out over the crater’s lake. This. Stopping to visit a tropical spice farm, seeing the local coffee roasting process, and finally getting to taste Luwak coffee pooped by a Civit Cat. (I know you are jealous, right?)
Riding downhill past layer of layer of rice paddies with the wind blowing through our hair, smiling and waving to the children who run to the road to shout “Hello!” This. Stopping to tour a local Balinese home compound to see how the generations all live and work together, with an amazingly friendly guide who answered each and every question we had on Balinese lifestyle (I now know what a teeth grinding ceremony is), religion (Balinese Hinduism is a beautiful combination of Hinduism and Animism), and local customs. The day was so full of excitement, wonder, learning, local history, culture, new friends (our group consisted of several families from Australia and Sweden), and lots of smiles all around. It sums up travel for me, and more than once I was choked with emotion of it all. This. Is. It.
Let me share just you a few of the highlights.
View at breakfast overlooking Mt. Batur and Batur Lake
Coffee Grinding
Traditional Balinese coffee roasting
Then, on to Coffee Tasting
Brewing the Luwak Coffee – special coffee pre-fermented in the digestive track of a Civit Cat
Coffee Tasting and more!
Tasting the Luwak coffee
Very proud of this accidental photo. 🙂 Luwak Coffee
Civit Cat
The Ride Begins!
The bike ride begins
Tandem riding!
Visiting a Family Home Compound
Home compound, where many families continue to live together
Inside the home compound
The family garden
Cuties
In predominantely Hindu Bali, cows represent an investment. Our guide explained that in lieu of bank accounts, they often invest in cows to raise and sell for meat.
Each compound has a temple
Restroom / toilet in the compound
Laundry Day
The People
Adorable!
500 + year old Banyan Tree
Elio pretending to pedal a guide around.
Soccer field.
Finishing The Ride:
Ice cold washcloths at the end!
Nathan and Lorenzo did an extra 8K uphill ride at the end. In 90+ degree heat!
Our amazing guide Gita
Amazing Indonesia feast at the end!
Fantastic group from Australia, Sweden and U.S.
Thanks for sharing my day. As always, it is fun to share some of these memories with you all. (And a big Bravo to Bali Eco Cycling Tours for an amazing day all around!)
Dear Nathan, Kathrin, Lorenzo and Elio Spaccarelli!
First of all thank you very much for your nice Blog about our cycling tour. It is always good to hear & read that people enjoyed it and had even consider it one of their highlights of their stay in Bali.
Hope you & your family will have a wonderful stay in Bali and to see you back at Bali Eco in the near future, who knows to experience one of our other tours.
Regards,
Bali Eco Tours
It was our pleasure!
What an amazing day! So happy you are getting to experience the joy of Bali as we did. Enjoy every minute.
We did! Thank you for all the great travel advice! Where are you now?
Coffee through the digestive tract of a CAT? nuh-uh!
Do you think the illy customers would go for that?
The vegetation however, is incredible. Those colors, textures…..I want to mix every one on my palette. And smiley people…that’s super too.
Thanks for sharing with us.
ma
Maybe it’d be your new favorite coffee? 😉 Thanks again for commenting. You’re the best! 🙂
Am playing catch-up with your posts — so fun to read because u do such a good job in ur descriptions. Sounds like all of u r really having a wonderful time and learning so much!
Love to u all
Mike & hap
Thank you so much for following us! And for taking the time to comment. Been thinking good thoughts for you both. Much love!
AHHH- Maze-ing!!
I am so loving seeing the world through your travels!
Glad you’re have so much fun and continue to have such very rewarding family experiences!
Thank you for all of your comments. I love them! Fun to know folks at home are following along. 🙂 (And, I love seeing all of your fun family posts too!)
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So cool! I agree with Kris…not sure that I would be brave enough to try the civit cat fermented brew…but glad YOU did! 🙂
The biking reminds me of all the biking we did as kids, in and around your neighborhood. Good times! Travel safe ,and much love from the Whytes!
Thanks so much for your comment, and especially for following and supporting our adventure. xoxo to you all!
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Yes as a member of the Team Gita (from Bali Echo Cycling) I can confirm it was a wonderful day indeed – great fun to share it with the Nathan, Kathrin, Lorenzo and Elio – learnt lots from these guys – even about Koala’s digestive systems from Elio – a magic day in Bali – share the love guys – from one of those Aussies that joined in the fun.
Kathrin,
Reading this just made me SMILE. May you have many more “THIS IS IT” days.