Pedaling along the heart of Bali Island from north to south, between Kintamani, Bangli and Gianyar across the roads linking the regions.
All offer almost the same scent, paddy fields and villages typical to the Island of God. Some time ago, Tempo tried one biking track that was initiated by Bali Bike Baik, a tour operator based in Ubud.
On Sunday morning late last month, nine of us were transported by car to a coffee farm in Susut , a region between Bangli and Kintamani. Gede, our guide, took us in a coffee-processing trip prior the biking kicked start introduced coffee plants.
In the farm, Gede also introduced us to luwak, an animal that produce expensive coffee seeds from their wastes. Some Australian tourists expressed their amazement on how the coffee seeds are processed by enzymes inside the luwak digestive system.
In the end of the trip, we were served with variety of coffee including luwak coffee, ginseng coffee, ginger coffee, and also coconut milk coffee. All of the coffees were of excellent tastes that the small cups drained without traces.
After a quick stop at Kintamani to enjoy Mt. Batur view, we headed to the start point in Suluhan village, Bangli. Our journey begun in an open field where the crew had prepared tens of mountain bikes that we can pick up as we wished. Since nnot all of the participants were skilled cyclists, Gede gave a brief introduction on the fields that stretched before us.
We started to kick our pedal after a small warm up into the sloping down road. The smooth asphalt road make our bikes spur fast between farmlands and hamlets.
The cloud that covered the sky that day protected us from the stinging sun light. The first fifteen minutes took us into settlements area. We stopped at a temple where children had swarmed around to greet us.
Gede quickly explained about the temple, its architecture, symbols that decorated the building, and even about how people are praying in the temple.
Then the journey was resumed. Out of the settlements, we entered massive paddy fields that stretched along the smooth roads. In some spots, the rice fields were terraced which is Bali’s classic view favored by most foreign tourists.
The guide invited us to have a break to observe the farmers harvesting the rice field. We could even try to participate in the activity. After a good photo session, we went back to the road that offers same typical view: houses and temples.
The route that we took strected across five villages, namely Suluhan, Susut, Abuan and Apuan, and ended in the skirt of Gianyar. It was relatively convenient cycling track since there was only one uphill road -- which is around 500-meter long-- in Abuan Village. The total distance that we have traveled was aroound 20 kilometers in two-hour duration.
In the finish line, we were picked up by car and taken into Bali Bike Baik base for lunch. In the 80-meter hall, I enjoyed my lunch together with around 30 other tourists.
Wayan Sudjana, the owner of Bali Bike Baik said that foreigners favor the cycling trip since it can bring them closer to Bali’s rural life.
Source : Tempo
0 komentar:
Post a Comment