On top of visiting temples in the area, we also did a bike tour of the rice fields in Kintamani, got our food on in a cooking class of traditional Indonesian cuisine, and shopped for cute trinkets.
Here's a before and after shot from the cooking class - from ingredients to dishes!
Here's a before and after shot from the cooking class - from ingredients to dishes!
Just a little tip for any of you planning to visit there anytime soon -- Bali was H O T. If you're not used to the weather or are sensitive to extreme heat, you may want to schedule your trip some time in September; according to the locals, it's right after peak season, so prices drop and the crowds are gone!
Regardless of heat sensitivity or time of travel, here are some tips to stay cool while you explore!
- BYOW - Bring Your Own Water (Bottle)! If you've got a refrigerator or freezer where you're staying, I suggest you keep it in there overnight to keep it nice and cool during the day
- Sunblock - essential. Maximize that SPF protection.
- A hat - if you don't want a sunglasses tan.
- A small towel to wipe off your sweat (cause you will definitely sweat buckets). Dirt is more likely to stick to moist areas so keep yourself dry when possible!
- Bikini + cover up - for an easy dip anywhere! The possibilities are endless.
We woke up early one morning to do a coffee and bike tour in Kintamani. Before we started the bike tour, we had a traditional Indonesian breakfast at a coffee plantation and sampled the different kinds of coffee that they produce locally.
The different samplers we tasted at one of the bike tour stops:
I would highly recommend the bike tour to anyone who feels comfortable enough on a bike. It ain't smooth sailing; there were a lot of narrow areas (right beside shallow ditches) you have to bike through, as well as some very steep areas. You will have to maneuver through different terrains - dirt paths, damaged roads, and some well-cemented roads.
We finished off the tour by visiting an old sacred space (sorry, but the name escapes me) that was, ironically, walking distance from a cock fighting arena.
