Beasts in Jungle

April 15th: Ferry from Bangyuwangi to Gilimanuk, Bike Ride from Gilimanuk to Pemuteran – 34km

Apr 29, 2014

Day 184

We assembled our trikes at the Bangyuwangi platform and were ready to go before 5am. The ferry terminal was only a 5 minute ride away, and much to our relief, we could ride our trikes onto the car ferry, which runs every 20 minutes. It was the easiest ferry ride so far, and it cost only 8,000 IDR each for our non motorized vehicles.

The ferry took almost an hour to get to Gilimanuk, and I of course passed out on my cozy trike seat. Chopper diligently recorded the ride with his camera during this time and took some photos of our approach to Bali.

Once we rode out of the Gilimanuk port, the differences between Bali and Java became instantly obvious. Quieter, smoother roads, less traffic, less people, and less garbage. We briefly discussed if we should take the shorter route on the south coast to reach Denpasar where we will get our chest x-ray for our Australian visas, or take the north coast route and do a bit of touring. We quickly agreed on touring.

It was not a bad decision. It turned out to be one of the best decision we have made. For the first time in a long long time, we were under the canopy of lush tropical forests again. It was absolutely rejuvenating to cruis along the smooth roads, following its gentle curves to uncover the stunning views around each bend. Steep mountains on our right and blue ocean on our left, we rode eastwards like Don Quixote and his squire Sancho.

We found a little guesthouse called Tri Jaya along the road, and much to our surprise the adorable bungalow only cost 250,000 rupiah, a price that would only get you a grungy budget room either sans hot water nor air-con on Java. Not having slept for more than 30 hours, we moved in happily. Our host Komang was beyond hospitable. His extremely out-going personality made him a very good spokesperson for the Balinese culture. Soon we would also find his genuine kindness was a rarity in other touristy areas.