Beasts in Jungle

April 18th: Baturiti to Ubud – 49 km

Apr 29, 2014

Day 187

A long climb always means a long descent. Since we were still in the crater of the volcano we would have a short climb out before our long descent.

On our way out Cher’s rear shifter locked up again, and I had to manually tighten her rear derailleur into the highest gear, leaving her only her 3 front gears. Fortunately for almost 30kms we descended.The scenery is this regions as we made our descent and crossed over to Ubud was beautiful. Terraced fields that although man made gave a feeling of organic evolution. I imagine that many of them have occupied the same area for hundreds of years, slowly bending and rising to their current configuration.

We passed multiple fruit stalls and stopped for a durian. When I first tasted it 5 years ago I was repulsed by the smell. When I met Cher in NYC she had stored some in our fridge and I thought it was rotten chicken, now I become to love it. As we ate it I asked if this was something different. It couldn’t be the fruit who’s smell almost made me wretch. She assured me it was the same. After 4 years of living in Hong Kong and smelling it regularly I have become accustomed to it. It was juicy, fruity and full of flavor.

We eventually had to cut east to reach Ubud and we we met some lightly rolling hills and flats. Cher had to peddle like a maniac to maintain a speed of 12 kph. In support I pretended my trike was afflicted with the same problem, but after 10 km of spinning I couldn’t keep up with Cher and I had to cheat by shifting gears.

Making our way into town we hit a traffic jam, not even a scooter could squeeze through. We never imagined that this town would be so crowded. We were in the low season and many people give this town a glowing review. Being the art and culture center of Bali, the streets were lined with art galleries, fashion stores, wook carving workshops bearing local culture signature.

Soon we turned off on a side street, and Cher’s research paid off. The hotel she chose, Rumah Roda Homestay, was a quiet little sanctuary off the beaten path. Our room had a lovely little porch with a large couch to lounge on. Our bed was a large 4 poster with a bug net stretched over top. The large tiled bathroom looked out over the rooftops and was open to the outside. Although there was no air-conditioning we were able to open the windows at night and since the room was in the shade most of the day, the concrete kept the temperature cool even in the afternoon. This was the most homey place we had stayed in a while and our deep sleep that night confirmed it.