A bike ride through rural Bali

Back in early February, Lynn and I took an eco-tour bike ride through rural Bali.

We started at the foothills on Mt. Agung, the large volcano in the north-east of the island that dominates the Bali landscape.  We then spent the afternoon coasting downhill through villages and fields, stopping occasionally along the way.

First we went to a demonstration garden filled with dozens of different types of plants, from cinnamon to banana trees.  We tasted mangosteen and jackfruit for the first time.  We learned about traditional Balinese coffee-making, and the laborious manual process of separating the small female Arabica beans from the larger (and more flavorful) male beans.

Three civets roamed in cages.  The highest quality coffee apparently comes from coffee beans that have been eaten by civets, locally called "luwaks", and mysteriously transformed by their passage through the civet's digestive tract.  Locals search the forest floor looking for the civets' deposits, which are then collected and processed.  Not surprisingly, Luwak coffee is very expensive.  The garden center had demonstration bins of arabica beans and luwak beans.  The luwak beans are lighter in color and lighter weight. We bought a packet of luwak coffee, but didn't try any so we can't say whether it deserves its mystique.

A prime example of terraced rice paddies, and a frequent stopping point for tourists.

Entrance to the family temple

In one small village we stopped in front of a house.  Our young tour guide, fresh out of high school, explained that the bike tour company had an arrangement with the family who lived in the house which allowed them to visit in order to show their clients a typical Balinese house.  It was our first time inside a Balinese home, which is a small compound laid out according to specific guidelines.

Each house has its own temple, with shrines to various gods and to the family's ancestors.  It is one reason why it is almost taboo to sell a house, because that would mean abandoning the shrine that honors deceased family members.  The photo above shows a 'bale', a covered meeting area used for family ceremonies.

Family temples are used for a variety of life cycle and other ceremonies throughout the year.  When a child is born, an elaborate ceremony is performed.  This photo shows a stone with the red wrapping, which marks the spot in the family compound where a placenta is buried as part of this ceremony. 

Most families in small villages keep pigs.  Pigs are an important source of income, with a large pig selling for over $100, and important for a couple of the major ceremonies which require the sacrifice of a suckling pig.  Dewa told us of one village that had a ceremony that required that one suckling pig be sacrificed for each adult member of the village.  He witnessed the more recent ceremony where over 700 suckling pigs filled the temple.

The families in that area also work weaving bamboo to make roofing material.  Our guide told us that they earn 7,000 rupiah per square meter and in a typical day an adult can produce four square meters.  That's the equivalent of around $3 per day.  This is the job with lowest daily earnings we've yet learned about, even lower than the $5 per day earned by farm laborers.  It is sobering to think that to us the trivial expense of a bottle of Coke bought at a restaurant costs as much as one of the family members earns from a full day of labor.

Cock fighting is widely practiced, and even plays a role in certain ceremonies.  As explained to us, the blood spilled during the cock fight distracts the evil spirits that live in the ground and prevents them from disturbing the ceremony in the temple.  The Balinese seem to be split on the subject of cock fighting.  Some call it a social disease, and the gambling that goes along with it has ruined many a family.  But there are many men who have a passion for cock fighting and with its deep roots in Balinese culture it likely isn't going away anytime soon.  The rooster in the photo above is almost certainly being raised for cock fighting.  Dewa says that most of the time the fighting birds lead a pampered life, being fed choice feed and even receiving daily massages by their owners, that is until it comes time for them to fight.

A young boy was running around the compound naked and splashing in the water tub.

At the temple across from the family compound, women were arriving with ceremonial offers of fruit.  Once the gods have tasted the essence of the fruit, it can then be brought home and enjoyed by the family.

The main road of the village looked lovely adorned with the Penjors from the Galungan ceremony.

Lush rice fields stretching off into the distance.

A truly massive banyan tree.  If the dangling roots aren't cut, they will sprout new banyan trees that will damage nearby homes.  So the roots are kept well trimmed.

At first I didn't know why we pulled over at this nondescript building.

It housed master wood-carvers who crafted doors with exquisite details.

Swastikas (the good kind not the bad kind) are everywhere, but still take some getting used to.

The banyan tree by the river where we ended our ride.

The truck driver in the river washing his truck.

Photo credits:  Lynn and Nat, Edited by Lynn, Bike trip arranged by Lynn.