The hidden part of Bali

I got a boat the next day, to Seminyak in Bali. Seminyak turned out to be quite touristy and expensive compared to other places I'd been to. 

I met up with Laura from uni and Rich, and we decided to get a surf board and attempt to surf.

Seminyak beach where we tried to surf

Despite my one surf lesson, I was far from a pro, and without an instructor I couldn't stand up at all! (Maybe I'll have a couple more lessons!) It was a lot of fun though. 

After a crazy night out in Kuta, Bali, I parted ways with Laura and Rich and checked into a hostel in Kuta which was really friendly and had a great vibe. I signed up to a trip to the north west of Bali- Lavina area- as I wanted to see more of the island. 

Laura, Rich and me with the locals! 

Our first stop was a coffee plantation. I was able to see how different types of coffee is made, including Balinese coffee and weasel coffee- where the animal is fed the coffee beans and then they are retreived after! (And being washed a lot!) 

Coffee on the tree

The beans are first cooked until they are black and then they are ground to make the coffee. We got to try lots of the different coffees and teas- I can't say I was a fan of the Weasel coffee, even though it's meant to be a speciality!  

Frying the coffee beans

          Trying the coffees

Our next stop was Ulundanu temple. It featured temples for both the Hindu and Bhuddist religions. It was interesting to look around. One of the temples is featured on the 50,000Rp note.

           In Ulundanu 

50,000 RP with the temple in the back

We drove for a while until we reached Sambangan mountain where we were doing some trekking. We walked through some beautiful ricefields until we reached the waterfalls. 

            Rice fields

     View on the hike

The waterfalls were cool and it was nice to swim there. I had the option of sliding down but I decided against it. 

The waterfall from the top

We spent the night in the Lavina village, where the locals played us music, and the children danced for us. We got to try using the instruments and the children taught us how to dance. I don't think I was a natural! 

      Me trying Balinese dance

We went further to the North West of Bali the next day, and got a boat to Menjangan Island, where we got to go snorkelling. It was really close to Java, where the Indonesian capital of Jakarta is, and we could see the mountains from the boat.

      One of the places we snorkelled

Our last stop was the Arak factory. Arak is an Indonesian spirit which I discovered is made from tree sap. We got to see how they burned wood which created drops of the liquor. 

Burning the wood to make Arak

       Arak being produced

The drive back was filled with lots of nice views. I was very tired when I got back to the hostel after an eventful 2 days.