We decided that with all the driving, sitting, eating and drinking that we have enjoyed in Bali that it was time to pay penance and get out for a walk. Forget the heat. Forget the humidity. Time to walk!
We warmed ourselves up by first having a hearty breakfast...after all we were going to work hard today. This was followed by the decision to get some of our end of trip shopping done, which we did.
But finally, sadly, we couldn't come up with any more excuses. It was time to trek to Campuhan Ridge. We had unfortunately selected one of the hottest days of our Bali visit to undertake the trek, but it had to be done. Our bodies demanded a walk! So off we went. Actually, once we started walking the shady parts were pretty nice. There were some locals swimming in the river...pretty ugly water, but we have watched many times as the locals bath in worse water than this. At least the water was flowing and there were some small falls to help rejuvenate the water.
Early on there was a temple on the trail that was quite nice.
I peaked over the back wall and found a very calming scene.
As we walked there were huge bees in the flowers...
And butterflies and other colourful insects. I messed this shot up, but you get the idea...
The trail was mostly made from bricks that re-radiated ridiculous amounts of heat. It was pretty hot as we tackled the ridge.
The scenery was very nice and sort of compensated for the heat.
Towards the end of our trek we happened upon some Balinese carvers or wood workers. Not sure what they were making?
Complete with rice terraces.
As we came closer into town we passed a beautiful temple that we were not dressed properly to enter. I had left my Bainese head gear back at the hotel!
If that wasn't good enough, as we passed one of the entrances I dound preparations underway for some type of festival. Very colourful!
All in all a good experience. By the time we finished we felt like we'd dropped a couple of kilos off our bodies! However, we remedied this by stopping at the small grocery down from our humble abode to pick up a couple of cold beers and some seaweed potato chips! After all, we'd satisfied our goals and it was time to retreat to our borique villa for refreshments. Wish I could find these sort of water holes to cool down in on Camino.
Do I feel guilty staying in a place like this? Yes, a bit. This was Annemarie's retirement gift from the family. I just carry the bags and fetch the beers!
Time to return to the grind that is Bali. Buen Camino to our friends who are presently walking in Europe. We will be there soon enough...just need to wash our laundry and train up a bit first:-)