Day 7.... this day is enormous! It all began with me throwing on my sack dress...because my stomach is becoming a storage centre since my Bali Belly!! Having a Food Baby is an understatement!!' But it is totally worth it...the food in Seminyak is amazing!!! Today I headed to the high country with today's driver Andy! Andy had much difficulty pronouncing my name so today I became Honey..:let's call that my stage name!!! It is definitely worth finding a good driver when going on a day outing. Again negotiate your price. Today for the whole day travel it was $A60. The trip to the mountains took around 2 hours and along the way there was some very interesting countryside with sales of rabbits and stuffed toy animals roadside. The drive to mountains is very scenic. You do get to see the traditional side of Bali, with many rice fields and traditional homes. You pass through many villages, that seem so alive with people 'living' - sweeping the door away from their front doors, chopping up coconuts, etc.
We arrived at the beautiful Pura Ulam Danu Baratan, a Hindu temple lakeside! The water was quite dry for the wet season. Normally it laps the temple but it was quite low. It was still very beautiful! We walked around there for quite awhile. There is the most beautiful peaceful feeling walking around the gardens and temple. This is a place that you will need to pay to enter.
After this temple, we continued to climb the mountains. It was very windy and the traffic crazy and it went for a very long time. Eventually we were in amongst the clouds with very little vision. So many tidy houses, maybe call them shacks sitting in the cliffside. We also came across many monkeys....very naughty aggressive monkeys! They were along the roadside where people would stop to look at the view. Definitely did not have their cute on!
Finally we came to a car park and just as we started our trek to the Gitgit waterfall a storm hit! [That's more like Bali in the wet season] We waited it out under shelter mid walk for about 30 minutes. When it stopped we started trekking along the track, and that is exactly what it was despite people living on the track. The track was lined with people's homes and more stalls. At the end of the trek (completed in dress and thongs because that is the most comfortable in the humidity) was such a beautiful waterfall..the Gitgit Waterfall. The water was cool and it actually felt very spiritual. After a play in the water we trekked back out again...at the end extremely sweaty!", the humidity had risen significantly!! If you are travelling during the wet season be prepared for this. Even for this Central Queensland gal, the humidity was still stifling.
We left the waterfall for the trip home...back down the mountain. The mountainside has so many things to see including the bats hanging outside the shops and iguanas on perches. The traffic was crazier than on the way up...at times, I could not watch but had faith in our driver. We stopped for a traditional Indonesian Meal at a Eating House...it was very good and added to my storage centre.
It was an amazing day which I loved completely. Finally finished with another great meal in Seminyak and a few more cocktails...after such a big day it it was time for an earlier night in my four post king bed.