Tagelalang – Ubud – Bali – Indonesia

And yes, one can and should eventually leave paradise.

So it was with a taxi, taking the 80 km back to Amahai and then again by ferry to Tulehu.

The next morning, there was once again a flight, which is why I took a cheap lodging directly at the airport.

So off to Bali again, of course not directly here, again with a stopover in Makassar for almost 6 hours. Via Grab, I got a ride to the city, specifically to the old Rotterdam Fort, which unfortunately proved to be unremarkable. I strolled around for a few meters and found a colorful, empty ice cream shop, a treat not necessarily, but a brain freeze happened quickly and for free. To top it off, a loud Indonesian children's song was played. They found it funny; however, I left the shop shaking my head.

So back to the airport; it was soon time to go, time for boarding. I hoped, but that was not to be. The plane, which landed late, stood with its engine open shortly after. Technical issues with the aircraft: boarding was postponed twice to eventually 90 minutes. After expressing my concerns, we finally boarded another aircraft. Breathe out and go.

I was prepared; in Bali, the taxi mafia has declared Grab as the enemy. Price offers started at 700,000 IDR (€36), followed by 600,000, then just for me 500,000. I made it clear that I was willing to pay a maximum of 350,000 and eventually got that price. After a tough nearly 2 hours, we headed to Tagelalang, a bit outside of Ubud. Actually, already another paradise amidst the rice fields.

The madness of mass tourism and the constant traffic jams play out in the lower area between Sanur, Kuta to and including Ubud. Thus, Tagelalang was the perfect choice. Traditional villages and a soundscape of temple chants and evening frog croaks determined the melody here.

The choice of my first trip with the scooter to a thermal facility was surely determined by the devil. After I first struggled through the traffic jam and got lost three times due to roadblocks and at some point Google Maps went crazy, I drove back, exasperated.

The next day a new attempt, which the Hindu gods very likely determined the way, in the other direction, to the 40 km distant Batur Lake. This went smoothly, and the experiences of the day summarized in the evening were noteworthy. I look back at a free road, a large temple, a crazy side street down directly to the caldera, a small hot springs facility just for myself, many flies that later drove me away, the idea to order a fish at the nearby Warung, thus attracting even more flies, while the server waved the menu while I quickly ate, a torrential downpour on the way back, visiting a coffee plantation including petting a Luwak cat, and a well-deserved Bali massage in the late afternoon. In the evening, I marveled at a Kecak and fire dance show at Pura Dalem Tembel in Ubud.

Wonderful Bali!