Bali - Amed Scootertour

Welcome back Peoples,

after a relaxed day, I'm sitting in the same cafe across from my hostel again, enjoying the cloudy sky. At this moment, the temperatures are really pleasant but I strongly suspect that it will rain again today. In the morning, I went to the nearest supermarket to buy some snacks for my bus ride tomorrow, which will take me across the island.

In the hostel, I met two very nice people on the day I had my last two dives, and we decided to do a scooter tour together the next day. I wanted to explore this part of the island with a scooter anyway, so it was convenient for me that the others could lead the way and navigate, while I could focus on riding the scooter.

So the next morning, I rented a scooter at the hostel and we embarked on our adventure. The first stop was the less famous and visited water temple Taman Ujung in the southeast of Amed. It was a 40-minute scooter ride to get here and the views were really amazing. Rice fields, jungle, huge bamboo bushes, and all kinds of green plants. Another advantage of being in Bali during the rainy season is that there are fewer tourists. The palace is less visited than the classic water temples because there is no 'gateway to heaven' where you can take perfect Instagram photos. I really liked this place because it has Balinese, European, and Indian influences and is well-maintained.

It was incredibly cool that Yash, as an Indian, could explain some of the sculptures and background stories in the temple because he had learned them from his mother as a child and also from his Hindu faith. For example, this wall stone depicts the most powerful of the Hindu gods, steering a chariot with two horses. He only participated in the war as a driver because otherwise the power distribution would have been unequal.

And since we haven't talked about it in a while: In this palace, there were finally some steps to climb, which made us all sweat quite a bit.

Many of the houseplants that we all have at home and that seem to die with 1 drop too much or too little water, grow here in any conditions. The flora and fauna in Bali are really fascinating to observe.

After an extensive walk through the temple and a nice break on a park bench in the shade, we looked for a place for lunch and drove another 10 minutes towards the beach. Here, we saw a warung that looked very cozy and even had an infinity pool. But we definitely paid for the view!

After some small stops to enjoy the view on the way back along the coast, we returned to the hostel.

After a break and a shower, we went to have dinner and watch the sunset on the scooters, driving 10 minutes uphill.

The food and the view were great - only the sunset was a bit disappointing. But the food, including the delicious apple pie in a glass, made up for it.

In summary, I can only say that those are two very nice and open-minded people, and I really enjoyed the shared trip.

On this day and with this excursion, I once again did something I was afraid of and surpassed my fears and just dared to do it. Renting a scooter (without insurance and without a speedometer) and driving independently on the main island filled me with excitement and I wasn't sure if I could do it and if it was the best idea. A classic case of overthinking, so I gave myself a little kick and followed one of my favorite quotes: Do something every day that scares you the most. I dared to do it and it was so worth it!

In this thought: Do something today that you are afraid of and see what happens!

Big hugs,
Yours Britta