Tetebatu

I had a small bungalow here for three nights on a former banana plantation, which only opened two months prior. Imir, the owner, offered to show me the area as a local guide for two days and took me to visit various families that same afternoon. One of these families produced art from bamboo, another had a coffee and cocoa plantation, the next owned a coconut farm, and the last made rice crackers.

Once again, I was reminded of how little I know: Pineapples are red when they bloom?! I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen the evidence right in front of me. And what an effort goes into making these rice crackers! First, you make a rice flour soup, fill it into plastic tubes and boil it, let it cool down, slice it with a 'harp,' dry it in the sun for several days, and then fry it. Wow.

The highlight was a small village festival in honor of Independence Day the following day. Young people gathered there to participate in a tug-of-war competition.

The next day, we took a longer walk in the surrounding area. The first stop was the Black Monkey Forest, which I was not particularly excited about because I kept thinking about the monkeys at the Uluwatu Temple. However, in Tetebatu, it was actually just a forest where there were a few black monkeys high up in the trees. They are not fed and are quite shy.

The subsequent walk through the rice fields was really beautiful. I learned that rice is initially sown relatively densely and allowed to grow until it reaches about 10cm in height, then it is thinned out and replanted in small clusters. And all of this is done by hand. It was cool that I got to help with the planting, although I’m not sure if I was more of a help or just caused more work...

In the afternoon, Imir and I went to Kecamaran Masbagik, where Independence Day was celebrated on a sports field. Several school classes had been practicing a choreography over the past months and finally had a stage for their performance on the sports field. It was really impressive what they had come up with. Unintentionally, I also became an attraction, as numerous people wanted to take photos with me or simply handed me their child so they could get a picture of me with their kid.

I don't know if it was because of Independence Day or just because it was Saturday. In any case, for dinner, almost all tourists, as well as some locals from the Tetebatu area, gathered at the Sama Sama Homestay. There was a buffet with local food, music, and nice conversations. I met several Europeans who had been traveling for 2-5 years and were still not planning to return home.

On the last day, Imir and I went on a scooter trip. Early in the morning, we went to the waterfall we had intended to visit the day before. However, Imir had advised against going then because it would typically be full of tourists from Kuta Lombok in the afternoon. When we went in the morning, there were indeed very few visitors. Afterwards, we visited three villages, one of which produces ikat fabrics, another makes pottery, and the last produces various bamboo utensils.

And the next morning, unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye. Tetebatu is truly a beautiful place - still! Because construction is already bustling, especially by foreigners.