Taking the steep road less travelled in Jatiluwih Bali

In the shadow of Gunung Batukaru, this whole area is so fertile. The wet season brings rain from the SW and dumps it on the southern slopes. Slowly cruising through some stunning scenery, I passed a small tour bus. The driver had stopped on an outcrop, giving his passengers a chance to get out and look for photos.

Riding another 100 meters, I pulled over and photographed Balinese locals cleaning their motorbikes from a freshwater stream. Down the road others were bathing. Taking a tour bus is a frustrating experience, because the drivers do not necessarily know where the best shots are, and you cannot pull over if you see one.

Rounding a few hairpin bends, swinging through delicately nurtured sawah ( rice fields) and heading west, away from the road (I used my GPS), I considered the plight of the tour bus people. A steep cement driveway presented itself on the right side, so I took it. Leaning forward, and using 1st gear to overcome the extremely steep incline, I made it to a dirt track, where I gained a view of sawah and small villages on the opposing side of the valley. Passing locals I stopped and chatted. Some of the older ladies did not want their photo taken, the younger ones agreed. Everyone was friendly and the vibe I got, was people here were simple folks, just earning and living and not having much / any interaction with the tourist industry.

Locals told me the steep, heavily rutted dirt track, dead ended. My bike was bouncing and slipping all over the place and coming down was exciting. The lady I photographed wearing the white kebaya, zoomed past me and waved, so I threw caution to the wind and let up on the brakes. Arriving back at the main road I checked for traffic and continued west. Shame the tour group could not do this kind of thing, no way that bus would make it up the hill.

Very close to where that little side trip occurred, was Cafe Jatiluwih, the sparsely trafficked, but ideally situated tourist restaurant. I stopped for a ginger tea and photographed their menu. Staff lounged around, clearly it was not a busy day.

For sure there are lovely rice terrace in the Jatiluwih area. It not the kind of place where one view is going to knock your socks off though, its more like a string of lovely vistas, best enjoyed a slow pace, and combined with frequent stops and drinks.