Getting Lost in the North of Bali

One of the great things about driving around Bali is that you can take the secondary roads on any map just to see where you end up. Not only that, it's the wonderful things you discover and the experience of it all.

Looking at the map the secondary road from Banjar to Munduk in the north of Bali seemed pretty straightforward. Heck, it was almost a straight line and only 30 kilometres. It was, as I thought, a leisurely and picturesque drive up the mountain and then down the other side to Munduk. The only problem was my map showed no indication of T-junctions, radical forks in the road, and no road at all to speak of.

The narrow road was fairly good for the first five kilometres of sharp U-bends as I got up to the base of the mountain. Then, I began to wish I had a 4WD!. The road deteriorated faster than milk in the hot sun, and the road surface looking more like a slab of moth-eaten asphalt. Speed was reduced to a snail's pace as the vehicle clunked its way up the mountain…did I say…road?.

Then there it was, a T-junction in the middle of nowhere and not a sign in sight. The toss of a coin took the track to the right and down the mountain I went. Huh?. At least the scenery was spectacular. Cavernous valleys and scary drops at every turn was afforded to us, and mountain ranges sprung up and then, just as fast disappeared.Another fork in the road. Left or right?. I went right last time and so it was to the left I went. Suddenly, signs of life began to appear. Roughly constructed huts perched on the face of the mountain and occasionally a chicken or two.

Then, there they were. A road gang repairing a fraction of the road. After a friendly chat, shake of the hands and directions given, I knew where I was going. The wrong way!. The directions were simple. Go to the next fork in the road and turn right. Before too long I was going down the mountain and in the distance, a large village.

The 30 kilometre road took two hours to cover and in that time I had seen valleys and rivers rarely seen by the usual traveller. I had met mountain people and seen a vast array of flora and fauna. I had driven through an isolated part of Bali and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Would I take that road again?. You betcha!.