Our local petrol station |
We cruised for about an hour or so before getting lost. Our vague plan of turning inland at a town called Klung Klung went out the window so instead we followed the coastal route around towards Padangbai – as we had heard of that and knew there would probably be something interesting going on near the beach. We passed through a few fishing villages, and saw loads of tiny roadside stalls each with 6 or 8 freshly caught fish lying out neatly in the midday sun for sale. We decided against this, but also managed to miss the turnoff to the largest town in the area (Padangbai) – so instead headed towards a signposted beach resort that looked appealing.
Lost already - much to the amusement of the locals |
At this point we thought we might be aiming
a little above our Bali budget. Before we could discuss and rethink, an
impeccably turned out staff member greeted us and showed us the way to the
restaurant. We scamped through looking sweaty and afraid, down a set of stairs
and then saw the three tiers of infinity pools looking out over the ocean,
surrounded by individual huts sheltering giant day beds. There were maybe a
dozen guests dotted around that we could see, and at least double that in staff
attending to their needs. We shifted past, I had to consciously close my mouth
it looked that ridiculous. We were seated at the Terrace restaurant – given
some menus and nervously opened them to see what we could afford!
Lunch with a view! |
Fortunately, it wasn’t TOO bad. It was
EXPENSIVE for Bali, but if we were back
in Australia this would be $100+ a plate. We ordered and laughed at ourselves
for rocking up to this place for food, the staff looked bemused at us but were
so friendly we felt ok about being there. I had the LP in my bag and had
thought it said $65USD a night to stay here – but having seen the place that
now seemed unlikely. Sure enough – their cheapest room (according to our 2007
Bali Lonely Planet) was $650USD a
night!!! Now we were extra nervous about the food being good, as we were
the only ones eating in the restaurant (we soon realized that the guests were
all on their day beds having lunch delivered to them). Fortunately when it came
out it was amazing. Possibly the best thing we’d eaten in Bali so far (I had a
slow roasted duck salad, Cooksey a rare Thai beef salad) – so we savoured our
VIP lunch, knowing we’d never be back to stay here – probably even if we won
the lottery (we’ve since checked and it’s now at least $950USD a night to stay
there!).
Full
and amused – we set off, now knowing where we had to head to reach our original
goal of Sidemen Road and it’s views. We turned off the main road and it
immediately lead up a rather steep hill – steeper than anything I’d ever
managed to drive up before, and the scooter was battling a little under the
strain (full throttle it was going about 15km/hr). As we ascended the roads
were still fully paved so it was actually pretty nice – the views out down the
mountain slopes towards the sea were breathtaking. Row upon row of rice
terraces lead down with precision – every so often interrupted by a small
temple or hut. Coconut trees lined the roads, kids were out flying kites (I
think to bring good fortune) – and they all waved at us – I’m not sure how many
ginger beards they see whizz past on a day-to-day basis.
We passed through a couple of small
villages – which had the same Warung – petrol station – groceries format as
many of the others we’d already seen, so it didn’t feel too remote despite the
fact the road became steeper and less paved than we’d hoped for. Actually MUCH
less paved, it had soon become an off road experience – with shin deep potholes
to traverse, loose stones, gravel and dirt made up about 80% of the surface. We
were progressing fine, going at an ok pace and although it wasn’t all that
comfortable bouncing about on the scooter we were making ground and enjoying
the ride – unfortunately that was when it happened…
A couple of teenagers had just passed us
but were now struggling as the road took a sharp right turn up a steeper part
with the worst surface yet. There was only a small area of ‘level’ road and
they had slowed right down to make it – unfortunately it was so steep we
couldn’t slow down or stop to let them get ahead as we’d have rolled back down
– but equally there was no place to pass them. As they swerved right, I had to
back off to not hit them – then the back wheel spun out in the loose gravel, we
did a big of a pirouette and went down. I put my right leg down to try and keep
us up and the bike from rolling over us – which fortunately it did, but
nonetheless Cooksey and I hit the deck. There were a few frantic seconds trying
to get myself up – to get Lisa up and make sure she was ok. Within an instant
though we were surrounded by the whole town who’d seen the commotion and rushed
to help us. One guy grabbed the bike, a couple me and some kids helped Lisa up
to her feet. The riders of the other bike had also stopped to help and everyone
was so nice – it really helped the situation.
Only some minor battle scars! |
It was a bit of an adrenaline hit to the
system to say the least – but we were ok! We’d both sustained minor injuries (I
elbowed Cooksey in the face giving her an instant fat lip – then the exhaust
came down on my leg as I went over, giving me a bit of a burn on my shin) – but
it could have been much worse. Still a little in shock – we managed to get the
bike started again (after 3 rather worrying stalls) and headed up to reach the
summit and hopefully have a rest for a bit!
There was a portion of road that actually
got worse after that – fortunately now we knew how to tackle it and made it
though fine, and back onto sealed roads. We stopped at a Warung for a sugary
cold drink overlooking a rather beautiful rice terrace and regrouped. We felt
lucky to have escaped relatively unscathed and didn’t want to let it stop us
enjoying the ride – although at this point it was about 4pm and we were SORE!
We set off back down the mountain – through
many, many towns and took in such amazing scenery we found ourselves stopping
at the side of the road to take pictures and admire it quite a bit. The Sidemen
Road had been correctly billed as awe inspiring so we were (almost) happy to
wear our war wounds in return.
Worth it for the views |
After once again getting lost on the way
home – we arrived back broken around 6pm, and pretty much wrote the evening off
with a pizza at the Joglo.
I’m glad we adventured over to East Bali
and saw a lot of the island that not too many tourists get to experience – but we
decided tomorrow would not involve a lot of scooting!
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