Danau Tamblingan to Seririt
From mountain lake to infinity pool
We start this stage on the crater rim of Mt. Bratan - with views inward to the three lakes; Danau Bratan, Danau Buyan, and Danau Tamblingan - and outward into the clouds obscuring the north coast.
We dropped quickly on tarmac then slippery concrete and clay single track through clove groves. The tracks are partly moss covered and as slippery as greased ice because of the unseasonal rains.
As we leave the forest and slip through small villages, men are building bamboo ladders beside the road to harvest the cloves.
A clove harvesting ladder is a work of genius and art. It consists of a single bamboo pole up to 15 metres long, into which the builder cuts rectangular slots at regular intervals, and then hammers bamboo pegs through to create the rungs. I saw one roped upright to a tall clove tree. Because the trees are not pruned or controlled in any way, the crop is small and sparse. A lot of work goes into harvesting this valuable crop.
We continue to contour around the hill on narrow tracks beside irrigation trenches, and as we bomb down country lanes, the heady odour of cloves drying on the side of the road greets us at every corner.
After a lunch with the additional pleasure of a spicy sate ayam, (Thanks Made) we have a few small climbs before some insanely steep concrete path drops. These lead onto silky smooth brown clay sinews of single track, which have us grinning like idiots. The ride concludes with a Euro smooth tarmac descent into Seririt. This gives us time to enjoy the views, relax a little and 'hallo' the locals.
I think we are the only people staying at the Bali Hotel Nibbana Resort, a compound of terraced bungalows leading down to an infinity pool overlooking rice paddies below and the ocean in the distance - sublime.
For those playing at home we rode 32k in 2:04, ascending 256m and descending 1509m
https://www.strava.com/activities/69880291
A clove harvesting ladder is a work of genius and art. It consists of a single bamboo pole up to 15 metres long, into which the builder cuts rectangular slots at regular intervals, and then hammers bamboo pegs through to create the rungs. I saw one roped upright to a tall clove tree. Because the trees are not pruned or controlled in any way, the crop is small and sparse. A lot of work goes into harvesting this valuable crop.
We continue to contour around the hill on narrow tracks beside irrigation trenches, and as we bomb down country lanes, the heady odour of cloves drying on the side of the road greets us at every corner.
After a lunch with the additional pleasure of a spicy sate ayam, (Thanks Made) we have a few small climbs before some insanely steep concrete path drops. These lead onto silky smooth brown clay sinews of single track, which have us grinning like idiots. The ride concludes with a Euro smooth tarmac descent into Seririt. This gives us time to enjoy the views, relax a little and 'hallo' the locals.I think we are the only people staying at the Bali Hotel Nibbana Resort, a compound of terraced bungalows leading down to an infinity pool overlooking rice paddies below and the ocean in the distance - sublime.
For those playing at home we rode 32k in 2:04, ascending 256m and descending 1509m
https://www.strava.com/activities/69880291
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