From Surf to Mountain top

Sunday started with a leisurely breakfast at our Sindhu beach café. Then we packed up and spent much of the day traversing the island by car stopping at scenic points as we snaked our way around volcanoes and beautiful crater lakes in Bali’s middle region. We began by driving across the southern province to the west shore where the surf crashes the beach from unbelievable heights. No surfers in sight where we were, and very few people dared go near the water’s edge. We visited Tanah Lot, one of the most sacred Hindu temple sites on Bali. It sits high on a jut of rocky shoreline that becomes an island at high tide, which is when we were there. Driving north from there, the vegetation became lush and the heavily traveled road was winding and steep. At the top of the ridge between two lakes, we stopped to eat at a roadside restaurant. We sampled the “cat poop” luwak coffee, a delicacy made famous by the movie “The Bucket List.” Coffee beans are eaten by a cat-like wild civet and the digested and excreted beans are gathered, cleaned (we hope) and brewed into a smooth and savory drink. We agreed the end result was quite delicious. Coming down the mountain on the north side we experienced the most horrific ride from the degraded and washed out road. Eventually we found ourselves on flat ground again at sea level and landed for a couple of nights in the sleepy seaside hamlet of Lovina. This being the off season for tourists, the quiet and relaxed atmosphere was much to our liking.