half-baked ramps out of the only material they had, flimsy plywood. The problemwas that I still couldn't use it independently due to the steepness of the ramp,but it was better than nothing. To cap off a perfect welcome to Bali, the guestshad a party the night I arrived and had put up decorations. In the hurry of thestaff to clean up after the guests, they left the tacks on the ground near thedining area, and of course, my chair found one. I had my trusty extra tube, thatI’d bought in Noosa Beach, Queensland, and had it fixed. Eventually after days ofcomplaints, someone from Qantas came out mid-week to see what I was talking about,and agreed the stairs were a problem. You think?!Anyway, besides those problems, the place was desolate except for a few olderDutch and Swedish tourists. Lovina Beach, located near Singaraja, is not very busydue to the drive you have to take to get there and they have black sand, which isnot the favourite of tourists. It seemed to me that most of the tourists that Idid see were those who only stayed for a day or two, as part of an organized tour.I didn’t mind the remoteness one bit because it was the silence and relaxationthat I sought.The resort offered a buffet breakfast each day that was included in my package.There were some wonderfully weird Asian fruits to try, rambutan, a red hairy fruitthe size of a chestnut, that you open and reveal a white grape-like fruit, with anut inside, you only eat the white fruit. And, snake fruit, which has skin like asnake, but inside is white, but firmer, a bit like eating a sour apple. I liked ita lot. Being so close to the island of Java, of course, the coffee was the bestI've had since my days in Kenya. I ordered a cheese omelette one morning and gotan omelette, with the cheese on the side!The Qantas brochure indicated that I could rent a driver and car for a day.However, when I enquired I was informed that they don't go up to the north coast.As a way of placating another disappointment on this trip, my guide asked hisbuddies to drive me. When they arrived I wasn't so sure it was a good decision.The old beat-up van had no seat belts, no air conditioning and not much in the wayof brakes. But the two of them seemed enthusiastic and confident that they coulddo the job.As we left the resort I finally got a chance to see a bit of the localcountryside. There were plenty of motorcycles as well as cars and the blue smokecoming out of everyone’s exhaust pipes was testament to the terrible pollutionthat Asia has to deal with. The cities were quite rustic but were very well kept.Each little town or village had a sign welcoming you there and then another as youleft saying goodbye. The vegetation was very thick with trees and ferns and as weentered into the rural areas up in the hills, the foliage became lush. Ourdestination was Mt. Batur and the magnificent volcanic lake that is beneath it.From a distance we could see the mountain come into view and as we drew nearer thescenery became even more spectacular. My two hosts drove to a special lookoutpoint where I could point my camera for some great shots. As is usual in suchplaces, the vendors came out of the woodwork to ask if I needed to buy somethingto remember the moment. Actually it was a bit annoying, but I did need a t-shirtand some postcards, so I got them there and we were finally left alone to enjoythe beautiful natural landmark.My drivers, one of whom spoke excellent English, also had another destination inmind for me. I mentioned that I wanted to see some of the famous terraced ricepaddies that are reputed to rival those in Japan for beauty. We started to headback down the mountains to the Three Lakes Region and Gobleg. Yes, that is thereal name of the place, Gobleg! I loved the road signs and had no idea what was instore there. As we crossed over the top of the range of mountains, a suddenthunderstorm hit us as we were just at the end of the rainy season. I’m not
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