After feeling out the erratic rules of the road over the last week, I decided it was time to hop on a motorbike and do some exploring outside Ubud. Joined by some new friends in the hostel and a last-minute hostel owner turned tour guide for the day, we set off into the jungle, in search of rice terraces, temples, and crappy coffee. If I’d previously felt as though I was right where I needed to be, the feeling was validated as soon as we began carving the roads through lush forests, waving local children, volcanic panoramas, and traditional rice farming in action.
Exploring the rice fields was not only beautiful, but mesmerizing as well. The soft sounds of breeze blowing, rice sifting, and sickles swinging had me treading lightly so as not to disturb a holy ritual that’s been happening for centuries. Looking out over terraces carved onto the steep hillside while I sipped on coffee literally brewed from a small creature’s feces (Luwak coffee, it’s a thing) had me again wondering how I’d gotten here. The holy pools of the grand temple complex held a solemn horde of worshippers and westerners cleansing themselves in the fountains of the holy pool’s waters.
After our final stop at a secluded beach across the island, we headed back to Ubud, sun setting in the distance as the haze from burn piles reflected an orange tint on the lush green of the jungle forests. 5 years ago, I sat in a similar position, chasing the sun as I ventured through the hills of Tuscany with a couple new friends and a Vespa. This time around, hill towns were replaced by cliff sides, grapevines by rice fields, Chianti by Luwak, and the Gregorian chanting of the monastery by the holy pools of the Hindu temple.
Just the same two-step with a little twist.