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AYUNG RIVER Kintamani Cycling report | Bali activity


In November 24th, 2009, I tried Kintamani Cycling course which is the second popular cycling course in AYUNG RIVER! We enjoy breakfast in Kintamani, one of the beautiful places in Bali, and cycling for 25 to 30 km from Kintamani to Ubud. Mostly, the route is only downhill slope, so it’s recommended for person who does not usually ride bicycle, or doesn’t have confident to physical strength! Aiko reports today!

 

Leaving Hotel ~ Breakfast with the great view in Kintamani!

We join to HIRO-chan’s customers today, so we get together in the hotel in Kuta! 2 customers and T-Manager and Aiko, 4 of us leave there. We are all Japanese, and they are our customer, so we enjoy chatting. We arrive at Kintamani already!
It looks small building from outside…

The other side is this great view!! We can see magnificent view of Mount Batur and Lake Batur!

Buffet style breakfast has Nasi Goreng, Toast, Pisang Goreng, Omelets, Baked Fish, Fruit, Coffee, Tea, and Orange Juice.
Enjoy breakfast in the terrace seats with great view and nice winds. You may think that you are just happy to be there!!

At this restaurant, finish payment, sign the agreement form, introduce guides, and check schedule. You have to go to WC in here. There is no WC on the way of cycling. Veteran guide, Dewa. I met him in
Jati Luwih Cycling and Jungle Trekking so I feel familiar with him! He is always smile and has hospitality. Let’s have fun for today, too!

 

3 hours long Cyclying♪

At the restaurant, we take pictures, take another Pisang Goreng, and finish going to bathroom in about 1 hour. You cannot see the great view of Mount Batur after leaving here, so take many pictures.

After that, we move to the starting point and here is the park. There are mountain bikes which are down from the truck. We get AYUNG RIVER’s special globes, wear helmets, and leave big bags in the escort car!! For downhill cycling, wearing globes is necessary because we have to use brakes all the time. We can bring back globes as souvenir. ☆

4 challengers + 2 guides, 6 of us are members. Let’s go!!

AYUNG RIVER adjusts applicants’ requests flexibly, and they change the route and visiting spots depend on the physical strength and interests of applicants! Today’s applicants are very active and they are interested in culture and nature of Bali, so we go into the out of course route from the beginning!

We stopped by coffee field and chili field. Coffee beans are still young and hard, no smell, yet. Chili is big size, but this kind of chili is not really spicy.

We go to un-paved mountain road where no people or motor bikes use. I could ride on bicycle well before, but I cannot control balance because of my age. Ride on my own pace! I realize that there are many jack fruit up of my head! Yeah, it’s rainy season and the season of jack fruit. But, I have to be careful not to be hit by them.

Throughout off-road, we go back to well-paved road. They prepare many different cycling routes, and the guide asks us, “Do you want to try off-road again?” but we are little tired of bumping road… so we keep going normal route.

Continuing calm down slope.
On the way, we stop in several places, watch cows and pigs, domestic animals, and dig peanut in the vegetable farm…
If applicants say, “What’s this?” or “I want to take picture in here!” guides let us stop and enjoy looking around there.
Personally, I like to visit many places out of program rather than well scheduled package tour. So, I really enjoy this type of free schedule cycling!

Around 12:00 pm, we arrive at the temple in Desa Pisang (so called Banana village). They worship SIWA, God of wind. Guides explain about Gods of Balinese Hindu.

Around 12:30 pm, arrive at Bali House. There are 6 people living in. We learn about Balinese architecture which has rule of direction to build a house.

She is really Balinese elderly woman. She is making baskets with wood tendril. We can go into children’s room, parents’ room, and kitchen, and they allow us to take pictures.

We leave the house and go down again. We see cacao farm, rice harvesting, stone and wood carving, and doll making, etc. On the way, kids say “hello!” to us and I’m happy!

It’s not really broad, but we throughout green rice terrace.
I love this simple nature in Bali. I like this view!!

13:50 pm, finish cycling at the point where before entering Ubud. We rode bicycle for 3 hours! Actually, finish point is not decided, so guides decide by the condition of applicants. “Okay, we finish here because the uphill slope and carved road starts from here.” Their decision was correct. The road we passed by car after that was really hard course which we would give up on the way… If you are really confident to your physical strength, try this road!!

 

Lunch Time in the famous Cafe in Ubud…

 

For 15 min. we moved by car with cool AC. 14:00 pm, we arrive at “Bridge Cafe” near from center area of Ubud.
It has great location that we can eat lunch surrounded by greens while watching down Tjampuhan valley.☆

 

I ate Indonesian lunch set. If there are over 6 people in a group, they serve dishes as buffet-style, but set lunch has big portion! I think men also become full. The taste is sensitive and not spicy.

<Menu>
・Mie Goreng (Bali’s Fried Noodle)
・Ayam Goreng (Bali’s Fried Chicken)
・Tahu Goreng (Tofu Stir Fry)
・Sayur Goreng (Bali’s Vegetable Sit Fry)
・Sate (Chicken Stick)
・Corn Fritter
・Rice

After lunch, they serve dessert and coffee. Maybe, we need more water after cycling. But, we have to pay for drink besides coffee and tea, so you had better bring some money for drink.

<Dessert>
・Cut Fruit (Water Melon and Pineapple)
・Pisang Goreng (Banana Fritter)
・Coffee or Tea

 

I joined cycling after a few months break!
This was the third time covering of Kintamani cycling course; Batur Cycling in SOBEK
and
Mountain Cycling in BALI ADVENTURE
and
Kintamani Cycling in AYUNG RIVER.
First of all, breakfast in Kintamani restaurant is great! It’s cozy restaurant but there are not many tourists so you can enjoy breakfast with great view and quiet atmosphere. Their Pisang Goreng was tasty, I wanted to take another fruit, and I wanted to take pictures… I stayed there for 1 hour in the restaurant.

The course was 100% downhill route this time, so we didn’t use pedals. Rather than that, we use brakes all the time and kept same position, so I got tired on my hands and bottom. It’s good course for people who usually don’t ride bicycles or don’t have confidence of physical strength. If you want to try cycling, please ask guides bringing you to off-road route and extra uphill slope.

AYUNG RIVER offers fun program with free requests! Not only in cycling tour, AYUNG RIVER has policy of hospitality that respecting customer’s request. They are not following the schedule, but guides arrange the course to adjust applicants’ requests and physical strength. This time also, they explained about Hindu Gods in the temple and Balinese architecture in the house; I learned a lot from them. They also speak fluent English.

We stopped by many places and took lots of pictures, so it took time. However, only AYUNG RIVER arranges cycling course for applicants in 3 hours long. I recommend this tour for you who want to visit fun places and like free schedule.♪

●○Report Memo○●
During cycling, we could meet many kids. They say “Hello!” to us and wave their hand, so they are cute and friendly! But, some of them say “Hello!” and continue to say “Money!”…

※This report was written based on the information when the time of visiting. Course menu and schedule might be changed without notice. In addition, the report contains individual opinion and impression, however, these are not applied for all people. Please read it just for your reference. Thank you.

 

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