Day 39: Bingin Beach to Penebel

Back on the road again - and it feels good.  

Saying adieu to Warwick, our host in Bingin Beach

We headed along the coast through the tourist traps of Kuta and Seminyak before eventually heading inland. We were heading for a home stay with Comang and his family in remote Bali, on the slopes of the volcanoes at the island’s centre. We booked it on AirBnb, where it promised a stay with an Indonesian family in their remote home. Perfect.

It was a day of steady climbing from the. moment we passsed through Tenebel and it’s amusing (and largely ignored one-way system). 

Then we turned off the main road that takes tourists to the Jetliluwih Rice Terraces and things became a lot more rural. The road alternated between potholed tarmac to crusty concrete, with smiling locals shouting out “Hello!” at every turn. 

The last climb seemed to go on for a long time, and not knowing exactly where Comang’s house was, we weren’t sure how much further we had to go. It was then that a man on a scooter exclaimed “You’re coming to my house!” - and it was Comang’s father. “It’s only one kilometre,” and he sped off ahead. It turned out it was a little further than that, but soon enough we were greeted by Comang and his family.  

After a long chinwag with the family and with Simon, a Brit who helps them promote their homestay,  we were able to take a shower and have a rest. 

Then we had a beautiful meal prepared by Comang’s wife, on a platform overlooking their rainforest back garden. It looked like jungle to us, but Simon had explained how every plant had a purpose, whether food, animal feed or medicinal, and were all carefully cultivated. It was more like a veggie patch than the wild jungle it appeared.  

A beautiful day.