From Temples to Poop Coffee: Our 50-Mile Trek to East Bali
Thanks to our cabbie, we experienced the best unplanned destination in Bali--Amed! He grew up in Eastern Bali and highly recommended this beach town.
“It’s not touristy”,
“The REAL Bali”,
“Beautiful corals and snorkeling”, he said.
The beauty of being flexible with our travel plans is, we had a week to spare so we headed east. We visited a few obligatory spots along the 4 hour drive (covering only a 50 mile distance due to the narrow curvy roads, traffic, etc.) from Ubud to Amed. Here’s our recap. Enjoy!
Tirta Gangga
A former royal water palace built in 1948 by the King of Karangasem. The name literally means “water from the Ganges”, a nod to the sacred river in India.
Tunas Luwak Coffee Farm
The Dutch colonized Indonesia for 300 years. During that time, the Dutch East Indies company commercialized coffee productions, particularly in Java and Sumatra.
However, the Dutch prevented the native plantation workers from enjoying the coffee...until...the Indonesians discovered that an animal--luwak--likes to eat only the best coffee cherries while the bean itself, after being naturally fermented, came out intact in the poop.
The rare luwak “processed” roasted coffee beans became coveted by the rich, and is the main coffee attraction in Bali.
Lempuyang Temple
One of the most iconic temples in Bali for its breathtaking "Gate of Heaven" split gate that frames the majestic Mount Agung in the background.
This was made instagram infamous a few years ago on a day after it rained when the remaining puddle of water on the ground perfectly mirrored the split gate. The photo appears as if the "Gate of Heaven" is in front of a lake, but there is no water anywhere nearby.
Today, there's a whole photo operation where one waits hours (our ticket number wait time was 2 hours...we did not wait around!) to get the infamous shot taken...using a cosmetic mirror to elicit the "mirror lake" illusion. Haha.
Solaluna Beach Homestay in Amed
Hands down, Solaluna Beach Homestay is one of the top best home away from home and would love to stay in the exact room number 17 the next time. See our Google review for more information. Here, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise; lounged on the patio overlooking the pool and the beach while listening to the sound of the ocean waves; went snorkeling off the beach; swam in the pool; ate amazing food just doors away; saw a full Flower Moon; and drank delicious Balinese wine while watching the sun set behind Mount Agung from the rooftop deck.
Bali Bidadari Batik
Batik is an ancient art and craft of decorating cloth with wax and dye, originating from Indonesia. We visited a batik wholesale factory on our way back to Kuta!
And now, sadly, our time in Bali has come to an end.
