Back on the road again - and it feels good.  

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.