Ulun Danu Beretan - Bali Day 2

Up early for the long drive north to Lake Beretan up in the mountains in the north of Bali. Was going to Sekumpul Waterfall also but traffic so bad decided to cut the trip short at Lake Beretan and visit a different Waterfall, Leke Leke, on the way back.

The Ulun Danu temple on the lake is very picturesque and I got a few good shots. It was very busy though, primarily with Indonesian tourists from Java given this is a two week school holiday. Probably account's for the insane traffic too although the kamikaze scooter riders and general chaos of traffic is probably pretty normal for Bali. I'm surprised there aren't more accidents; but somehow it all seems to work despite the lack of rules or rather the lack of following any rules.

On the way to Ulun Danu we stopped at a place where they grow and roast and serve Luwhak coffee. It's a very expensive special coffee whose beans have been through the digestive tract of a mongoose like creature, the Asian Palm Civet, before being cured and roasted and ground to a fine powder. Unappetizing as it may sound it really tastes amazing. Most of the local small hold plantations also grow and harvest lots of other things and will offer tastings of all their teas and coffees for free. The kicker is you pay 60,000 rupiah (about AU$6) for a cup of the Luwhak coffee. Well worth it though as you also get a tour of the plantation and get shown all the plants - and the animals - that go into making their products.

Other stop of the day was at Leke Leke Waterfall. 50,000 rupiah entrance fee and a 20 min walk down the steep valley to the falls. A beautiful spot with a stunning waterfall. The trek back up was pretty tough though... I was a walking Waterfall of my own by the time I got back to the top :-)Read more