Road trip to Amed Bali

The Call

On Tuesday night I got a call from my Aussie mate Mick Turnbull owner of Indo Bike Adventures asking me if I wanted to go to Amed the next day. I was feeling a bit down over other stuff and thought this might be a great trip. Amed is a tiny town on the east coast that is considered to be the place to go if you want to get away from it all….I wanted to get away from it all.

Preparation

My preparations were extensive. Lunghi ( Indian sheet), hunting knife (in case of surprise meeting with members of Kareem Abdul Jabbar Islamaya or whatever they’re called), toothpaste ( forgot the soap ) and a t-shirt ( underwear was at the laundry ) . With this set up I felt game for anything and my trusty stead, the powerful Honda Supra 110 awaited me outside. With the Baliblog stickers covering my visor and pollution mask covering my gob, I set off for the land of one from Downunder.

Mick’s house

Mick, a Cathay Pacific engineer has got it pretty sweet here in Bali. Villa in Kerobokan, servants to wipe his ass and a hot girlfriend to kiss it, Mick gets a lot of time off and has extensive knowledge off Bali. His outfit, Indo Bike Adventures will take people on the motorcycle journey of their dreams and show them a side of Bali most people wouldn’t think exists anymore.

I rolled up and Mick was adjusting the 7th fetzer value on his machine, the mighty Honda Aprilla.RS125. This thing looks like it’s the deal and from what can gather from talking to Mick, its main advantage over other bikes is that it scares the crap out of the locals. The Aprilla has a high pitch whining sound like a gnat hiccuping.

As usual Mick was recovering from a hangover ( his preparation for a roadtrip ) and the bikes had pieces yet to be fitted. Mick has this great line of bullshit told to him by a ‘bush doctor’ about vodka being the most healthy alcohol because it digests the easiest and never gives you a hangover. Yeah okay Mick. I just drink what I want and take what’s coming.

Already arrived at the house were Evan from ‘Stralia and Mick’s lovely girlfriend Jasmine who was powdering her nose upstairs. Evan is another Cathay engineer on leave from Sydney….plenty of cash, time to kill and looking for the fast track to girls. Indonesia is supposedly ‘ToysR’Us for men’ so hopefully he’ll find what he’s looking for. Actually he’s a very decent bloke and a perfect gentleman.

One of the servants had fixed us the breakfast prescribed by the Australian Olympic committee….beans on toast with fried egg and a dose of mum’s tomato sauce. Jazzy ( that’s the hot girlfriend in case you had forgotten ) was slow getting downstairs so I benefited from the extra calories by eating hers.

The last member to arrive was Ida from Jakarta. She hadn’t come from Jakarta that day, but owns a furniture shop in Bali.

The Bikes

With Mick’s and my bikes sorted we move on to Evan who was using Mick’s spare, the Honda NSR 150SP. More powerful than Mick’s but without the extra whining power round the corners. This beast relied on smoke on the gear changes to terrify villagers.

Ida, a surprisingly agile rider uses a Hussar 100cc and handles it like a pro. She told me she rides a bike in Jakarta and you’ve got to be on your toes to stay alive out there.

I changed into my sun-protectant convertible pants and long sleeve shirt from a Delaware tattoo parlor.

The route

Our route though not designed with logic in mind but promised to interesting. Amed is north east, we were heading almost due north to Ubud. Mick said we’d head up to Kintamani then circle down to Amed late in the day. On the course we’d ride through what Mick described as ‘the most boring road in Bali’. As it turned out the most boring road was a great road for me…up in the mountains, lovely scenery, clean air, not too much traffic and few sharp bends.

The oil change

After much revving and posing we set off with and it was immediately apparent that Ida’s bike was blowing smoke just like it has on our first road trip. The guys who did the oil change must of used motor oil instead of 2 stroke stuff, this doesn’t hurt the engine but is damn annoying for everyone else. Mick made a judgement call that we should get Ida an oil change in Denpasar as it was going to be a long trip. We found a garage on Jl. Gatut Subroto and quickly did the swap for the new stuff. The old oil would still be working its way around the engine but at least we’d be on track.

The Breakdown

A while further up the road past Denpasar we had to stop again and get gear box oil for the little piece of junk. Ida’s bike looks quite sexy, and with a cute girl on it you can understand how these thing sell like hot cakes. Problem is they’re made in Taiwan and are not reliable, many people having had trouble with them. Ida bought hers from her sister some time ago. My Supra, made in Indonesia is the least sexy bike here but is fairly reliable. In fact a while down the road in Katung I noticed Ida’s bike was blowing way too much smoke and she wasn’t getting power up hill. I tailed her for a short distance ( the power hogs racing ahead ) and we pulled over. Ida said she’d like to ditch her bike and hop on with me so we stopped at the Wira warung and talked to them about leaving it and collecting it later. I adjusted my luggage by strapping the daypack onto the handle bars and Ida onto the back seat.

Continuing onwards using plenty of front end braking, we ran into Mick who came back to check on us. Mick wanted to make extra sure the bike was going to be safely looked after and suggested Ida go back there with him while I catch up to Evan and Jasmine. They were a couple of miles up the road taking it easy under a tree. It was funny because a small group of local kids were watching Evan push Jasmine around in a wooden cart that was lying there. He raised the handles higher and Jasmine who was facing him had to hang on. I said be careful or Jasmine might fall and hurt herself but Evan would have none of it, he raised the handles straight up and Jasmine feel about a foot straight down like a stone, banging her back on the edge of the cart. For a moment we thought she might be injured but it was just a bruise.

Mick showed up and we continued onwards towards Kertabuana and the turnoff for Mt Batur, one of the larger volcanoes.

The mountains

I had been to Batur 10 years ago and hiked to the summit at 4.30am. The volcanoes here are usually shrouded in mist but on this occasion we got a pretty good view. We stopped at one lookout point and were descended on by a group of vendors at the side of the road. Mick bought a small painting from one guy and I bought an offering for my bike. It was one of the usual kind you see on the streets every day made from banana leaves and flowers. We also had holy water sprinkled on the bikes.

Riding down the route past the Besakih temple we saw a wonderful set of rice terraces. This part of the island is really pleasant, no large trucks and not much in the way of tourist development.

Temple

Riding through the area of Tirtagangga we stopped at a temple complex which had large swimming pools and other ornaments. There was also this stepping stone pool that we walked around with a very nice fountain in the background. Hiking up the hill I saw a bunch of locals all having a wash in the pool.

Amed.

The time was getting on and we arrived in Amed. The view over the coast was gorgeous and Mick told us about a place he had stayed in before that was pretty cool. It was called Good Carma located on the beach in Bunutan down the road from Amed.

The owner looks like he’s from India, a regular guru type but actually discovered spirituality or whatever he calls it here in Bali.

The sleeping arrangements were that 2 of us would share a cottage and 3 would share the other one. At this point I wasn’t too bother how it worked out as I was tired. Evan and myself shared a place with me going upstairs. We paid 60,000rp apiece, while Mick and the girls split 130,000rp between them.

These little 2 storey bamboo cottages were airy and relaxing with a deck and an open air bathroom out back. The stone path led straight to the waters edge and I especially liked the bamboo faucet and jug for dipping your feet in when returning from the beach.

We were starving and as it started to pour with rain left to head along a pathway to a nearby restaurant called Blue Moon. When we arrived there were 4 other foreignors. The 4 of us had fish of some kind, 2 having grilled tuna with garlic sauce, 2 with Balinese sauce and Mick went for the fish and chips. The food was good and there was a bar with a selection of cocktails. Mick had a couple of ‘healthy vodkas’ while I stuck to Bintang.

For dessert Mick ordered a fried banana and ice cream. On an Indonesian dessert menu where you see 6 items, the first 5 will be bananas and ice cream in various forms and the last one will be fruit salad. They haven’t mastered complex desserts yet.

I tell you this is another one of those places Susan Brady would love. Not overly spendy, fairly comfortable and right now virtually empty.

We moved onto the outside pool table and I managed to win a couple of games. I was trying to relive the days of John Henry’s bar in Eugene before they knocked it down, complete with ‘butter beer’ as we called it ( the cheap $2 pitcher stuff that had a buttery aftertaste ).

After our mini drinking session at the pool table we went back to Mick’s bungalow. I must hand it to him he’s a smart fellow. On a road trip with 3 guys and 2 girls you’d be happy to end up with one of the girls right? Mick locked himself in a cottage with both girls and shared a bed with at least one of them.

For my part (not being that smart) I slept alone in my very nice bed. Evan, like Mick a smart guy, somehow elected sleep, over further entertainment. Maybe he couldn’t figure out the lock on Mick’s cabin door.

The boys in Eugene would be proud of the leg pulling Evan and myself got the next morning concerning the fact that we both shared a cottage. The usual questions were asked about who did the driving etc. ( all in jest I might add).

Breakfast

We were slow getting up and finally showered and organised ourselves to walk to the breakfast area for our complimentary breakfast. My choice was a coffee with milk, vegetable omelette and fruit salad. I must say it hit the spot.

This little cat was napping on one of the seats and didn’t budge when I got close to photo it.

Leaving Amed

Taking off straight after breakfast is probably the last thing most visitors to Amed do but we are busy people and after viewing some of the coastline again rode NW along the coast road to a waterfall in the Les area. Mt. Agung was shrouded in mist but was spectacular nevertheless. We stopped at a little place for Mick to tighten his nuts ( on the bike ) and for Jas to gobble some nasi. I pulled over at this roadside gas station as I was close to empty. The owner wasn’t too friendly but 8,000rp got me a full tank.

Waterfall

I’m getting into this hidden waterfall thing and included this photo because it highlights the scenery and Mick’s gut. Its cool, you hike in, take off your gear and cool off. This one wasn’t as deepfor swimming as the one near Pupuan but was again located in a place where tourists don’t come too often. We had to cross a small bridge made from bamboo strips that were in a state of disrepair.

We were joined by Gede and his little neighbor who live in the area. I gave Gede a Baliblog t-shirt and the little girl 5,000rp as I didn’t have anything else to offer. He was very pleased and told us he had injured himself falling from a tree while harvesting coconuts. Gede also cuts wood for sale in town. He told us he had never been to Kuta or Ubud.

I saw these 2 ladies struggling to hoist their baskets on top off their heads and gave them a hand. Pretty tough work in this humid climate.

Ride Home

Continuing along the highway NW we turned south just after Tejakula and once again passed Mt Batur. Reaching Kertabuana we turned south to retrieve Ida’s bike at Katung down the road. The route from then on was mostly down hill and Ida’s bike could handle this at a reasonable speed.

We gave the people 20,000rp for looking after the bike and zoomed off.

Lunch

Hitting a rainstorm we stopped at a place Mick and Jas recommended for lunch called Gaya located near Alia and saphir baliri close to Ubud. The place was a gallery also with large paintings of people decorating the walls. Next door there’s a hotel with cute traditional roofs. We sat at a Japanese style low table and ordered. We first were given a ‘ welcome drink’ of fruit juice, then some free snacks including garlic bread. They are trying hard for business and it’s a great time come.

I ordered Mie Goreng ( fried noodles )with vegetable and chicken and a cup of Earl Grey tea ( proud of me Ant?). It cost about 25,000rp and was very good.

Jasmine was hilarious in requesting photo after photo be taken or her. That’s okay with me. I reckon Mick should keep a library of the best ones.

We had a group shot outside to commemorate our trip.

End of the trip

Riding through the damp weather towards Batabulan I tried hard to keep my concentration level high. We were heading into the Denpasar area in rush hour and traffic promised to be dense.

I must say after being in Bali for a while I am more relaxed in traffic than back in February. Riding along in traffic you become aware of a kind of group dynamic and I find I have an almost unconscious awareness going on of how the other people are moving. Many times I’d be in a pack of motorbikes and we come up against a big truck. A couple at a time would go to overtake, while one or two would try to slip along on the inside. The pack would reform somehow and move on to the next hurdle.

Only one time did I consciously look away for over a second at the lady on the bike next to me. Looking back at where I was going I saw Evan had braked hard in front of me and I was lucky not to rear end him. Just shows you that you can’t afford to take a moment off.

Close to Kerobokan Ida took off to her place and the rest of carried on to Mick’s palace. We reviewed some of the photos and watched Mick get into with his security man who had ‘borrowed a motorcycle while we were inside. My brain was frazzled after hours of concentration and I headed home to drink a cold one a head to Global Xtreme.

Summing up this trip I’d say it would be ideal for people who want to take photos, relax at the beach in a quiet part of the island and people like me who are not great on bikes. I never found the riding to be unpleasant as the traffic for the most part was light. Having Mick show us where the cool stuff was located saved a lot of time. He’s a mechanic too which is a plus.

Mick’s site is Indo Bike Adventures and he will show you a great time if you are in Bali on a short trip ( sounds kinda sleazy eh?).

I’m looking forward to the next one and will keep you posted.