Staying with Jay and Debbie at Batukaru Bali

Tuesday midday I was planning to head up to the Batukaru area to stay with Jay, Debbie and their new friends.

I talked to a fellow called Richard on the phone who gave me directions to a place called Sarinbuana and a unique place there called the Eco-Lodge.

Basically I had to ride in the direction of Tabanan and go a few kilometers past town then take a left turn at a sign saying ‘Gadungan & Gunung Salak’. Tabanan is the rice bowl of Bali and lovely sweeping paddy fields lined my route up the mountain. The road got narrower and bumpier but I kept following my instinct and the occasional small green sign saying ‘Sarinbuana Eco-Lodge’.

The whole ride took maybe an hour an a half from Seminyak and cruising down the narrow village street I stopped to ask locals “Demana rumah bule?” “Mr Norman go straight.” They replied. I found the entrance and strolled down a footpath through stunning scenery to the main house at Eco-Lodge.

Let me fill you in a bit more on my friends Jay and Debbie. I’ve known Jay from my days in Santa Barbara California (1987-1992) and we met Deb in Brisbane in 1992. They were married in 1997 and now live in the Sunshine Coast of QLD Australia, Jay works as a musician / music promoter and Deb works at a Steiner school. They are looking to move to Bali for 6 months of the year largely due to the connection they have with Richard, an Aussie ‘muso’ who owns a house here.

Richard is building another house and Jay and I checked out the progress. The new place has a massive bamboo roof and will be 2 storey. We all ‘went upstairs’ onto the narrow concrete beams to check out the view which was lovely. From the house you can see all the way to the coast.

The main guy here is Norman an Aussie who has been up here for over 10 years and has his wife Linda and their kids here.

Land seems to be cheap here and there are not many other foreigners here at all, which is great if you are looking for a tranquil natural scene. The Eco-Lodge is located at 750meters altitude and is surrounded by forest. Close by is the Batukaru jungle, some of the last remaining jungle in Bali. Norman and Linda are incredible people. Their vision for the Eco-Lodge is to have workshops for a variety of activities, including art and music. Norman has developed a hiking trail that runs the whole way around Gunung Batukaru and is actively promoting conservation. Linda is an ‘organic specialist’ and has helped with the certification and setting up of a board of control for the organic food market here.

To stay at the Eco-Lodge you need to book in advance, the place is too remote to just roll up and say ‘Hi is there room at the inn?’ Prices are 100,000rp per person including breakfast ( 170,000rp for 2) in the basic house. Features of this place are the restaurant staffed by local people, a workshop space, the 20 meter high Eco Tower, Mt. Batukaru walks ( from 1 to 8 hours), food forest walks.

The guys have big plans for what might go on here and I’ll let them spill the beans some other time.

The ladies were down in Bingin on the Bukit and taking care of some shopping so us guys sat around the table telling stories and discussing life. One dynamic that surfaced was that Jay, Richard and Norman are all married while myself am single. We discussed marriage and what it meant and our outlooks and expectations. All good guys and it was great for me to listen to their advice and experiences.

I slept outside Jay and Deb’s small cottage overlooking the forest and with views of the mist ascending. Jay had offered me a share of his bed but I didn’t feel like keeping them both awake with my snoring. I knew the temps. would drop and while it was never really cold my sleeping bag was needed. The few mosquitoes were nothing compared to what I am used to so I just chuckled and said “mozzies do your worst, I’m going to sleep.”

The dawn was lovely and the size of the leaves on these tropical plants and bushes is amazing. On the property there are papaya, cocoa, ferns, palms and a whole host of other plants and trees. We had to get going fairly quickly as Norman had a meeting in town.

Linda gave me a mini tour of the place and all I can say is this is another choice spot. Get up here and spend a week doing something you love!

Deb wanted to ride back to Seminyak on my motorbike so I quickly arranged a bicycle helmet for her and made sure I went extra carefully all the way home. We swung through Tabanan in the direction of Tanah Lot before heading to Kerobokan and Seminyak. It was great to have someone to chat to for a change.

Jay and Debbie are here in Bali for another week and I be sending them out to Karangasem on Friday. They plan to move out here next July. What great thing, my friends moving to Bali!!!

For those interested in checking out the Sarinbuana Lodge call ( 0361) 7435198
HP: 081 747 15916
Ecolodgebali@yahoo.com