Visiting the waterfall at Tegehungan Bali-part III

The waterfall at Tegehungan is about 40 meters high and there seemed to be enough deep water to swim in. There is also a green metal tower next to it which spoil photos, but make it possible to climb up high and view the waterfall. This rusty structure is a former bungy jumping tower and the 2 Japanese tourists and there guide clambered over to it and got a birds eye view. Back a the top I retrieve my helmet from the small shop I bought the drinks from, this is something I do a lot. The locals will happily look after a helmet for you if you buy something and so far I have had no trouble.

As I was about to leave 2 British tourists showed up and were treated to the ‘buy one fan’ entourage. Being very polite and a bit embarrassed they quickly said 'no thanks' and headed down the hill. For me i'’s a trip hearing British people talk. I'm from there but after hanging around so many Aussies and other nationalities my accent is something else. A lot of them have that 'Mary Poppins' super polite sounding style and I always think 'wow, that was me sometime ago'. Leaving the narrow lane that led to the waterfall I came out onto the road that runs north-south away from Blahbatuh and towards Sukawati. Close to the junction was a small group of Balinese locals sitting at a small roadside shop. I stopped and chatted and also said hello to a lady cleaning ceremonial baskets in the drainage canal. Jokingly I said 'Ah this is a good place for a mandi (bath), to which she replied ‘No you better go down towards the waterfall for fresh water'.

The road heading to Sukawati was totally un-touristy and consisted of a series of winding bends, at first running along the crest of a valley wall, then descending and running through fields. I saw rice fields that had been harvested and the remains burned, readying the fields for the next cycle. All across Indonesia the burning of straw and bush goes on and it is a big concern for the future.