Indonesia – Page 3 – Couple of Boots

Day 63: Bali – Mengwei / Coffee Plantation

We arrived at the Denpasar Airport around 2AM, and bleary-eyed wandered out of customs and into the Arrivals area where we were immediately accosted by a couple dozen taxi drivers all screaming to find out where we were going and insist they had the best “Special Price”. We had specifically chosen a hotel within walking distance of the airport so we wouldn’t have to worry about haggling in the middle of the night, and followed some Indonesian travelers who were making their way along the airport fence to the ojek parking lot. Using Igor’s cell phone, we finally figured out that our hotel was on the other side of a really dodgy dark alley. We woke up a few street dogs (who were not super friendly to two strangers walking around deserted streets in the middle of the night) but finally found our way to the hotel. We checked in and crashed.

We gained an hour and a half with the time zone change, so we were able to get a decent rest and still have time to start exploring Bali. We started out on foot, walking through the streets of Tuban & Kuta. For anyone who has seen Eat, Pray, Love, let me tell you that movie was NOT filmed in Kuta. Kuta is the Big City of Bali, where you go to do all your essential shopping (cell phone SIM card, sunblock, Western-style clothing, WINE); not where you go to find peace and tranquility. The pace did calm down a bit once we hit the beach, but it was so incredibly hot (even at 10AM!) that we soon left to find shelter in a fan-cooled restaurant for an early lunch.

Wedding set-up on Kuta Beach, and our first taste of Indonesian cuisine at Warung Damar

After lunch, we started looking for a driver so we could escape the city and try to find the natural and cultural beauties that Bali is famous for. We haggled one guy down to 400,000 IDR (about USD$30) to drive us around Bali for a half-day, and took off for the Pura Taman Ayun in Mengwei – a temple that has a reputation for having beautiful grounds and less crowded with tourists. As we were driving the hour and a half outside the city, we noticed large rain clouds starting to gather. We reached the temple, paid our entrance fee and just as we started to circle the inner section where we could see devotees performing religious ceremonies, the sky opened up and we were caught in a tropical downpour.

Taman Ayun Temple – the statues seem to be warning us of the ominous clouds

Multi-tiered towers within the inner sanctum of Pura Taman Ayun – the higher the pagoda, the more holy & closer to heaven

RAIN

At first we hid under some trees, hoping the rain would quickly pass. No dice. So we ran under a pavilion where we tried patiently to wait out the storm. Nope, nope, nope. Rain wasn’t going to stop. We finally caved and looked up the weather forecast (which we totally should have done first thing in the morning, before shopping in the sun and shelling out $30 for a taxi) – RAIN FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. BOO. We took a few more wet pictures of the temple before giving up and running back to our taxi driver.

The temple gates and water garden of Pura Taman Ayun – wetter than usual

We had planned to visit the Tanah Lot temple next for the sunset, but didn’t really see the point with the weather. Our taxi driver suggested we visit a nearby coffee plantation, and as Lindsay thought a warm cup of coffee would be really nice after getting drenched, we agreed. He took us to the Sari Amerta Coffee Shop near Tanah Lot, where we got a complimentary tasting of 12 various teas, coffees and hot chocolates. We also discovered that they sold the infamous Luwak coffee – made from pre-digested coffee beans (AKA poop) from the Asian civiet (a type of jungle cat) for 50,000 IDR/cup (about USD$3.75). Given that this is supposed to be the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world, it seemed like such a bargain so we decided to try it. Guys, if something sounds too good to true, it usually is. Neither of us could tell the difference between the poo coffee and regular Balinese coffee (which is tasty – don’t get me wrong!). While we have no qualms about paying $3.75 for the tasting experience, after looking up Luwak coffee production after the fact and finding out how rampant animal abuse is in the production of (cheap) Luwak coffee, we now wish we had called it quits before the 13th cup.

A short tour where our guide explains how Luwak coffee (from wild collected beans) is made. Kinda left out the part where civet farms keep the animals in cages. Apparently you can’t even trust “cage-free” labels in Indonesia. For more info, check out change.org: Cut the Crap

Luwak Coffee vs. Balinese Coffee. COULD NOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE. Balinese Coffee is delicious – no need to make animals suffer for a cup of joe.

I would still highly recommend visiting a coffee plantation in Bali – especially if it’s raining – the unique teas and flavored cocoas are totally worth it! But if animal welfare is important to you, make a point of not buying the Luwak Coffee and tell you tour guide why. Wish we had known better.