Exhausted from our efforts to get here in one day from Melbourne, we fall asleep to gentle rindik music from a nearby hotel. We don't even hear the roosters, we sleep so soundly.
We have dreamed of coming back to Munduk after an idealic stay here last November.
The weather in July is perfect for long walks. We found it quite muggy in November, but the crisp warm air in July is invigorating. We have four days in Munduk. Last year we spent 6 nights.
Each morning we headed off in a different direction.
The previous trip we hired a guide, Made, from the hotel to take us to the 500 year old Banyan tree. Apart from knowing scenic paths, he was able to explain lots about the local agriculture ( a particular interest of ours).
This year he took us to Lake Tamblingan. This was great, as we would never have found the paths he used: they were his boyhood route into the village. we got to visit his extended family on the way and were high enough for the clove trees to have disappeared and mandarin groves and flower farming took their place.
The views were great, awesome, wonderful(you get the idea) and the paths lots of fun,the terrain varied, if somewhat steep.
We needed to take a sneaky path to get down to the lake to avoid new extortionate fees.
Made bought fish at the lake and cooked it for us that night: best meal of the trip. This was about a four hour trip with our 8 and 9 year old mountain goats.
The rest of the time we did our own walks. the paths through the farms, along the rice fields and irrigation channels all lead somewhere: in that spirit, we would head out with a destination we weren't too worried about reaching. If we were lost, someone would happily show us the way. Frequently we would be invited in to people's yards.
July was great as rice, cloves and coffee were being harvested and the kids were all out and about on holiday.
November was amazing because everything was so green and lots of rice was being planted. But it rained every day from 2 pm until early evening.
Every so often, a voice would call out from above: someone high up in a clove tree saying hi.
Our kids played in streams and got soaked at waterfalls; they shared treats with kids in small villages who then showed us short cuts.
Breakfasts at our hotel were great, particularly the balinese breakfast of lak-lak, if only we could make them at home.
Lunch we would often get take away (bungkus) from a warung- awesome satay and nasi campur_- in the village. The es campur was also delicious.
Munduk is our favourite place in Bali_partly because we love the hotel, but also because the area is so much fun to explore by foot; we love learning about and seeing the agriculture happening and the people are so friendly and helpful. Finally : it is gobsmackingly beautiful.
If you want to explore the area: it is quite slippery in November due to the high rainfall and the steepness of the terrain; it is cold at night and you will need your long pants and jumper; there is more than one waterfall, and the trips to them are probably more exciting than the waterfalls themselves- you don't need guides to get to them. Some fitness is advisable,as is a first aid kit. There is no nightlife. It is a village set along a ridge and driving through it on a day trip it would be hard to ascertain its appeal.
Next stop:Lovina