Temples and Mountains, Coffee and Rice

We woke up determined to explore. An 8km walk was laid out in from p. 89-90 and we were ready. But with the restless morning of rooster calls, and a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius by 10am, we were convinced otherwise. We ask our taxi driver to take us to the beginning of our hike, and he said, “have you seen the volcano yet?” We replied no. So, he explained he would take us there as well as some other touristy places, and we agreed. On the way to the volcano, we stopped at a Hindu temple known as the “Holy Springs” Temple. There were statues, shrines, and water springs lined with gold and offerings of fruit and incense. I had to wear a sarong in the temple (a colourful skirt) out of respect, which makes sense. The area was beautiful, yet the ambiance a sick feeling. There were people bowing, praying, offering sacrifices, and the such to these statues. I didn’t feel right about it. We continued on the road to Kintamani, a volcano that last erupted in 1994. We got there at good timing as a storm was coming in. The volcano stood tall amongst neighbouring mountains and you could see the devastation the lava made on the once-vegetated area. Our driver took us to a restaurant on a hill, where we ate buffet Indonesian food and overlooked the valley and the volcano. The pictures look fake. We kept thinking it was fake! Birds would fly by and we would remind ourselves where exactly we were, and why...well for student teaching of course. How blessed we are! Our meal was delicious! It also gave us a chance to try some of the food we weren’t too sure about without losing our money. I tried some fried banana dessert as well as a chicken curry type of dish for my first time. The view was fantastic. Our stomachs satisfied we hopped back in the car towards our next destination: a spice and coffee garden! I was truly excited! We walked through the gardens on a tour of the different spices: lemon grass, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, vanilla, cocoa. We also saw pineapple plants, a variation of tomatoes and peppers, and let’s not forget: coffee beans! We were able to see the coffee process as some ladies were grounding the beans from their shells, roasting them, and then grounding them finer. If you have ever seen the movie “The Bucket List” you might remember the man drinking the most expensive coffee in the world. This is called Kopi Luwak. It is made from the coffee beans found in the feces of a certain cat. This cat’s digestive system works the coffee bean into a new mixture, and when taken from its feces, has its own coffee formula. Anyway, it was founded in Indonesia and is the only place that makes it. These cats run wild in their jungles and go through this process on their own will (I just wonder who was the first to try eating the coffee beans from poop!) This very garden kept one of the cats in their facility to nurture and heal. However, most of their product comes from the collection in the backwoods. What a crazy job! The owner of the garden sat us down after the tour and let us try some of their teas and coffees that they produce from their plants, all for free! He then offered us a cup of Kopi Luwak for a price of three dollars and we had to do it! When you pay $3 at Starbucks for a coffee, you can surely pay for “the most expensive coffee in the world” for that price, even if you do know where it was made from. It had the similar coffee fragrance, with a stronger taste. I wouldn’t say it was phenomenal, but it was good, and worth the experience. However, halfway through a fly landed in it, and then I was done. It was really neat to see the garden and how Indonesia works with their exports of coffee, tea, and spices.
Such a wonderful day already, and we weren’t finished! Our driver took us to a beautiful area of rice fields, where they climbed the mountain side in layers. The bright greens of the rice grass mixed with the vegetation around them brought a colourful array of life. As we stood in amazement, we noticed a “fog” rolling in. Little did we know, it was a downpour of rain and our driver was a block down. We got caught in the storm and were drenched. The locals watched us walk through the rain and chuckled. We embraced the coolness, and the ambiance. Picture the sounds of a rainforest, and thats what it was like. Pounding against the leaves, the water had a rhythm that made you smile. We got into the car, and headed down the road. The ditches filled quickly and the road was becoming more of a flowing creek. The water systems are often filled with garbage, so when the rain comes, the roads fill with water, which slows down traffic. Thankfully, we were in the backroads and it wasn’t too bad. We look back at our pictures and think, “wow, we did that all in one day?” and are still amazed at the beauty we continue to see day in and day out. God is good.