EP - 1 Exploring North Bali, Indonesia | Leke Leke falls, Jatiluwih Rice Terrace, Ulun Danu Temple
It has spikes...Aaahh...Aaaahhhh! Namaskar friends! Welcome to Visa2Explore! This is your host, Harish Bali. Can you imagine, I have brought you to Bali today! Or you can say it is Harish Bali in Bali!!! We've already recorded a BTS episode when we reached the Bali airport. We travelled from Delhi to Bangkok and from Bangkok...
...we travelled up to the Denpasar airport in Bali. That became the first episode of Bali series on our BTS channel. We are staying here in Ubud. From Ubud, we travelled for about 31 KM and we have now reached...
...the Leke Leke Waterfall. I bought a ticket worth Rs 50,000 to visit the waterfall. We will go through here. We will go for a trek that is 10-15 minutes long. After that we will reach the waterfall. So far, I have walked down 50-60 stairs. These stairs are not too high to climb down.
Each stair must be just 5-6 inches in height. Till date, I have crossed several such bridges, most in the North East & Himachal as well. Everywhere, these bridges offer a different experience.
For instance, here, this stream of water... ... and this bridge offer a unique combination. Wonderful! Too good! Now, I will have to climb further. Wow! We are quite close to the fall. I am leaving my microphone here. First, I will go up to that point and click some photographs.
After that, I will try to get into the water. It was a lot of fun! It is after months today that I... ...have enjoyed beneath a waterfall like this. I didn't go right up to the bottom of the waterfall.
I stopped 2 to 2.5 feet short of the base because I noticed that... ...I was safe only till the water level was below my head. Where I was standing, water was at least five feet deep. I thought if I would tread further and water level rose upto 6 feet deep...
...it would be difficult to stand under the high pressure waterfall. But, still, I enjoyed myself. They have a system here. The tourists stand in a queue and go in one by one. So, I thought it isn't good to stand here for more than 5 minutes. It doesn't look nice to keep a queue waiting as you stand under the fall for an hour. So far, I have understood that if you want to go into the water like this...
...you need to reach early. If you reach here by 9 AM, you might be able to enjoy for 15-30 minutes because... ..people usually reach here by 9.40 or 10.00 AM, so... ...you can come by 9 AM. Overall best experience! Loved it! Come, let us climb back out now. We have reached the parking.
Now, our next destination is Jatiluwih. That is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and there... ...we will basically see rice terrace fields. If you want to visit this waterfall early morning, you can come here at 7 AM. Entry to this waterfall is open from 7 AM till 5.30 PM. Exit time is till 6 PM. This is the information I wanted to share with you. Now, let us head to Jatiluwih.
It will take us about 45 minutes to cover the distance of 20 KM. We have reached the Jatiluwih rice terrace. Let me show you the view first. Then we will go for a detailed visit of this place. One-of-its-kind view! While visiting Munnar in Kerala, it feels good to stand amidst the tea gardens...
...and get photos clicked. That feeling is associated with the hills of Munnar. I can feel the same thing here. I can see mountains on this side. There are paddy fields in between. Tourists park vehicles and then walk through here to reach the paddy fields. Do you know why UNESCO has granted these rice fields the World Heritage status? You see those mountains on the side? Water flows down from the higher reaches in those mountains.
There are a lot of farmers in this area, who have large fields. They have prepared a schedule among themselves because the water is limited. They have built canals so that water reaches each field systematically. A farmer blocks the canal on his end after receiving the stipulated amount of water. This way, the canal water gets circulated between various fields. This is called Subak Irrigation System and...
...apart from rice, it is also used for other plantations but... ...it can be implemented only if there are hills nearby. Because this system requires natural water flow. Though, it is safe to assume that Subak system can work without hills as well. The second reason behind this being a UNESCO World Heritage Site is that... ...the farmers do organic farming and don't use pesticides at all. Right! And this is step farming.
We noticed it earlier and even know, we can see paddy growing on step fields. I can see a shop here. This organic red rice is from this farm? Yes, also rice from here. Okay! So, this is organic red rice tea! Yes! Okay! What is the price? It is 150,000 Rupiah (Indonesian currency). What about this red rice? Yeah, this is red rice for cooking.
This 250 gm packet is for 15,000 Rupiah! Nice, interesting! So, I will take this. Okay! Do you need a plastic bag? No, it's okay! Okay! Thank you so much! What is this fruit? Passion fruit and this is Mangosteen! And this is Snake fruit. How do you eat this? You peel. Can you help me? Yes! Is there a seed inside? Yes! Ok! So are we supposed to eat this seed? That's it. Not eat! Throw the seed out? Yeah! Ok! Ohh! Very tasty! Hmm! Sweet and sour! Sweet and sour, yes! And, it tastes somewhat like pineapple! Yeah! Oh man! Sour! Sweet! In terms of taste, it is similar to pineapple.
Highly impressed with the taste! People who work in the rice field, they wear this? Okay! While working here, in the rice fields. Okay, working in the rice field. How much I have to pay? For... Yeah! It's okay! Sure! Yeah! Thanks! Yeah! Thank you! Hmm! I brought their hat along with me. Sorry! I forgot! I took this along! Yeah! Okay! Bye! Here, they have written distances if you want to undertake a short trek.
There is one trek of 1.5 KM that takes 45 minutes. Then, there are medium treks. There is a long trek of 3.1 KM. It will take 1.5 to 2 hours. Then there is another trek that is 5.5 KM long.
They have also given the various routes on which you can do cycling and trekking. I have bought myself a coconut water for 20,000 Rupiah. I am getting used to the fact that you can't buy anything for 100 or 200 Rupiah here. Everything comes for thousands of Rupiahs.
There is something different about the coconut water here. But I can't say what is different exactly! But I can feel the difference! Good! Its size is... ...sufficiently big. Now, we will go straight from here. It will take us about 15 minutes to reach the exit. It has been a fun trip! If someone goes on a longer trek, they will come in walking from that direction. There are directional arrows at several places indicating cycling and trekking routes.
Now, the place we are standing at is 50 meters from the exit point. The trek which we have chosen... ...in that we've covered 550 or 600 meters so far. It means this short trek is about 1.5 KM long. Lovely! The key highlights of today's rice field tour are...
...Number 1... ...you will realise that you are breathing in exceptionally fresh air. It is, of course, due to all this greenery. Second, everywhere, you will either see or hear water flowing down. Only the farmers can enter the fields and they use scooty to ride around. You will see farmers like this gentleman riding on his scooty or motorbike. Right! Otherwise, this is the cycling trek. Not many farmers ride along this route.
You will hardly see one every 15 minutes. We just came across a street foot joint. Let's eat something here. Up there, I can also see an eatery. Alright! Hi! Hello! We will get something light to eat here. What do you have in vegetarian? Vegetarian! Yeah! What do you have? Balinese cake! Balinese cake! What is that? This is Balinese cake! This is black rice.
Sweet potato, sticky rice! Coconut! Palm sugar! Where is palm sugar? Yeah! Pack it? Yeah, yes! Joints like these are called Warung. The owners of these joints operate either on their own or along with family. Sweet potato, black rice, and sticky rice! I took a closer look at it.
That's how I learned that this isn't sweet potato but tapioca. I am eating it with shredded coconut and palm sugar. Good! See, tapioca has no flavour of its own. It takes on the flavour of whatever it is served with and palm sugar is, obviously, sweet.
And shredded coconut is, of course, tasty. The black rice has a really genuine taste. Yummy! The first time I ate black rice was when I visited Nagaland. From there, I even bought a kilo of black rice to take back home. After this is over, we will travel for 10 KM to reach the Nadi Resort. Once there, we will have tea or coffee, and something to eat, if I feel like it.
Our remaining sightseeing would take place on that route. If you want to explore the North side better, you would need to stay here. Because from Ubud, if you don't come on time, you won't be able to visit properly.
Though we tried to leave Ubud on time, but still... ...tourists usually cannot leave before 8.30 or 9.00 AM. We have reached the Nadi Nature Resort. We have parked our car and we are already feeling very good being here. It is green all around.
There is this hut in the midst of all this. Come, let us have lunch here. For lunch, I have already placed an order for Moong Dal, Bharta, rice, and one more dish. The meal would be served in another 5-10 minutes. Till then, I am taking him along to visit the room I would be staying in. Let's check the stay accommodation.
So far, we've climbed down 40-50 stairs. We will reach the cottage after climbing 10-15 more stairs. This tent accommodation is good! It is nice to look at! Good! There is so much greenery around us here that...
... it is so pleasing to the eye. The sound of water I am hearing is of a rivulet flowing down the mountain... ...and passing through this property. Overall good! For lunch, I told you I am eating Moong dal and Baingan Bharta (spicy, mashed eggplant) So, this is the Moong Dal. Once here, I came to know that whatever Dal, Baingan Bharta you will eat here... ...has been grown in the local farm here. They have cooked white and brown rice together. Well, the brown rice here is quite famous, as we saw a while ago.
And this Dal is ultra-fresh! Bharta has very light spices. Overall good! This food is as good as the environment here. We have reached Candi Kuning to visit the fruit and vegetable market here. You understand English? No! No problem...no problem...no problem!
This is Rambutan? Yes Sir! Okay! What is this? Snow Fruit! This is something different. I have not seen it before. Avocado! This is Passion Fruit? Passion Fruit! What is this called? Mangosteen! Mangosteen! Mangosteen! Amarood! (Guava) And....Dragon Fruit! This morning, I also ate this Snake Fruit. Snake Fruit! When I ate it this morning, I felt it tasted somewhat like a pineapple. So, I want to taste this one! Snow fruit! This fruit? Yeah! This is....Snow fruit.
It is named Snow Fruit because its pulp looks like snow. I have not seen it anywhere before. And, it is quite obvious that I am eating it for the first time. Its taste is similar to vanilla.
And it has large seeds like this inside. The quantity of pulp isn't much but the taste is delicious. How to open this Mangosteen? It is opened here.
Here? Here. Okay, like this! Oh! Sour! Though it is sour, but it tastes delicious! If you look carefully at its exterior, you'll know how many Mangosteen pulp you'll get inside. Durian is a fruit I have only heard of and never eaten.
It looks like Kathal (Jackfruit) and it has spikes...Aaahh...Aaaahhhh! Its spikes are much sharper than those of Jackfruit. If you happen to touch these, you'll definitely scream like me! See this! Oh, it smells dangerous! Smell very strong! Yeah, very strong! I am unable to understand whether I am eating a fruit or something fermented. Since it is already opened, let us just finish it. See, the pulp of this fruit is tasty. Alright! But it smells horrible! We can't compare it to jackfruit because that is completely different.
It just looks like Jackfruit on the outside and its taste is good. Must-try! It is a must-try though it is not too sweet in taste. It is slightly sweet and creamy in taste.
Some shops here are selling fruit and now we have reached the vegetable section. Though I can identify most of the vegetables here, some appear different. This is what? Tomato? Cherry tomatoes! I have never seen such Cherry tomatoes.
These are so different in appearance. The cabbage here is also very different in appearance from what we eat at home. It is somewhat cylindrical in shape. We've had a look at both the vegetable and fruit sections.
We've also tasted a few things. Now, we are leaving here. Now we have to go...
Where are we going next? Ulun Danu Beratan! Ulun Danu! How much time will it take? Five minutes! Five minutes! It is near. Let's go quickly because it is already 5.10 PM. From the vegetable and fruit market, we travelled for about 5-7 minutes. We have reached the Ulun Danu Temple.
Beratan is the name of a lake, which we are going to visit shortly. It is said that the mountain we see behind the temple is also called Beratan. The cost of the temple entry ticket per person is 75,000 Rupiah. I am still not sure about the expenditure here. It seems limitless. See, this is our ticket! This temple compound is mesmerising! The main temple that we've come to visit is this here.
It is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv. The lower part of this structure resembles the usual Hindu temple. It is exactly like that but the upper part of the structure... ...is styled like a Pagoda. Buddhist temples are usually built like this. Talking of this temple's architecture, it is a mix of Hinduism and Buddhism.
For your information, this temple was built during 1633. This temple was constructed long back in 1633. This temple was basically built as an offering. I was told that sometimes the water level in the lake rises and water spills over banks. At that time, the temple seems to be floating on the lake's surface.
Right now, the water level isn't high, so the scene isn't like that. Pura Taman Beji! Pura means temple. This is a different temple. These are two gatekeepers to the temple.
Look at their eyes and what they are carrying in their hands. Look at how their teeth look! It is a different feeling. 10,000 (Rupiah) per person! Yes! Okay! Two! What is this? Feeding fish! Feeding fish! Okay! The ticket price to enter this place is 10,000 Rupiah per person. This place is as beautiful as the one where we were earlier. As for clicking pictures, this place is Instagram-worthy! I am not that keen on getting clicked myself but those who are interested...
...can enjoy getting photographed standing on this huge water body. Lots of fish here! Till the surface was calm, we didn't know there were fish down below. After finishing their food, the fish are back into the depths of the lake. Lovely! It is a good feeling to be here. However, if we had more time at hand, we could have stayed for longer & enjoyed. The time is 5.50 PM. From here, it takes 10-12 minutes to reach the Handara Gate.
The sunset time is 6.15 PM. So, I want to reach there sooner, even if it is for just 10 minutes, I want to see the sunset. I don't know when we will get the time in life to visit here again. It is my recurring feeling that you must spend a minimum of 1.5 hours here.
If you want to rush through and click some quick pictures, then it is fine. But one and a half hours is mandatory if you want to experience this place. Some places in the world force you to visit based on just a picture. One of those places is the Handara Gate in Bali. The entry ticket here is for 50,000 Rupiah per person. We are four persons, so we will buy tickets for two lakh Rupiah.
Fifty thousand per person? Yeah! I am sorry I have to ask you whether you want to bring a drone with you? We are not sure whether we should use or not. You need to pay extra for that. How much? Two hundred thousand! Two hundred thousand! Okay, no drone! People often wait in a queue for about an hour or so, just to click a photograph! Just imagine! What a photography point!! Right now, ticket number 103 is getting photographed and our number is 106.
So, we will have to wait for approximately 8-9 minutes for our turn to come. Many people prefer to get clicked standing in the centre of this Gate! Like here, they are clicking a picture from a camera placed on a tripod. As for different camera angles, people also use mobile phones to click pictures.
You want to know how crazy tourists are about this place? 105 groups have visited here since morning and we are number 106. That is how people prefer to get clicked here. You can click a beautiful photograph like this while standing right in the centre of the gate. For this opportunity, people are ready to wait in queue for a couple of hours.
They allow only 2 minutes per person to click a picture here. For instance, the group in front of us has 4 persons, we have to wait for 8 minutes now. After 8 minutes are over, the group will be asked to move ahead.
I hope the sun doesn't set before it is our turn. No problem! Now please notice I am walking towards the gate and this is how it looks to me. This is the road passing through this gate. Alright! In front of the gate, you'll see mountains and clouds! Awesome view! I can't wait to see how this scene would look in a photograph!! I had handed over my Iphone to him to click photos and videos of me. Now, this is the outcome. This is video! This is the video na! This is the video! Yeah! One second! It seems you are a professional. How you moved the camera and made...
...an Instagram-style video!! Look somewhere! Lovely! Some pictures also! Yeah! You have taken some moving shots as well! And this is the video. These are the kind of photographs you can click here. They place a glass below, to catch a reflection in the photograph! See, this is the glass! See, this is a trick anyone can do but... ...what makes the difference here is this gate and its background! So, we have to pay how much? 10,000 Rupiah extra? Yeah, per person! Here, you have to pay 10,000 extra for this activity & it is not included in the ticket. The time is 6.30 PM. It will be dark in another 5-7 minutes.
We are now going to leave through this Handara Gate. You can see the surroundings for one more time! If you come here between 6 and 9 AM... ...you will meet very few tourists here. That means you can get photographs clicked comfortably. If you come after 10 AM, you'll have to wait in a queue. We came closer to the sunset so we didn't have to wait for long.
But I am thinking to myself, is it worth it? Just imagine paying 50,000 Indonesian Rupiah just for a photograph! And 10,000 more to get that photograph clicked. You can't click it on your own, because these are professional photographers. They can click multiple pictures of you in just 2 minutes. Anyways, I feel that... ...since I am already spending so much money, I can spend a few thousand more... ...because it won't be easy to find this background anywhere else. If you plan a proper tour of the Northern side, you can include many more destinations. That way, you can start your day early and also spend the night here.
Ubud is about 46 KM from here. The journey will take 1.5 hours, so we are going to finish today's video here. Now, we will leave for Ubud. We will be in Ubud tomorrow and the day after. After shooting two episodes in Ubud, we will go from there to Nusa Penida in next 3 days.
Right! It is time to say bye to you now. We will meet again soon! Thanks for your time!
2024-04-29 09:38
