Part One

We pulled out of Seminyak, Bali's posh playground, late on a Tuesday afternoon. We'd planned to be on the road much earlier, but circumstances conspired against us, and we wound up leaving at 5:00 p.m.

Driving on the island of Bali is something best left to the locals, but if you aren't easily deterred, it can be done. What you want to avoid is (1) driving at night and (2) in the rain. With our departure from Seminyak at 5:00 pm we assured ourselves of driving at night. Shortly thereafter, it began to rain.

We responded to the situation by promptly getting lost. Road signs being at a premium in Bali, one is left to trust maps and a compass. It's hard to go too wrong and we got back on course after a brief wander. At the end of it all we reached our goal, the mountain town of Bedugal, about an hour off our original schedule.

Bedugal is a small town strewn across the shattered rim of an old super volcano. When the volcano blew its top, the remains settled into a series of broken ridges and caldera lakes. The rich soil and cool climate have turned the area into Bali's primary source of vegetables and strawberries and also provides the perfect home to a fab Botanical Garden.

We settled in for the night at Hotel Bali Danau Buyan Resort (The Lake Buyan Resort). The hotel is an odd place. It's been built to cater to the more affluent locals who seek refuge in Bedugal from the warmth of the rainy season, and for the Japanese tourists who come up to golf at the Hosaido Golf Course. The hotel is situated on a hillside with a view to Lake Buyan in the distance. he gardens and grounds are immaculately sculptured and tended with care. Wish we could have said the same about the interiors...

We set to airing the place out (not an easy job given that the humidity in Bedugal hangs in the air like cotton clouds just about head high). The fireplace (no joke) helped.

We snacked on food we'd bought on the way and set down to plan our next days hiking: We were out to investigate the claim that there were six temples located around the scenic Lake Tamblingan and that you could reach all in a hike around the lake shore. We were sceptical, but determined to find out.

>>read Part Two