>>read Part One

We woke to a crisp, chill morning. Clouds of moisture seem to blow right through you as they pour over the peaks around you.

We fill the water bottles, pack a bag and head out the door. Our goal today is neighboring Lake Tamblingan. Various sources talk about a number of temples around the lake and a trail that leads you right around. Despite lots of mentions in various sources, no one seems to have any specifics. We ask the front desk, they just sort of nod and seem to agree with whatever we say. OK...time to find out the old fashioned way.

We hop in the car and take the short drive to Tamblingan, passing over the low saddle of volcano rim that separates Buyan and Tamblingan. You can stop up here and take in the view -- what isn't obscured by the clouds of mist that seem a perpetual feature here inside the rim of the long dormant volcano.

The drive is lovely and peaceful and all too short. The village around the lake is really a non-event. We drive on through and find a trailhead. The spot is marked with a large and rather official looking sign declaring the area the "Nature Park of Buyan-Tamblingan Lake." Must be the place.

We park nearby and walk in past the entry sign. Once inside there's...nothing. No trail markers, nothing to indicate which of the various paths heading off in the various directions is the one we want. This may be a nature preserve but it is obviously pretty heavily trafficked by the locals.

We were told we could park a little further up the road and find a guide, but that's far too sensible for us. Besides, we figure hey, we're inside the rim of an old volcano; two-thirds of the available space is taken by a lake. How far wrong can we go? We elect to wander about guide-free and hope for the best.

After a short walk through the forest, we find our way to the lake edge. We follow the lake in the direction of a large temple we see through the mist. We walk past a very traditional village and a few fishermen and farmers who seem genuinely uninterested in our presence. The temple turns out to be Pura Tamblingan. It seems very sleepy and somewhat lost in time. Not at all like most of the island's lively temples.

The temple is not open to the public and there's really not much to see. What's worse, we wind up having to backtrack out of Pura Tamblingan as the other side of the lake is very sheer, dropping straight into the lake. No trails present are evident, so we head back around lake in the direction we came.

Nestled atop of an outcropping of rock we find another temple. Stairs are cut into the rock face, and at the top we find a small temple overlooking the lake. Well, we assume it would be overlooking the lake if the mist ever lifted enough to see it...

From the temple on the hill, the trail turns back into the forest and its labyrinth of footpaths. We wander about on smaller and smaller paths. On one, we find the remains of a small temple. The temple buildings are long gone, but the remains are still furnished with offerings by the locals. We think (not for the first time) Bali's an amazing place.

The forest walk runs through old trees and light undergrowth. Ferns abound, as do various palms, bromeliads and a few orchids. Vines grapple with the trees for sunlight. The jungle walk turns out to be the highlight. We don't find any more of the apocryphal temples and eventually choose to head back towards the trailhead. We finish some 4 hours after we started out.

We head back to Bedugal, and to dinner (at a genuinely odd Korean restuarant - but that's another story). The night is cool and damp; the perfect excuse to try out that fireplace while I finish off the Soju.

Tomorrow, we head out over the mountains to the three Gitgit waterfalls. They say there's a trail linking all three together...

To Be Continued...