Day 82 - Ubud to Lovina - 40 up, 40 down, 20 on the flat - Unfinished Business

July 21, 2023

Day 82 - Ubud to Lovina - 40 up, 40 down, 20 on the flat

Cycling is the easy bit; I've just tested it with a terrific day in the saddle that had 1500 m of climbing and an eclectic mix of everything. Unlike yesterday, I did not waste a minute. The climb and the descent were remarkable in that the climb had no descending and the descent had no ascending. Rare, I think.

From the moment I left Mama's Guesthouse, I was going up. Mostly, it was gentle stuff - 1st to 3rd gear and 8-14 kmh. But after about 25 km there was the odd pinch that was steep.

It was busy leaving Ubud, along a road that featured all manner of craft. You could have found anything you wanted.

A traffic light tree with working lights. I've no idea from where they nicked them.

I spotted a couple of other interesting things.

Art? I think that's a grenade launcher on the sidecar. You'll need it because you won't race away from anything.

After 10 km, I made the grave error of stopping at the famed Ceking rice terraces. I'm sure they were once worth visiting but that preceded zip lines, swings and exotic nests to sit in to be photographed.

A sanitized view of the Ceking rice terraces.

And making it essential viewing for tourists causes other problems.

I much preferred these paddies a few km up the road.

It wasn't long before I had left the crowds behind and could watch a version of Bali removed from tourism. I did, however chat to a group of cycling tourists coming the other way. They had been driven high up and were making their way back to Ubud - not a bad thing to do.

I rode through vegetable seedling central.

You can purchase seedlings of these vegetables.

Religious offerings mean there's s huge demand for marigolds.

I was never far from something significant to Hindus.

By the time I reached Penelokan, perched high on a ridge staring down to Danau (Lake) Batur and across to Gunung (Mount) Batur, 1713 m and, on the opposite side of the lake, Gunung Abang (2132 m), I was hungry and easily tempted into a buffet. I was among the crowds, but the view was worth it even though it was washed out.

It was around Penelokan that the climb got harder with short stretches that were steep. When I got to the top I tried to capture it with a selfie.

It's a failure, like trying to photograph a steep hill. I look as though I've just come from a boring film.

After lunch, I still had 400 m of climbing. Again, it was relatively easy with the odd pinch. Every so often I got a glimpse of Gunung Batur.

I knew I was near the top when the switchbacks started. There weren't too many and the forest was rather attractive.

Cigarette advertisements. I once read that tobacco companies felt that they could ignore developed countries because most people live in Asia.

It was then 40 km down and I had a very nice run other than on the occasional patch of poor road. The road had straight sections where I managed to pass slow moving vehicles. I didn't stop until I reached the highway on the coast and could stare back up.

The coastal highway. They know how to do a roundabout.

I had come from somewhere up there; I'm not sure where.

After the climb and the descent, I felt like some time on the flat and so headed towards Lovina. I reached it in a snarl of a traffic jam, managed a right hand turn and put myself in the middle of a festival.

They were waiting for the dignitaries, not a touring cyclist. I was ushered away.

I quickly found somewhere to stay and then joined the crowds for an excellent dance routine with a Gamelan orchestra.

I put my head down late to the beat of Indonesian rock and roll. It was rather pleasant.

Today's ride: 100 km (62 miles)
Total: 6,166 km (3,829 miles)

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