We got to Bayad village, north of Ubud, Bali, at around 9:50. This was the village that I took my clients for a trek adventure. I have not been to this village since a long time. The plan was we would walk through farms owned by local people, then head to the river, waterfall, and an old cave. This cave was used to be water tunnel built years ago.
When we arrived in Bayad, my friend, Wayan was waiting for us. Long time ago, he guided me and my clients on these treks but he had other guests this time. So instead, I'd lead the trek with another person who helped out at the site.
This helper prepared our morning coffee before the trek and gave us sticks for walking support. He did not speak English well. That it's up to me to guide my clients while he would assist during our adventure.
After we had coffee and fried bananas, we started our trek. Mr. Ada, the assistant (well, my assistant) walked in front of me to show the path. He showed us different plants, we saw on the way like ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, and pandan leaf. These plants are used for cooking and herbal medicines.
We walked through a forest with bamboo trees, palm trees, banana trees, and cassava trees. When we got to a palm tree I told my clients that the tree nectar is used to make strong palm wine called arak (40% alcohol). To get the nectar from its flowers they need to be cut open then left overnight while being collected in a container.
Easier Path Leading to a Dead End
Mr. Ada told me we were taking a different walking path today. He chose an easier route for my clients and me, so it wouldn't be too hard to walk.
I agreed because I wanted my clients to enjoy the walk but without missing anything important. We still saw many plants, beautiful views, and even a river in the distance.
Next, we walked towards the waterfall on the main road. The waterfall was easy to reach from this road. At the starting point near the road, we bought tickets to enter.
After passing the ticket counter, I saw stairs leading down to the river where we would find the waterfall. The stairs weren't steep and took about 3 minutes to walk down to the river.
The Beautiful River Walk
As I walk down the river, I see many interesting things. The water is shallow and not too fast. There is a flat path made of cement in the middle of the river. It helps people easily walk to the waterfall.
There wasalso a shrine built for worshiping local god or spirit. Nearby, there's a pond where Balinese do spiritual cleansing ceremonies. The water looks murky because sandstone makes up most of the ground around it.
I continued walking along the path and see stone walls with plants hanging on them. There are small caves next to the river too! As I went further, I finally reached the waterfall.
Unable to Cross The River
We loved seeing the waterfall and hearing the water. We took pictures then walked across a bridge to keep going. Mr. Ada led us higher up near the waterfall, then through the forest by the river.
I walked last to make sure everyone was okay. I couldn't see Mr. Ada for a moment because he went down to cross another small bridge made from a coconut tree over the river.
One person didn't want to cross it because they were scared of falling into the river. Another person showed how we could slide across while sitting on it instead of walking.
But suddenly, the river became very murky. The water turned brown instantly. The water surface even got higher. There was rain in the mountain area far from where we were that caused this, It was even harder for us to cross safely so we decided not go further that way.
Cave Adventure
We went from the river to the waterfall and then to the main road. We changed our way because we couldn't cross the river. If we did, it would be a 10-minute walk to the cave. But going back took us a half an hour.
Still, we were happy and reached the cave entrance or water tunnel. Mr. Ada had some flashlights, but we used our phones for light in the cave too.
The cave was special - a 15-minute underground walk! It used to be a water tunnel but not anymore. Someone asked what if water came in? We'd swim! But that won't happen.
In one part of the cave, there's a meditation place with statues of gods deep inside. After visiting it, we kept walking on our trek.
The cave trek was exciting. At certain times , the tunnel ceiling got so low that we must duck to walk through. Other times, it's just big enough for a person. In bigger areas, we can stand and talk with our group of six people.
In some spots, sunlight came in through cracks so we don't need flashlights. Some part of the tunnels were not to be entered. Mr. Ada told us about tunnels that were blocked by landslides so we could go through.
Our journey ended when we came out into the forest again. We walked back to where we started and had lunch together with local staff members who served food at this time. I thought it was the best meal ever.
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