9/23: Bike tour in Sanur, Bali

Just being lazy ‘bums’ day after day is not really our style so we took our first bike tour ever with Sanur Cycle Tours after hearing about it from Dave, the guesthouse owner. They run a number of tours including sunrise and sunset ones but we chose the 3 hour, 15km long tour that left at the more civilized hour of 7:15 when it would be a touch cooler

Photos from the Bike Tour:

There was just one another couple on the tour, Alastair and his wife, Kim. He emigrated to Brisbane, located on the east coast of Oz south of Cairns, from Scotland in 1998 by himself but his parents and siblings all later followed him. Alastair has a couple start up tech companies, he said. Kim, his wife, is an Aussie by birth and teaches kindergarten.

Steven and the others are the 'dots' at the top of the picture!

I wish you could have seen me riding the bike, stopping to take a few pictures while the other three were just dots in the distance. I finally realized that I had better keep a closer eye on them. About the same time, Steven soon realized I was lagging behind so he mostly cycled behind me from then on to make sure I didn’t get lost. 

I dangled my camera on my right wrist and took photos as I was riding. Surprised to say that, of the 100 or so I took, only a half dozen were blurry. Guess I should try that more often, huh! 

Got the sense yet I really liked these boats?

The one and only fir tree we saw in 9 days in Bali.

The back of his uniform said 'Beach Cleaning Crew.'

Saw a number of these signs along the esplanade.

Ivy: Certainly thought of you here! Sure you've heard of, if not read, Elizabeth Gilbert's book called 'Eat, Pray, Love?' The second part of the book is based on her time in Bali.

Saw a lot of Balinese men playing chess while waiting for customers at their shops.

Stopped at Benoa Harbor where we saw local fishermen casting their nets. This is considered to be the locals' beach, our bike guide said.

Could have missed stopping at the Man Shed but it was somewhat interesting, especially if you’re interested in vintage cars. We’re not though! But, hey, it’s something different and therefore fine to see for a bit.

Photos below of Man Shed:

As Steven said, there’s a fine line between collectibles and junk.

Kayle: Steven and I thought you and Steve would enjoy this place or at least the car collection.

 Steven on his motorbike/bar stool.

Saw a real ‘bottle tree’ in Oz – this one was a different variety!

Saw our first cocks here; the bike leader said cockfighting is legal in Indonesia.

Back on our bikes to continue the tour now.

Rice fields and gardens – the sticks indicate where the watermelons are growing. At the end of the current dry season, the watermelons will be replaced by rice.

I had just asked Alastair why he’d left his ‘home’ and he said ‘Scotland is cold and full of Scots.’ As I mentioned in a blog from one of our other long trips, I’ve always loved Scotland and Steven and I hope to return together one day. After all, I am a MacDonald by birth!

Pretty narrow bike/walking path through the farm land
especially when taking photos at same time you're riding!

Cars passed us on this narrow road which seemed more like an alley to me.

Wouldn't want to try and walk across this 'footbridge.'

Stopped to wander around the biggest market in the region for a little while. The bike leader had to pay someone to watch the bikes.

Photos of Pasar Intaran:

Saw this pair of pants, or possibly pj’s, that still had their Merona, i.e. Target store brand, pricetag on them. They made us think of you, Zachary, toiling away at Target!

Wandering around the market with Alastair and Kim reminded us why we generally dislike being on an organized tour as we don’t have the time to wander where we want to go and always have to follow the others in the group. We would have loved to have had time to stop, look more closely at items and possibly even buy if time had been our own.

Chef Ron: I figure you're the one to ask: What do you make with these, do you know?

First and only time we saw the religious offerings for sale; we'd only seen them already offered.

These lovely women asked me to take their photo!

Tried these snake fruit which we had never seen before; you can see where they get their name from! Once peeled, there’s a pale flesh you eat away til you get to the almost date-like center or pit. Tasted pretty bland we thought.

Back in our saddles again to continue the tour:

Typical small shop.

Oops, they were really far ahead again; I needed to pedal faster!

Smushed offerings.

Stopped at these gardens/very large nursery for 20 minutes to rest, chat and eat the breakfast that was provided as part of the trip.

Alastair and Kim on another neat bench.

Breakfast time.

Back on the bikes through the gardens; only one more stop before riding back to Sindu Guesthouse.

Last stop on the bike ride was at ‘The Beatles Bar’ of all places. Turns out an Aussie, who emigrated to Bali, loved The Beatles so much he has a veritable underground shrine devoted to them here in Sanur, Bali. Who ever would have expected that?!

Little too early for us to be drinking beer at 10 in the morning too when we were offered it.

Felt more than a tad creepy after a bit seeing so much Beatles’ memorabilia including the table where they signed their first contract.

Back at Sindu Guesthouse about 10:30 after a really fun time cycling. So glad that we have another bike tour scheduled to look forward to when we're in Vietnam!

Posted on 10/2 from Yogyakarta, Indonesia - far further behind with the posts than I'd like to be but trying hard to catch up! Thank you for your patience.