We had booked a minibus to take us to Penelokan via Besakih in preference to taking the Perama bus. our driver took us, by what I can only describe as "the back way". Up steep hills, round sharp bends, through villages, over chickens and terrifying dogs and humans alike, we went where only a 4WD should have gone. We arrived at Besakih, Bali's most important temple, and were besieged by young girls hiring umbrellas. It was by far the biggest temple we'd seen and had a magnificent setting on the side on Gunung Agung. Unfortunately we were not allowed in because we were not worshipping. Still, I'd rather be an atheist.
We continued our journey to Mt Batur and our driver took us straight through Penelokan to Kedisan by the side of the lake. This was very much a one homestay town so we insisted on being taken back to Penelokan. We checked into the Lakeview Homestay with it's tiny damp rooms and magnificent view of the lake and volcano. Several minutes later the view was no more - the clouds had rolled in and all we could see was a white mist.
We retired to play cards and Dickon's famous name game while it got colder. Then we discovered the electricity was off. What a wonderful place. We ate in the restaurant which was lit by about 4 candles and listened to the owners playing guitar. House of the Rising Sun seems to be a favourite in Bali.
Returning to our rooms we came across our fellow inmates sat outside their rooms shrouded in blankets. They recounted tales of Komodo dragons and the hassles of travelling through India. Oh joy, I think I want to go somewhere else!
2012
Dickon - friend of Oz from his Nottingham Boots days. Introduced us to a game that has been known ever since as Dickon's famous name game.
I'm not sure if the Lakeview Homestay and the Lakeview Hotel are the same place. They've probably called everything Lakeview.
What would travellers these days do without electricity ? The ipods, ipads, smartphones, laptops etc. would grind to a halt.
When you meet fellow backpackers, this is what you talk about.
In addition to 'House of the Rising Sun' that bloke with the guitar at the place on the volcano also did 'God' by John Lennon over and over and over again. The one where every line starts with 'I don't believe in..' Did we also try to play Scrabble with a set missing some crucial letters? I also think that there were back issues of some magazine (Time, Newsweek, National Geographic...?) which we flicked through in a bid to kill the boredom
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