The Tegalalang Rice Terraces are really stunning. It's a huge rice field, but it all is in steps. This creates an amazing green scenery and a hot tourist attraction. One of the most famous things to do here is to use one of the swings. It's a very unique experience and totally worth it.
The Tegalalang Rice Terrace have already appeared on my blog before (read: The Tegalalang Rice Terraces). But they are so amazing I couldn't resist and bring mystery girl here too. We had a great night sleep at Villa Bayad Ubud.
Here, we also had a small private villa, but it was nothing like The Royal Purnama (Read: Getting into vacation mode with The Royal Purnama).
Unfortunately, we only have this morning in the Ubud area. Later today we are taking the boat to Nusa Penida, which is a small island west of Bali. We will be staying there for 2 nights and have a lot of plans.
Going to the Rice terraces
Getting to the Tegalalang Rice Terrace is really easy by scooter. I'm sure there are a lot of tours coming here, but we want to do it ourself. We rented a scooter from our hotel and drove there without problems. The scooter rental was 75,000 idr (€ 4.72), which is a little bit more expensive than the average price in Ubud. But the scooter was absolutely flawless. The tires had a lot of thread on them, there were no scratches on the scooter and it was also a newer version. Plus the helmets we got were really good.
Inside the terraces
We arrive a little bit later than the first time I came here. As a result there were already some groups inside. It's also the time that more scammers are here. They will ask entrance fee or parking fees. I don't know if any of this is genuine. Last time I came really early and there was nobody here to ask for anything. We parked a little bit further down the road and got in at a smaller entrance.
It was still early enough to have free entrance and free parking. I drove by the terraces on other days at a much later time and they were definitely charging money everywhere.
Swinging over the terraces
I always wanted to try the swings. There are a lot of swings here everywhere. There was a swing pretty close to the entrance and the view looked really great. So we decided to do it.
We were the first customers and they had just opened for today. We got on for 75,000 idr per person. I think it is possible to haggle it down, but I thought it was a good price. Some more official swings with a fixed price charge up to 200,000 idr per person.
The staff was absolutely friendly! They showed us the spot where most people take a picture from. First it was time for Mystery girl to go on the swing. She absolutely loved it! Screaming in joy the whole way. This swing goes really really high.
They swung for an extended time, I was surprised by how much effort they put in. After swinging her high for a few times and letting it all settle down, they start swinging again. They do this for a total of 3 times! Definitely worth it.
My turn
After Mystery girl it is my time to go on the swing. I am so looking forward to it and I'm just hoping to get the same experience she got. But what I got was even better. I'm a little bit more of an adrenaline junkie than Mystery girl. I have so many adventures under my belt, compared to sitting on the edge of a 59-story building and showing my bum on the top of a mountain, this is a breeze!
They already swung me a lot higher and I was enjoying it. But then another guy comes in to swing me even higher! When I saw him jump in, my first reaction was "OH SH*T!!!" and both guys starting pushing me really hard. They even started jumping to give the extra push! The adrenaline started rushing, it was just pure joy!
Tibumana Waterfall
The second thing on our list for this morning is to see some waterfalls. We choose to go to the Tibumana Waterfall. I haven't seen this one yet and judging from other people's pictures, it looks stunning.
The waterfall is quite a bit down. To get there, you have to walk through this narrow path in nature. It creates this stunning view. Next you will have to walk over a bridge and then continue down before you can finally see the waterfall.
The waterfall is really stunning. You can go in for a swim. We are just in time before the big tourist groups arrive with tour buses and manage to get this shot.
It was our only chance for a good picture. Soon after, people went to play in the water and I can't blame them. Next a big tour group arrives and fun time is over. Bali is famous on Instagram and many people come for Instagram pictures. Unfortunately some of them come with the rest of a tour group group. Resulting in annoyance for both parties.
There's one party who wants a good Instagram shot. They dress up, bring a good camera, a light reflector, the whole deal. They are with a group of 4 people and spend a lot of time posing. Then there are the tourists, who just want to experience the waterfall and booked the tour. Both parties are in each other's way. The tourists want to enjoy the water, but can't because there is someone posing and the photographers cannot get a good shot because people want to enjoy the water. This is the reason why I don't take tours and go early in the morning. I'm not bothering anyone and no one is bothering me.
Nusa Penida
We went in the water too at the waterfall. The water was really cold, but the feeling is just amazing. But now it's time to leave. We have to check out of our hotel, get a taxi to the ferry point and take the boat to Nusa Penida! I hope to see you all in my next post :)
Reposted from beforeyoupack.net
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