Beautiful Bali:Beaches, Bamboo and Bikes

Bali is an island of contrasts. Its beaches fuel a thriving surfing community and hedonistic beachside bar scene while its mountain villages are adorned with temples and yoga retreats for those wanting to immerse themselves in culture and relaxation. Traveling east to west through Indonesia on motorbike and already having experienced many amazing places, I must admit that Bali wasn’t where I expected to find quality adventure riding. I was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered.

- Raymond Friedrich

Ubud was the perfect base for my three-week stay in Bali. Many view the town as the cultural capital of this island paradise, and despite being a tourist mecca it has a peaceful aura. The surrounding scenery is spectacular, with rows of rice terraces meeting lush forest and scattered amongst them are temples in every direction. The roads that wind their way through this mountainous district are an absolute joy to ride, especially when off the main thoroughfares. A detour through one of the small villages follows narrow alleyways with barely enough room to squeeze through, or even narrower paths that locals use to traverse the rice fields. The natives are very welcoming and although Bali is much more affluent than many of its neighboring islands, the sight of a tourist on a fully loaded BMW 1200GS still draws a lot of attention, making a great conversation starter.

I was more than a little excited because my friend, Kadex Ramayadi, a local motorcycle tour guide who knows the area like the back of his hand, offered to show me some of the best off-road locations. Our first destination was the small island of Serangan, best known for its surfing and offering excellent beach and dirt riding in a coastal setting. As soon as we crossed the small bridge onto the island, Kadex twisted the throttle and it was up to me to keep up with him through the sharp twists and turns of the single track. We were both riding big GSes and it was great to get these bikes sideways on the loose dirt.