Bali: Pedalling through paddies

Cycling through Bali is a great way to experience the lush countryside. Photo / Supplied

Far from Bali's crowded beaches, Teuila Fuatai joins a cycle tour of its greener hinterland.

I wasn't too sure what to expect from a bike tour in Bali. Arriving on the Indonesian island armed with a pile of books and a yoga mat, the idea of cycling through rice paddies seemed to sit pretty well with my hopes of becoming unbelievably bendy and finding inner peace during my week-long trip.

But two hours on Bali roads navigating the hordes of scooters, cars and narrow streets? Even the hardiest road cyclists would question the wisdom behind hopping on a bike.

In my cycling group is an American woman in her 60s - who I later found out completed a sunrise climb of the Mt Batur volcano before our bike tour - another two women about 20 years older than me and a Japanese couple who aren't big on bike riding. There's no room to back out now.

The day starts with an early pick-up then drive to the mountain region of Kintamani for breakfast overlooking Mt Batur and its crater lake.

Our guide, Wayan, gives us a quick rundown of the area, including a brief history of the 1700m volcano, which is still active.

As I scoop up the last of my black rice pudding, he assures our group the entire tour is downhill, with an optional uphill portion at the end.

It's smiles all round at this point.

As we depart to our last stop in the minivan, Wayan enlightens us with the story of the next big attraction: Bali's Luwak coffee.

Made famous in the film The Bucket List, Luwak coffee is made from coffee beans eaten, digested and secreted by the possum-like animal luwak. The beans are separated from the luwak's droppings before they are cleaned and roasted for the coffee-making process.

A cup, which sets you back about $40 in the US, costs about $5 in Bali.

It's nice - smooth and dark, obviously a novelty - though I'm not sure I'd ever fork out over 40 bucks for a cup of "poo coffee", as it's known in Bali.

Now, it's time for the cycling. I check the brakes on my shiny red mountain bike and it all seems intact.

Wayan sets us off and it's straight into green fields, not a road in sight. As promised, we cruise through myriad rice paddies, stopping to see how the crop is harvested.

A group of friendly workers are also patient enough to take us through the process and let us join in.

As we come out on to the road (where there's absolutely no traffic), we meet throngs of smiling schoolchildren heading home for the day.

A stop at a Balinese family compound also gives us a brief glimpse of village life before we snake our way along more backroads and lush countryside.

Post-tour, sipping a chilled baby coconut over lunch with a view of more rice paddies, I realise I never had anything to feel anxious about.

CHECKLIST

Getting there: Air NZ flies direct to Denpasar, Bali from Auckland at least twice a week (seasonal). Virgin Australia also operates several services a day with stopovers in Australia.

Accommodation: Bliss Sanctuary for Women.

The writer travelled courtesy of Bliss Sanctuary for Women in Bali.