From our hostel we drove by van past villages, terraced paddy fields, and a Hindu procession to a restaurant perched high on a crater rim that overlooks a lake and two volcanoes. Mt. Batur is Bali's most active volcano, having last erupted in 2000. Mt. Agung, the island's highest point, erupted in explosive and deadly fashion in 1963, wiping out over a thousand villagers. The lake between the two volcanoes is Bali's largest and, considered the island's source of life, is the destination of many religious processions. Breakfast of fresh fruit and pancakes on the outdoor patio was wonderful.
Before getting on the bikes we stopped at the company's eco-informational center to sample teas, coffees, and fruits (mangosteen, rambutan, snakeskin fruit) and to be educated about the natural surroundings.
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Our nineteen year old guide throughout the tour was very charming and professional. His name, Ketut, indicates that he is the fourth child in his family. In the Balinese naming system each person regardless of sex receives one of four names based on the order in which he or she is born. What about the fifth child? Go back to name #1.
The real fun started when I mounted my slightly undersized bike and began cruising downhill. We made several stops during the two-hour journey: visiting a Balinese compound, taking part in paddy planting and harvesting, watching a craftsmen carve Buddha statues, stopping beneath a giant Banyan tree. 
Most of all, the views were gorgeous. My five-man group was up for the optional uphill section that ends at the bamboo lodge where lunch was served. We soon ran into that same religious procession we'd encountered earlier. Weaving and squeezing our way up the hill through cars and devotees made our mad dash for food that much more fun.
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The tour ended with a visit to the Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, home to 300 long-tail macaques. They are untrained and roam freely. I made a poor guest to their sanctuary when I twice provoked one to charge me, shrieking and waving its arms wildly. All I wanted was a picture together. The park also houses three temples and two graveyards. Ingelin and Juanita (below) met up with me here.-
The Balinese have many styles of music, dance, and chanting which they perform to reenact Hindu stories. After dinner we attended one called Kecak, "a form of Balinese musical drama performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant it is performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "chak", and throwing up their arms. The performance depicts a battle from the Ramayana where monkeys help Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana."-
I still had rafting, reggae music, and a very quick stop in
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This town celebrated a recent Indonesian independence day by painting miles and miles of street trees with an identical red and white pattern.
