Tour organizer finds Bali's secret paradise

Tour organizer finds Bali's secret paradise

By Des Price

SANUR, Bali (JP): Sometimes, things that happen by accident
lead to exciting new discoveries and change the paths of our
lives and work. Kurt Morscheck, a tour organizer, was forced to
take an alternative route in his car one day -- a journey that
led to new openings in his life.

Traveling back from the hills in the center of Bali heading
south to his office in Sanur, a roadblock meant that he had to
find another way to get back. He thought a left turn would be
worth a try.

Driving up a narrow country lane, he soon felt his sense of
adventure welling up inside him. A gate at the entrance to a
farmhouse at the side of the road was so ornate that he stopped
to admire it.

Continuing on, he found himself in scenery that looked
tendered and neatly cared for by man -- a place of human
cohabitation with nature. He marveled at the diversity of the
tree and plant life, and the shapes of the rice fields neatly
engraved into the rugged terrain.

Kurt left his home in Germany some seven years ago and soon
set up his travel agency in the coastal resort of Sanur. He
arranges all manner of tours, and still enjoys taking part in the
tours from time to time, even though he has employed professional
guides, like his tried and trusted guide Gayest. He arranges
four-wheel drive tours, boat and snorkel trips, to name just a
few. But his favorite -- somewhat ironically, is to take people
to areas where tourists "never go".

After leaving the noise and traffic of Denpasar behind, Kurt's
minibus, with between four and six tourists aboard, meanders
uphill in a northerly direction toward Sangeh. At the village of
Gerana, nutmeg trees stand tall dominating the skyline with their
straight trunks pushing high into the sky.

At the next village called Carangsari, a sign on the right
announces river-rafting tours and this is the last point for
large, organized tourism on this route. At Petang, the scenery
changes to a clearer vista with the absence of warung (food
stalls) and houses, and a transformation to a green lushness all
around. Ahead, the clouds lay low caressing the hills protruding
on the horizon.

The first terraced rice fields appear. Black rice is grown
here, interspersed with maize, peanuts and other crops.

The diversity of crops, trees and plants is cause for Kurt to
pull over and excitedly point out to his tourists the wonders of
it all. Crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, coffee, beans,
cauliflowers, cabbage and cocoa are grown in this region.

Kurt has a penchant for feeling and smelling the plants,
flowers and spices that grow by the roadside, crushing and
rubbing leaves into his hand, taking in the aroma of Balinese
flora that are so exotic, so distant and far removed from his
native country.

Kurt and Gusty take the group up to admire the rice fields and
then along a jungle path leading them through native trees and
plants, past the gushing of a waterfall and irrigation channels.
On the way they see lemon grass and peanuts growing where their
feet tread, while vanilla plants embrace the barks of trees.

Soon, Kurt and his group arrive at a traditional Balinese
farmhouse, where they are treated as guests of honor. They are
welcomed by Mr. Dharma I Ketut, Mrs. Ni Putu Resik and their two
adult sons, who are dressed in traditional Balinese attire. The
guests are treated to strong Balinese coffee and cakes such as
lavis, avam and eli. Afterward, Mrs. Resik
prepares to show the group how to make the cakes. The family's
gardens are a wilderness of trees bearing a manifold of fruit.

The two brothers and Pak Dharma offer to take members of the
group fishing in their stocked ponds. The catch is grilled on the
spot. The family enjoys the arrival of new visitors and have made
plans to encourage more outsiders. Kurt explains: "Many people
coming here liked it, and wanted to return and stay for a while,
so the family built two rooms, which naturally, are in typical
Balinese style. So now they have accommodation for them."

The younger of the two brothers, Nyoman, is an artist and with
his talent has painted concrete girders in the home to make them
look like wood. He has done this so convincingly that you have to
tap the girders to realize that they are not in fact wood. Nyoman
has plans to start a meditation center here and sees this as a
perfect location for the realization of his dream: "Many people
want meditation and really need a peaceful place."

After watching Pak Dharma display his prowess at playing the
gamelan, the group make their way out and, just as on the way in,
admire once again the ornateness of the gate.

It has now been one-and-a-half years since Kurt took his
diversion up this road, a detour that led not only to a
successful business partnership and a sharing of cultures, but
also to one of Bali's most secret paradises. True serendipity.