Seven Days in Bali

Sometime in 2018, the text arrived: "Hey, want to climb a mountain in July 2019?". Of course, the answer is yes and the following vacation is laid out at the beginning of the year. What began as a simple few days on a mountain quickly escalated to include beaches, river tracing, scuba diving, and jungle terraces.

Day 1: Arrival and Seminyak 

We spent one night on Seminyak beach and to be honest, it was enough. This is a classic party beach with drinks starting early and continuing late into the evening. We enjoyed our alcohol with a sunset and then turned-in early to have a cheap massage before an early morning journey to Lombok.

Day 2: Lombok Waterfalls

Always on the move, we woke up around 6 or 7 to catch the ferry over to Lombok Island and meet up with friends. Two complimentary taxis and a "fast boat" later, we stepped into our mountain villa around 3 pm that afternoon. Dropping the bags in the door, we headed back out to squeeze in some late afternoon river tracing under the mountain.

Days 3 & 4: Rinjani

On day three, we began what we came here to do and started up the mountain. This adventure is outlined in its own blog here.

Days 5 & 6: Snorkeling and Scuba Diving

Arriving from the mountain the previous day, we were able to wake up early on Gili Trawangan and get in the water. We started this day by diving with baby sharks and blowing bubbles. Shortly after surfacing, we got back on another boat to enjoy a private snorkeling tour of the local islands.

This was the most touristy thing we'd done since stepping off the plane. Thankfully, the private boat helped us at least pretend to have some of this paradise to ourselves. We visited five different spots to swim with turtles, underwater sculpture gardens, blue coral and barnacle-covered bicycles.

At the fifth location, we stopped for lunch on one of the more resorty islands nearby where a seller convinced us all to buy matching turtle bracelets made from local volcanic rock and tiger's eye. They were custom made for us on the spot and subjected to the fire rest, so they must be real. Right?

We spent the afternoon exploring by bicycle and ended the day with drinks on the beach while watching the sun go down. The next morning, we did it all over again, but instead of snorkeling, we did a wreck dive instead. Everything else was basically the same: baby sharks, bicycles, drinks, and sunsets. It was perfect.

Day 7: Ubud

We had to get back to Bali to catch our flight out, so we decided to spend our last night in Ubud. This tourist-loved destination is all over Instagram because of the famous Bali Swing over the Teggalang Rice Terrace and I wanted to see what that was all about. Unsurprisingly, like most things on the internet, it's cool, but it's not "I just climbed a mountain and swam with sharks" cool.

The terrace is very pretty and there are swings EVERYWHERE for tourists to enjoy... for a price. It was here that a little girl selling postcards for "school" got me. Tracking us all over the field, she got her money and my family got their postcards.

In town, we tried civet coffee (look it up) and did some temple exploring. The jungle town had a very different feel from the other destinations on our trip. To our disappointment, we also learned that souvenirs were much cheaper here.

Conclusion

We made the most of our time. Rinjani is absolutely worth it. With more time and a bigger budget, I think I would have skipped Gili Tragawan and flown over to Komodo Island instead. Ubud and Seminyak were disappointments to me. However, choosing an out-of-town hotel in Ubud with a private jungle pool may have changed that.

Getting Around

Boats, boats and more boats. We took boats everywhere: private boats, fast boats, ferry boats, etc. They were economic, efficient and I think the complimentary hotel transfers in Seminyak and Ubud made them worth it for us. We went with Blue Ferry Express for the long journey from Bali Island to Lombok because they let us prebook online.

Waterfall Hunting: Wufenqi and Yuemeikeng

We have a new favorite waterfall hike. This day trip from Taipei consists of two, two-hour hikes and a total of four waterfalls. The first few at Wufenqi are meh, but the last one, Yuemeikeng, is what makes this one of Taipei’s must do day hikes. Overall Wufenqi is quite touristy with nice, neat stairs and crowds at the first two falls. Yuemeikeng is a bit different. Instead of stairs, you have zigzags, trail jumps and cascade climbing. We loved it 😍 The last bit of the trail is a piece of magical fairy land that we’ve been dreaming about since and we had it completely to ourselves.

Start your day with the Wufenqi waterfalls and get those pesky stairs out of the way. Also, the third fall will still look impressive before being dwarfed by Yuemeikeng. The first falls is a bit of a joke. The second is at least a real waterfall, but still just ok. The third is actually quite nice with a massive freefall. We were impressed. They’ve got the trail for it gated with warning signs, but both of those things are easily ignored. If anything, the experience is actually nicer because you’ll have it to yourself. When the sun is out, walk to the edge of the waterfall to see rainbow effects in the mist.

The path for Wufenqi falls is clearly marked, with signs everywhere. However, Yuemeikeng isn’t so easy. We had a hard time finding trail head and asked around only to learn that local vendors had never heard of it. The book we were using (Yes, I said BOOK.) was dated. The only thing the book and blogs agreed on was that we needed to cross a makeshift bridge at the bottom of some stairs and to all of them I say this: A barrel bridge covered in gravel and large enough to support vehicles is NOT a makeshift bridge.

This bridge marks the beginning of the trail; you’ll see it on your way to the Wufenqi Falls. It’s at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the food stalls, after the little dams. Just after crossing the bridge, go right and follow the little footpath along the river for about twenty minutes until you come to a little shrine and fork in the path: go right again. Soon, you’ll cross two bridges. After the second bridge, the trail zigzags up and away from the river.

At the top of the zigzags, there’s another fork: go left, back down toward the river. Soon, you’ll cross the stream for the first time where it’s a good idea to put on river tracing shoes. (Yes, the stream is easy to navigate, but things are about to get slippery.) You’re almost there and soon the path will spit you out into a river gorge where you’ll be able to glimpse the waterfall for the first time.

It’s a slippery, muddy, wet adventure and many of the assistance ropes are so loose that they’re more of a safety hazard than a help. The trail has also given away in a few places, requiring hikers to take really big steps or jump across. At the waterfall, you’ll need to scale a small cascade, but it’s manageable and fun. Although, getting back down is a bit of a brain game. Long legs help.

Again, we were the only ones on the trail, so we ditched our bags and tucked them safely away before wading into the gorge. That said, it’s not necessary to ditch and you don’t need any special waterproof equipment. The deepest water is about thigh height and my shorts never got wet. The biggest danger is falling, but river tracing shoes will fix that. Reading other people’s stories, I completely overreacted and packed a towel, change of clothes and triple zip-locked everything... All of which was completely UNECCESARY. That said, if I’d fallen or slipped on the cascade with my bag, I’d have a different story to tell.

Getting Around:

From Taipei City Hall Bus Station (located right next to the MRT), catch the bus to Jiaoxi. The ride takes about an hour or two in bad traffic. From Jiaoxi Transfer Station, line up for the little tourist shuttle that’ll take you to the Wufenqi bus stop. If confused or worried, just keep repeating “Wufenqi” at the attendants and they’ll literally walk you to the queue. Both buses run consistently throughout the day, at 15 to 20 minute intervals. You’ll have no problem getting around and can pay for everything using an EASYCARD. About $300 NTD will cover it. If you want to skip the shuttle bus and taxi from Jiaoxi Transfer Station to Wufenqi, you can. It’s only about ten minutes away.

River Tracing: Lupi Stream and Jinyue Waterfall

Sold! This short sweet river trace in Nanao was the perfect introduction to our new favorite summer activity. With a rope swing, waterfall slide and 25 meter falls at the end, we can’t wait to go back and will definitely be on the lookout for more river traces around Taipei. Nanao is home to two river traces that are easy day trips from the city: Biden and Lupi Stream. This being our first time tracing, we started with the easier one: Lupi Stream, which actually isn’t that easy and we probably should have worn life jackets.

That said, the trace went really well and wasn’t too difficult as it’s easy to tailor it to your own level/experience. For example, my boyfriend tested out his brain power and leg muscles on a cascade scramble that was pushing out hundreds of gallons of water per second, but the rest of us sane people just went around. (This particular cascade was introduced as a fun puzzle to solve and I guess he just couldn’t resist. He made it over, but not by pushing through. He actually had to level himself up out of the water and balance over the cascade to get around it.)

Lupi Stream takes about two hours each way, but it is possible to speed this up. (We did the return trip in just over half an hour because we were worried about catching the train home.) At the beginning and end of the trace, there’s a large pool for swimming and fun waterfall slide.

Shortly after this, the stream becomes impassible and a trail has been cut into the woods on the right side. It’s short and joins back up with the stream after a few minutes. From here, tracers will have to pick their way through or around the edge of the stream with short rock scrambles and little cascade climbs. It’s also very deep in places and the river bed will suddenly just disappear, so be prepared to swim.

Photo Credit: Dustin Craft, Taiwan Adventure Outings

There are some parts of the trace that only experienced tracers should try, such as the rope swing and three-foot waterfall chute below it (not to be confused with the relatively safe main waterfall slide), which has a very strong vortex that jumpers will have to be able to navigate out of. Most tracers who attempt the rope swing actually climb out and go around rather than contend with the dangerous little chute. This is saying something, because the steep, wet scramble out isn’t easy.

It should also be mentioned that if you commit to doing the rope swing, there’s not backing out. Basically, you can change your mind, but you still HAVE TO do it. This is when having a life jacket as a confidence boost would have been nice. Another event like this is the waterfall slide at the beginning and end of the trace.

Basically, once you’re at the head of the slide, the water IS GOING to push you down. Jumpers only have a few seconds to position themselves as best as possible before being carried down possibly the biggest natural waterfall side in Taiwan. (PSA: When going down the slide, hold your bag tight to your chest and don’t bend forward or it’ll slap you in the face when you hit the water.)

Again, the trace is completely customizable, so less adventurous explorers can skip both the rope swing and the slide or just do the slide, but not the rope jump. If you like the land of the living and prefer to stay in it, just get out of the water and go right through the woods on the return trip. This will take you safely around the more dangerous parts of the trace.

Be warned, things happen: ropes get stuck, people fall, straps break and concussions occur. ALL of these things happened on our trip and there was very little we could do to prepare for them. The best advice is to go in a group. This isn’t something individuals should be going at alone as people do DIE. Taipei Hikers and Taiwan Adventure Outings both take regular trips to Nanao during the summer months. Trips fill up fast, so be vigilant to get a spot.

Equipment

Photo Credit: Dustin Craft, Taiwan Adventure Outings

A helmet, waterproof bag and special shoes are all required. These items can be rented from supply stores in Taipei for around $200 NTD ($6 USD). Of course, it’s recommended that you rent a life vest as well, especially if you’re planning on doing any of the jumps/slides or are not a confident swimmer. Below is a list of rental shops in Taipei. They have funny hours, so plan ahead.

In addition, to the rented items, you’ll need a small towel, water, snacks, a change of clothes and lots of Ziploc bags. Everything you care about should be double and triple bagged, because those waterproof bags WILL LEAK. There might be a small hole or it might not seal completely, but trust water is going to find a way into that bag. Probably hundreds of cell phones have gone to that great mobile cloud in the sky on this trace, and we added one more on our trip. (It was inside a waterproof hard case, inside a waterproof bag, but still found a way to get wet. The owner was not amused.)

Guting: 戶外家
Address: 100, Taipei City, Zhongzheng District, Quanzhou Street, 69號
Phone: 02 2333 1682

Getting Around

Get to Taipei Main Station around 8:30 am and by direct train tickets to Nanao Station. It’s about a two hour train ride each way and tickets cost just under $300 NTD. When purchasing outbound tickets, go ahead and grab return tickets as well. Trains only hit Nanao every three hours and it should be obvious which one you want, just make sure the departure time is after 3pm.

You’ll probably have to buy standing tickets on the way out, but should be able to get seats on the way back. By the way, standing tickets aren’t a huge problem, because there’s always room in the bike car. Basically, the last car on every train is reserved for bikes, but there’re never any bikes, so it’s the perfect place to find a seat and take a nap on a sold out train.

From Nanao Station, you’ll need to have a cab arranged to take you to the Lupi Stream trail head. This 10-minute trip will cost about $300 NTD, but can be split between multiple people. You’ll also need to arrange for the cab to pick you up from the same spot at three o’clock SHARP. Below is the number for the taxi service, but you’ll need to know some Chinese to get things arranged. Stress the TIMES, because you’ll be on a tight schedule to catch the train home.

Nanao Taxi:
0966-657-673
03-9981-298