Bali 2016 - Day 7
Today we booked a tour online for a local place called the Green Village. The tour was a half day event that would take us to the Green School, a bamboo factory, and the Green Village. We knew little of the places we were about to see, only that it was a recommended activity on trip advisor. Our day started after an hour drive to the Green School. K and I did no research into what it was, and assumed that it was just a educational program on how to live a sustainable lifestyle. In actually it is a kindergarten through high school. We were correct about one thing, the school has a focus on teaching sustainability and giving back to the community.On the entire campus, there are only two buildings that are not completely made from bamboo. Each structure was quiet impressive, and have no resemblance of your “standard” school. The school has programs on how to raise chickens, grow vegetables, compost yard waste, and plant gardens. Overall, in our opinion, the school can be summed up in one short story. During our tour, the guide told the guests to watch their step since a lot of the pavers on the walkways are uneven. She continued to say that this is actually good for the students since it builds their overall motor skills and balance. K then leaned in to say that in America this would be a lawsuit. Needless to say, the Green School has a different and “optimistic” perspective.
Our next stop was at a local bamboo factory. Here we went through the whole process of how bambo is cut down, dried, treated in a borax solution, washed, dried again, and then split and turned into its many products. Not only is bamboo poplar for construction, but also for scaffolding, furniture, flooring, and even charcoal soaps.
We had a quick lunch before our next tour. Our finale stop in the immediate area was called the Green Village. This village is a collection of twelve bamboo homes built along side a small river in the middle of the Balinese jungle. We were lucky to visit three different houses. Our first stop, and our favorite, was actually the world’s largest bamboo house. It is quite the amazing structure, starting with it stunning front door, to its tree house view of the other homes.
Our driver then took us to a temple in the Ubud area, called Goa Gajah, or the Elephant Cave temple. This remarkable temple was carved into the stone cliff side. Inside is a short walk way with about ten small alcoves where statues or offerings can be placed. We then took a nice little walk around the temple ground and saw a smaller Buddhist temple.
Our day ended with a trip to a large waterfall. It was a small hike down, where plenty of tourist were taking a dip in the water. We then hiked up a small path to a rock ledge to get a closer shot and view of the roaring water. We then heading back to our villa and ordered some room service for dinner while we passed the night lounging by the pool.
