Balinese Adventure Part 23
Michael Taylor’s Balinese Adventure has ended in real time, but it continues in Cyberspace. Today he reminisces about the morning he breakfasted in the rice paddies.
During my 2 night stay at the Alila Manggis in Eastern Bali, hotel staff arrange a picnic breakfast for me in the hotel’s organic garden, which is located in the rice paddies in the foothills near the hotel.
On the way to the hotel’s garden, we pass a temple, and I ask if we can stop, so that I can take pictures.
As we continue on our way, we pass Hindu devotees on their ways to and from the temple to make offerings and/or fetch holy water to use at upcoming festivals.
And if you think you’ve got a boring job, what about the guy I see that spends the day in a thatched hut?
His job is to race into the paddies and chase off birds – lest they consume the rice, which is about to be harvested …
As with everything else in Bali, the bird swatter he wields is a work of art.
Organic Breakfast
And then there is that yummy organic garden breakfast, which is served to me in a thatched hut set amid rice paddies and spice gardens!
Both Western and Eastern breakfasts are available. I choose the Eastern breakfast, which consists of fresh tropical fruit, pisang goreng, fried bananas, and nasi jinggo, a mouth-watering local style breakfast of rice, chicken, and vegetables.
The Western breakfast consists of home-made pastries, fresh tropical fruit, and pineapple pancakes served with palm sugar syrup.
Both breakfasts include a choice of seasonal fruit or vegetable juice and either locally grown Ngis village coffee or grade fresh lemongrass tea. Guests can also pick a selection of fresh herbs to create their own tea.
Guests wanting a more substantial breakfast – or something in particular – can also  order items from the hotel’s breakfast menu.
After breakfast we go for a stroll into the hills. Then it’s back to the hotel, where an infinity swimming pool and a sumptuous spa await.
Where
Alila Manggis, Desa Buitan, Manggis, Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia. Telephone: +62 363 410 11.