Tour organizer finds Bali's secret paradise

SANUR, Bali: 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.

Travelling back from the hills in the centre 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 marvelled 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 favourite - 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 honour. 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 centre 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.