Repeating another activity that I have previously done with Dad and Mum, today Berwyn and I went rafting on the Ayung River near Ubud. I booked this online (via Klook) and opted to arrange our own transport to the rafting company’s location. After hastily having coffee so as to meet the time of arrival I had informed the rafting company of, Berwyn and I each ordered a motorbike taxi to pick us up from our hotel. Berwyn’s Grab Bike arrived in about 30 seconds, while my Gojek took closer to 10 minutes to arrive. In keeping with the scientific method, after our rafting I hypothesised that Gojek would again take longer, and tested this by again using Gojek while Berwyn ordered via Grab. From my limited sample size, the hypothesis holds!

After making it to the rafting company only slightly late, we were given a welcome drink (or Berwyn was, mine was waiting for me when I arrived ten minutes after him) and then met our guide, who fitted us with helmets.and paddles. We were then bundled into a car and driven to the rafting start point, where a couple was waiting and were also fitted with gear. The four of us and our guide then trekked through a few rice fields before starting the 350 (uneven) steps down to the river.

Once we reached the river, we were given a safety briefing, some simple instructions, and then we were off! The river still had plenty of water, which was a relief: given that Bali is currently in a proclaimed drought emergency, I had worried that this would affect the rafting. However, there was plenty of water for rafting, and the jungle and river were as beautiful as I remembered.

At the mid point we stopped for a beer, and Berwyn compared notes with the couple (who were from Adelaide) about the state of the building industry, while I discussed rafting, family situations, and geography with our guide (in Indonesian). After 8 days here, it’s feeling more natural to use Indonesian, but it’s a pity that feeling comes just as we are about to leave.

After we resumed our trip downriver, we floated past the very fancy Ritz-Carlton resort (over AUD1000/night), and down a ramp attached to a weir. At a couple of points along the way our guide also pointed out the company videographers and photographers, so we could wave (and then buy the videos and photos afterwards). Finally, we arrived in a quiet part of the river and then the finish point of the rafting. After pulling our raft to shore we then had to climb another 200+ steps back to street level. At least we didn’t have to carry the raft up, some people are employed to carry the 50 kg deflated rafts up on their heads.

Back at the rafting company, we showered, changed, and then enjoyed a very late lunch. Once this was finished, we walked back to the road and caught taxi bikes back to the hotel.

I forgot to start recording the rafting immediately, but the route and some photos that I did record are on Strava.