This part of Bali lies between Ubud and Tabanan, in the rice and temple country of the central south, where the volcanoes of the north send water down through a network of channels to terraces carved into every slope. The system, called subak, is a thousand-year-old way of sharing water among farmers, managed by local councils with rituals at temples, and UNESCO recognised it as a cultural landscape in 2012. Walk or ride between the fields at sunrise and you see why: the terraces glow green, with white egrets and ducks, and the air smells of wet earth and incense.
Religion is the daily rhythm. Bali is mostly Hindu, in contrast to the rest of Indonesia, and on every doorstep and every dashboard you will see small woven baskets, canang sari, holding flowers, rice and incense, put out each morning as offerings. Temples are everywhere, with carved stone gates and tall tiered roofs, and ceremonies bring processions of women carrying towers of fruit on their heads. A few kilometres south, at Mengwi, the royal water temple of Taman Ayun sits in a moat of lotus ponds, one of the most elegant temples on the island.
The riding is a mix of delight and chaos. The quiet back lanes between villages are narrow, with sharp bends, patches of gravel, dogs, chickens and ceremonies blocking the road, and traffic moves slowly and politely. The main roads are busy with scooters, trucks and tourist vans, especially toward the south coast, and the volcano roads in the north climb to cool, misty heights with excellent views. Indonesia drives on the left, and you need an international permit as well as your normal licence, and police checks on tourists are common. Wear a helmet and decent shoes; flip-flops and bare legs are a sad sight in a hospital.
Fuel is sold at stations in Ubud, Tabanan and every main town, and by the roadside in small bottles at tiny kiosks, though the bottled kind is often adulterated, so prefer a proper pump. Warung serve nasi campur and fresh fruit for little money, and a coconut by the road is the cheapest cold drink. Aim to ride early, before the heat and traffic build, and finish with a swim.