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Tirta Gangga, Northeast Bali, Indonesia

The vibrant green rice fields of Bali transform the landscape into a complex work of art with their steeply terraced ledges and maze of rushing irrigation canals. We hiked with a guide among the paddies in more than one town, always balancing precariously on the thin strips of grass and mud separating each waterlogged field and always awestruck at the stunning use of land. It still baffles me that the ancient, mundane practice of rice cultivation can be undertaken so beautifully.

LS

 

Northeast Bali, Indonesia

It is really quite thrilling to see your first Balinese rice terrace. When we saw ours in Ubud in south-central Bali, we gasped at the porcupine stems standing straight and tall like diligent soldiers. We hiked up the muddy paths while an intricately funneled irrigation system streamlined water down, washing through the glistening stalks. The even more astounding terraces in the north are built into gigantic mountains, just low enough to let the deep blue sea peek through.

SBR