I found out about this place on accident. I had borrowed some books from the Public Library, and one of the books was about interesting places in Bali. It was written in the 70s, and it sounds like Bali was a lot different back then.
One section of this book featured a myth about a part of Bali that was unusually beautiful. This place was believed to be where rainbows meet! That’s why I like to call it Rainbow Junction. According to legend, on some afternoons after it has rained many rainbows will appear in one place all at once. However, this will only happen during certain seasons and when the weather is just right, usually during the transition from dry season to wet season, or the opposite. The book says that this place is hidden away behind a secluded hilltop around Ubud, in the Rainbow Village. Behind this hill three rivers meet and grasses grow very tall. So, if someone can find this hill and face the place where the three rivers meet at exactly the right time of day and season in the year… Abracadabra… A phenomenal sight will appear! Or, so it says in this myth.
Niki, Grinder and me left Kuta with one mission: to find Rainbow Junction! We waited for a day where the weather seemed to be in accordance with the myth. It was cloudy and light rains… So, we decided to start our rainbow hunt! We left after lunch, and planned to reach Ubud around 2pm.
After asking around for the Rainbow Village we finally found someone who could give us directions there. There is one road leading towards it, and we had to pass an elementary school, where we parked our bikes, passed a small stone bridge, and headed up over a hill where the grass grows tall. A small footpath divided the hill and tall grass (which was almost one meter high) rose up on each side. The view was beautiful and we didn’t even notice we had walked almost a kilometer …until we reached small stone post with a wooden sign reading: Welcome to Rainbow Village!
The village is still very traditional. It was exiting to find a piece of old Bali hidden away in the buzz of Ubud, which is one of the favorite tourist spots in Bali to discover natural, secluded and peaceful hideaways …such as Rainbow Village. In the center of the village there is a small soccer field and kids we’re playing. Next to the field there is a giant banyan tree. According to the book I had read, there was supposed to be a small path to the East of a large tree, which will lead to where the three rivers meet. But, it took us forever to find that small path. As it turned out, it was behind a clinic to the East of the banyan tree. I guess the clinic wasn’t built when the book was written back in the 70s. One of the nurses at the clinic told us that there was a small path behind the clinic, but she said that no one ever uses it anymore, and you had to walk through her herb garden to get to it. She showed us the way. I began to get excited! It felt like we we’re following clues on a treasure map and we’re finally reaching the last stretch on the map. I was pretty sure it must be the right path, because there we’re no other paths around…
Yaaay!!! It seems like we made it to the right place, we had found three rivers joining as one. The myth in the book didn’t mention the names of the rivers, so we jokingly named them Summer, Niki and Grinder!
The rivers we’re so clear. The water must come from springs high up in the mountains. It was so clear that we could see colorful fish swimming around and playing together. Along the river rocks all different types of ferns we’re growing. It was beautiful, but there we’re no rainbows in sight.
It was still raining lightly, but less than when we first arrived in Ubud. We had come prepared with waterproof hoodies and backpacks so nothing we brought got wet. We walked up and down the hill to the river and tried to predict exactly where the rainbows would come from (if they appeared at all), we decided the best place to wait is where we had a good view of the three rivers joining. It was hard to find a clear view because the river rocks are so large.
“Hey…. Over here!” yelled Grinder from a small neighboring hill. Me and Niki walked to where Grinder was. She had really found the best spot, we could clearly see all three rivers and where they joined and become one wide river. From there we could also see rows of hill tops behind the rivers shadowing over one another, it seemed as though where the hills overlapped one another, and must be where the rivers had passed through them. All we could really do now is wait, and as soon as the rain let up a bit, eat some snacks we brought. I was really hungry after all this hiking, especially because with the rain the air was chilly (well, compared to Kuta beach). This kind of weather makes me hungry really fast…
The rain began to stop all together, and we could see rays of sunlight warming up behind the clouds. Through the clouds the sunlight was glistening and lighted spots along the hilltops. Then…. Wooowww…. It was unbelievable!!!! That book was not kidding. From behind the hills, one by one rainbows began to appear as if from hiding. I didn’t even dare blink, afraid that I would miss one moment of this spectacular view. I was so happy I could almost cry…
There was one…two…three…eight…eleven…wow, so many rainbows were appearing from different directions. One rainbow even looked like it was coming from behind us, it seemed so close that we could almost touch it. Huuuuhhh… camera, camera… Wait where’s the camera??? Oh, here it is…. Snap, snap, snap … the three of us we’re racing to get the best shot of this amazing show of nature.
The sun began to shine stronger and almost as quickly as they had appeared, the rainbows began to disappear …in only a few minutes they we’re back in hiding. Protected behind the calm and silent green hills…so peaceful, in preparation for their next performance to dance together…even if only for a moment.
We returned to Kuta with wide smiles that hadn’t disappeared since the rainbow moment we had shared together. Rainbow Junction seemed to fill our hearts…and I couldn’t wait to tell all my friends in Kuta about the stunning view. Rainbow Junction will stay forever in our hearts!
I joined Niki and Grinder in the eating area of the circus camp, a tent with huge Persian carpets, beautiful cushions and funky lamps that hang upwards. Niki was learning how to make Tamarillo juice from the circus leader, Aunty Maya. They had heaps of Tamarillos all ready for juicing; Bimba had helped pick them this morning in the jungle. “Try some” said Niki, handing me a glass filled with maroon colored tamarillo smoothie. Mmmm… it’s tangy-sweet, my favorite!!
this time showing off Surfer Girl’s latest fashion collection Kaleidoscope Island… and sharing a Surfer Girl style Carnival Experience!
