Every now and then, I find myself going through old photos and stories from years ago and thinking, I can’t believe we actually did that.

This is one of those stories.

Years ago, my friend Mikhael and I went looking for a pine forest somewhere in Karangasem. At the time, it wasn’t widely promoted; there wasn’t much information about it online, and naturally, that made us even more curious.

What we didn’t know was that getting there would become half the story.

A Long Ride to East Bali

We left Denpasar on my motorbike with Mikhael sitting behind me, navigating with Google Maps.

Our arrangement was simple: I drove, he gave directions, and both of us placed an unreasonable amount of trust in Google.

The journey felt particularly long that day. The weather was hot, we were getting sleepy, and somewhere around Candidasa, Mikhael finally gave in.

“Hey Fer, let’s stop at Alfamart Candidasa. I’m feeling sleepy.”

I wasn’t going to argue. I needed a toilet break anyway.

The roads were unusually busy that day, with several motorcycle communities riding toward East Bali. When we arrived at Alfamart, quite a few bikers were resting there too, seemingly on their way toward Bukit Asah.

I went straight for the restroom while Mikhael stocked up on coffee candy and drinks to keep himself awake.

When I came back, we sat outside for a while.

“Do you want some coffee candy?” he asked.

“Nah, I brought snacks.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out an apple.

He looked at me.

“Just an apple?”

Apparently, yes.

Looking back, I’m not sure why I was carrying an apple around in my pocket on a motorbike trip across Bali, but 2019 Fery clearly had his priorities.

After recovering some energy, we continued.

Google Maps Said It Was the Right Way

This is where things started getting interesting.

Mikhael guided us onto roads I had never seen before. We passed Tirta Gangga before eventually turning toward Ababi Village, following a small asphalt road deeper into the area.

So far, so good.

Until the asphalt disappeared.

“Holy crap, what kind of road is this?”

“Just keep following it. Google Maps says it’s the right way.”

Famous last words.

I’d heard almost exactly the same thing from him during previous adventures to Bukit Tengah and Bukit Mencol, so perhaps I should have known what was coming.

The road gradually turned into dirt.

Then came the potholes.

Then the incline.

Then an increasingly uncomfortable cliff beside us.

At certain points, the road became so steep that Mikhael had to get off the motorbike so I could get enough momentum to climb.

Braking too hard on the loose dirt wasn’t exactly an option either.

“Is this a road meant for humans?” I remember asking.

Apparently, according to Google Maps, yes.

Somehow, we survived.

Eventually, after what felt much longer than it probably was, we saw asphalt again.

I’ve rarely been that happy to see a normal road.

Welcome to Nawakerti

Soon after, we were greeted by a gate that read:

Welcome to Nawakerti Campground.

We had made it.

Or so we thought.

We stopped beneath one of the enormous pine trees to rest. After the hot and slightly terrifying ride up, the cooler air felt incredible.

The forest was quiet and beautifully green, with tall pine trees stretching above us. I remember spotting one particular tree whose leaves had turned yellowish brown. Against all the surrounding greenery, it almost looked like a tiny piece of autumn had somehow found its way to Bali.

There was just one problem.

We couldn’t find the place we’d actually come to see.

We walked around, took some photos, looked in different directions, and tried to figure out where people usually camped.

Eventually, a local man rode past on his motorbike and stopped to ask us in Balinese where we were from.

“Denpasar,” Mikhael replied.

Then he asked the question we probably should have asked someone much earlier.

“May we know where people usually camp around here?”

The man explained that we needed to go back down and turn before the archway.

We thanked him, turned around, followed his directions, and finally found what we’d been looking for.

And suddenly, the ridiculous road felt a little more worth it.

The Pine Forest We Were Looking For

The campground was simple.

There were no elaborate facilities, cafés, ticket counters, or carefully designed photo spots. At the time of our visit, there weren’t even toilets or trash cans.

There were simply pine trees, cool mountain air, open space, and silence.

And I think that simplicity was exactly what made it beautiful.

Back then, visiting and camping at Nawakerti was still free. Because the area felt relatively untouched, I remember hoping that anyone who discovered it after us would treat it with the same respect.

If you brought food, you brought your rubbish home.

If you came to enjoy nature, you left it the way you found it.

Nothing complicated.

Just the basic responsibility that comes with being allowed into somewhere beautiful.

Looking Back at This Trip

Reading my original story again years later makes me laugh.

There was the apple in my pocket.

Mikhael surviving on coffee candy.

Google Maps casually sending us onto a road where my passenger had to repeatedly get off the motorbike just so we could continue climbing.

And the fact that after all of that, we still needed to ask a local person where the actual campground was.

But I also miss trips like this.

There was something exciting about going somewhere without knowing exactly what we’d find. We weren’t thinking about whether a place would make good content, whether it was trending, or how efficiently we could fit several destinations into one day.

We were simply curious.

So we went.

Maybe that’s why this particular trip stayed somewhere in my memory all these years.

Of course, places change. The Nawakerti I visited back then may not look exactly the same today, and I wouldn’t recommend relying on these old directions without checking the current road conditions first.

But that’s also why I enjoy returning to stories from my archives.

They’re not necessarily guides to the places as they exist today.

They’re snapshots of what those places were like when I happened to be there.

And this one happens to be a snapshot of two friends, one motorbike, one questionable Google Maps route, an apple, and a pine forest somewhere in Karangasem that we were determined to find.

Somehow, we did.