A year has gone by, distance learning in full swing,
For teachers and students, nothing changed, not a thing,
The same old routine and all through zoom,
Humans in the tiny squares, sitting in a decorated room.
Scratched my head, to me it was all a big surprise,
Am I to teach Social and English through this digital device?
Reading, grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension,
Population, civilization, and help in their concentration?
Working finger to the bone, are my colleagues, with all the information,
Science with its experiments and math with calculations,
Computers and their applications, Physics and its variations,
Finally, Hindi and Kannada, the languages which need perfection.
Busy as a bee we are, in the same boat, aiming to do it all,
We’re in the hands of a juggler, just like a colourful juggling ball,
The truly smart ones are the children you see,
They push your buttons, act and play online, even watch grand Prix.
Log in to the class, visible to us, is the backgrounds children select,
Vivid, hazy, bright, and flamboyant, just like an Architect,
Waiting to show their skills, and with enthusiasm to share,
Their moments of fun, good things, and even their hair.
Excuses galore, unending, we get to hear every time,
When class starts, one begins and the other follows in a rhyme,
Cameras are switched off, or their view becomes blurred,
Voices go faint, and their mikes get completely muted.
Ma’am‘, I can’t hear you, Your voice is breaking”,
“Can you please repeat that, I wasn’t listening”,
“I left my book in the other room, can I go bring it?
Sure enough, they run, who knows, they can come back in another outfit.
“I am finding it hard”, “Ma’am, my network is bad”,
“Power is out”, “Cannot access, I’m using an Ipad”,
“Camera out Ma’am”, “In our vehicle, going to see granddad”,
Why is it so? When questioned, they blame it on dad.
Their Antics are hilarious, always brings a smile,
As teachers, with patience, we take it all in a stride,
Little ones in the digital world, exhausted and drained,
Innocence and purity lost, eyes and fingers strained.
The Challenges we all face has made us more resilient,
To stay strong and move mountains, with all the commitment,
We will finish what has begun and will sail through together,
“We shall overcome” words so apt, is the need of the hour.
“It is just a walk in the park”, was my previous opinion.
Now, Online Teaching, hands down, is not a joke, is my true confession.
Situated at around 20-25 minutes' drive from the central Ubud district, Tegallalang Rice terraces is famous for its scenic and photogenic views. The area has become one of the most sought-after tourist destinations around Ubud and many tourists who are visiting Kintamani stop to witness the beauty and serenity of the verdant terraced rice fields.
While planning my Bali itinerary, I had kept half a day to explore the beautiful rice terraces. While reading up on the travel portals about the places to visit, most of them highlighted how a trip to Bali would be incomplete without venturing into these rice terraces. We did have our reservations about visiting this place with a toddler but went ahead.
Note: If you are visiting this place with a toddler it would be tough to explore the entire area. We had to stop beyond a point as the slopes were very steep and extremely challenging and risky to be negotiated with a kid. We made a mistake by not taking our baby carrier, though I feel even with that it is risky.
Drive from Ubud to Tegallalang rice terraces
The Tegallalang rice terraces is a 30-minutes drive from Ubud. You can either hire a self-drive car or a Taxi or rent one of the bikes to reach this place. Since we had booked our vehicle through the resort, we had a guide to help us explore the entire Island. We started at around 9 Am after having our breakfast from Nusa Dua and it took us a good 2 hours to reach the rice terraces at Tegallalang.
The greenery all around is so pleasing to the eyes. We had a perfect day with clear blue skies to visit the rice terraces.
Parking is a major problem at this place as the roads are narrow and one can hardly find any parking spot. Our driver dropped us at the entrance of the rice terraces and had to park his vehicle almost a kilometer down the road.
Tips:
After reaching the Rice Terraces
The area/ road where the entrance of the rice terrace is located is pretty commercialized. Locals have understood that they can make good business as there are many hungry and thirsty tourists coming back from the trek
The hike just started – notice the wooden bridge in the backdrop, one has to cross to explore the fields. Took the photo just before crossing the wooden bridge. Notice the steep slopes that we had to walk down before crossing the bridge.
Me crossing the wooden bridge with the kiddo – really missed the baby carrier. I had to be extremely slow and careful!!!
The small refreshment stall that you can find during the hike.
You will find rows and rows of eating joints where you can grab something to eat and drink. Even while trekking inside the rice terraces, there are small outlets set up by the locals where you can grab refreshments and quick bites. There is no entry fee for the rice terraces and it is up to you to “tip” locals. As you enter the rice terraces, keep following the signs which direct you through the hiking trail. The slopes are challenging to negotiate and do not have railings. It is best advised to walk through slowly and cautiously as help is not that easy to get in case of any misadventure. There is a wooden bridge inside the farm which is maintained by the locals, and it is good practice to give a small donation – to keep the bridge functional.
Finally, the rice terraces started to appear. up close among the rice terrace slopes.
The climb gets steeper as you go deeper into the farms…
The steps do not have any railing and as you can see can become challenging while coming down… ensure that you do not miss your footing while coming down these steep slopes.
You can pay whatever you wish, but our guide mentioned that it is usually 5,000 IDR per person. Do carry a good amount of change before you venture into the farms, as you cannot expect change for higher denominations. You can also get photos taken with the villagers and try out their hats and equipment – again you need to be generous with your tips!!
The view of from the other side – notice all the pubs that have come up at the entrance. A perfect spot to grab a cool refreshment and gaze at the rice slopes.
Another shot of the trails that take you deep into the fields.
Reached the vantage point and beyond this, the slopes were very steep and tough to navigate with the little kid. We decided to call it a day and get back.
The way back was tiring as we had to come down the steep slopes. Was a bit concerned about the little one whom I was carrying? It was a slow walk back to the entrance. Took this photo after an hour of hiking back to the entrance.
The visit to the rice terraces in Bali was a unique experience as I have never seen anything of this in the past. You will need around half a day to explore the entire terrace in detail. I will recommend this place to everyone who is travelling to Bali.
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