Bali: The Island Of A Thousand Temples

Close your eyes.  What images come to mind when you hear the word “Bali?”  Volcanoes, white sand beaches, coral reefs, Hindu temples, tiered rice paddies, forests full of monkeys? We had 3 weeks left in southeast Asia and couldn’t decide where to go as a final hoorah.  My sister wanted to come visit and suggested that we meet in Bali.  Immediately all those images came flooding to my mind.  We are in!  I had been hoping during our travel adventure to have an extended stay near a beach.  We hadn’t done that yet, and now was the chance to fulfill my dream of working on my laptop with waves crashing in the background.  Unfortunately, I need really fast, consistent internet and dual monitors to be able to perform my data-intensive job, so a remote villa on the beach wasn’t in the cards.  Although we had to stay in the major city/touristy area, we did end up in this really cute villa with an outdoor living space and a pool! 

I was so excited to be able to work in my bikini and jump in the pool whenever I wanted.  But, one reality quickly reared its ugly head that we hadn’t given much thought…in an outdoor living space in Bali, there will be bugs and other critters.  Every evening after the sun went down, our villa turned into the wild kingdom with little geckos gathering on our walls near the lights to catch all the bugs that flew their way.

I was relieved that the geckos were trying to keep our living quarters free from insects.  And I was quite impressed watching one of the geckos successfully catch a moth.  However, when the half-eaten body of the moth landed near me while I was on a late-night conference call, I was a little creeped out.  Luckily, I didn’t scream when I saw a hairy black spider come out from underneath our rug to claim the moth remains.  Finally, I actually got a little chuckle when about 30 min later, I realized that the spider had left behind a single leg/antenna of the moth, and a parade of ants were triumphantly carrying it off.  Thank goodness our bedrooms and bathrooms were enclosed, so I could sleep and shower in peace.  Staying in a Balinese villa with an outdoor kitchen and living room was a unique experience but not quite the fairytale that I thought it would be.  However, Bali itself was a true paradise.   My words can’t even do it justice, so this will be more of a photo blog with brief descriptions to give you a bit of background about Bali.

Day Trip #1 – Ubud and Central Bali

Goa Gajah, or Elephant Cave, was built in the 9^th century and has a mix of both Hindu and Buddhist elements amongst a gorgeously landscaped temple grounds.

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is a research and conservation center as well as a Hindu temple.  Of course, anything involving up-close and personal interaction with monkeys also becomes a huge tourist attraction.  Over 600 Balinese long-tailed monkeys, or macaques, live in this small area. The monkeys are very comfortable around people and are well-known for jumping on people to grab food, snagging cameras, and opening up backpacks.

The lotus pond at Saraswati temple in Ubud has carvings honoring the goddess of wisdom and the arts.  This peaceful spot had a lovely café where we enjoyed a traditional Balinese snack, pisang gorang (fried banana with coconut and palm syrup).

Babi Guling, or roast suckling pig, is quite possibly the most famous Bali dish, so we had to try it.  We went to a restaurant in Ubud named Ibu Oka recommended by, of course, our favorite foodie, Anthony Bourdain.  We had Babi Guling twice and learned that the key is to go earlier in the day as the whole pig is roasted early in the morning so the earlier you eat, the fresher the meat.

Day Trip #2 – Beaches: Nusa Dua in daytime and Seminyak in the evening

Nusa Dua is a beautiful stretch of white sand beach on the southside of the island.  We enjoyed an afternoon lounging on the beach and swimming in the waves with a breathtaking view of Geger Temple.  And for the first time since leaving Germany, I was pleasantly surprised to find a Radler.

That evening we headed to Potato Head Beach Club to enjoy some Balinese cuisine and the sunset over Seminyak beach.  The flavor profiles reminded us of Thai cuisine, as those of you who follow our blog already know, we absolutely loved.  We tried a couple traditional dishes like the Gado Gado salad (garden vegetables tossed in a peanut sauce with garlic crackers and egg), lamb satay, and the bebek goreng (fried duck).  We were impressed with every dish and agreed this was one of our favorite meals in Bali.

Day Trip #3 – Jatiluwih Rice Terraces and Pura Tanah Lot

Jatiluwih is one of the most beautiful of the Bali rice terraces and has been named an UNESCO World Heritage Site because it maintains local heritage by using the traditional irrigation system, Subak, which follows the ancient philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (the philosophy of harmony between man and his neighbor, man and nature, as well as human and The Creator).  We had a lovely Balinese lunch overlooking the fields and then spent the afternoon hiking around the extensive network of terraces to take in more of the beautiful views.

Pura Tanah Lot is an ancient Hindu shrine on a rocky outcropping on the west coast of Bali.  Popular for its beautiful sunset views, we headed there to check it out after our hike through the rice terraces.

Batu Bolong is another Hindu temple on a rocky outcropping just a short walk north through the manicured temple grounds.

Of course, we can never pass up on an opportunity to try a traditional snack, so we bought some jaja klepon (palm sugar-filled gelatinous rice balls rolled in grated coconut) from an elderly Indonesian woman who seemed very excited that we wanted to try her special treats.

Day Trip #4 – Volcanoes, waterfalls, temples and coffee

My sister, Steph, and brother-in-law, Kyle, along with two friends, Sarah and Phil, arrived in Bali for our second weekend. We were so excited to share this beautiful island adventure with them and saved some of the best of Bali to explore on a long day trip virtually covering the entire island.

Our first stop on the mega island tour was a Hindu water temple called Pura Gunung Kawi.  Don’t the guys look dashing in their beautiful skirts!

We learned about the traditional coffee making process at a local plantation and sampled local teas and coffees, including the famous Kopi Luwak (civet cat poo coffee).  The tea flavors were quite unique such as mangosteen, ginger, lemongrass, saffron, and rose petal.

Mount Batur is an active volcano with the lava flow from the 1968 eruption still visible along the southwest side, and we got to eat lunch on the edge of the caldera to appreciate the sleeping giant!

Sekumpul waterfall is actually a group of seven waterfalls surrounded by lush, green jungle with the tallest being about 80m.  The hike down to the base (and back up) was quite difficult with hundreds of stairs but totally worth it to feel the unbelievable power of the water crashing to the valley below.

Quite an exhausting day but not done yet…we still had one more famous temple to visit on the shore of Lake Bratan, Ulun Pura Batur, which is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage site as the core of all water temples and paramount in the Subak irrigation landscape. The temple grounds were re-built in 1926 after the volcanic eruption in which only the most important shrine survived, the 11-tiered meru dedicated to the goddess of lakes and rivers built in 1633.

Day Trip #5 – Snorkeling Nusa Pineda coral reefs

After a full day touring by land, our next day was a bit more relaxing touring Bali by sea.  We took a boat to Nusa Pineda, an island southeast of Bali, to snorkel the beautiful coral reefs in search of Manta rays and exotic fish.  The excursion did not disappoint as we all got to see quite a few Manta rays as well as fish we have never seen on previous snorkeling experiences.

 

Bali was a whirlwind adventure. Up next, the whole crew took off together to Cambodia to learn about ancient civilizations and a new culture.