An air ticket to Bali, Indonesia is what I gifted myself after a decade of working away from home. Sometimes, an escape from my second home is all I ever wanted to stay away from the repetitions.
I arrived early in the morning and decided to take a rest for the day. At dusk, I took a walk at the beach and witnessed the sunset at the Legian Beach. The sea was very calm and like the others, I sat there with a coconut that is not sweet.
The next day was a whole day tour which started at the Nusa Dua Water Blow. The tide was not yet high when we reached there and sad to say, I did not see what I was waiting for, the huge waves crashing against the limestone that produces a massive water surge.
Since the itinerary was already arranged and I don’t want to miss a single thing, I did not wait for the water to rise higher and decided to come back again since it is not very far from the city.
Nusa Dua is about to celebrate their festival of light and there was an ongoing preparation in the park near the sea. It was an attraction that portrayed lights, in many forms, including a fire works display at night.
Our next destination was Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, a 250 hectares of land which is currently being developed to preserve and showcase their culture and arts. Every 30 minutes, there is a scheduled performance in their open theater and it’s already included in the admission cost.
GWK is also famous for its gigantic statues. At the moment, there is an ongoing construction of Vishnu riding at the back of a garuda bird which will become the world’s tallest statue once completed.
Next to that was Dream Land Beach, a favorite place for those who love surfing. It is a long stretch of white sand beach hidden behind limestone cliffs.
As I walked towards the beach, I heard the angry sound of the water. The current was strong and the waves were unbelievably high, perfect for those who love to play with water and glide.
From here, we passed by Padang Padang Beach. It is also best for surfing and swimming, but we only looked at it from the top as we were rushing to catch the sunset at the Uluwatu Temple.
The Uluwatu Temple is panoramic in every side, a magnificent sight that I thought I’d only see in movies. Watching the waves rushing to the shore from above creates a peaceful and calm state within me. It literally silent me in a minute, that’s real!
While the sun goes down, a traditional dance, chant and music drama called Kecak is performed in a mini amphitheater on top of that cliff.
After the performance, I decided to go home and skip the scheduled dinner at the Jimbaran. Been out the whole day with 99% of humidity, I strongly felt the need to take a shower.
My next day journey started at the famous Bali Swing. Although there are so many versions of swing around Ubud, I find this place better and organized.
As I entered, I was ushered around and was brought to a hut where they had given me 14 different types of coffee and tea for free. In case you would like the coffee or tea, they have a shop which will assist and provide your orders.
What is unique in this place are the stunts that the staff do while you enjoy the swing. If you allow, they can join you in the swing and they will perform heart-stopping movements as the swing moves back and forth.
When you talk about Bali, a photo in this nest came as one of the most instagrammable posts around Bali. I did not miss this, and you shouldn’t.
Next on the trail is Tagalalang Rice Terraces. Though beautiful, I was not very amazed with the scenery as the Philippines has this, but to be fair, this angle looked like a postcard to me. They also have their own version of the swing and the nest with the famous I love Bali signboards. I sat here for quite a while, in a restaurant, overlooking the spot, watching tourist walked to the upper portion where a hut and another swing is located. At my side were tourists who brought their drones and trying to get a good capture of the land.
Moving towards Bali Zoo, we passed by a silver and jewelry shop which I completed in 5 minutes as I’m not a fond of. I was excited for the real batik shop, but was saddened in realizing that it was already closed. I was not able to buy the skirt that I really wanted to have.
It was not Christmas, but a herd of tamed deer welcomed visitors who are entering the zoo. They will be especially delighted if you buy food and feed them.
More animals are caged inside the zoo and shows are there on time slots.
An orangutan which is only found in Malaysia and Indonesia is definitely an attention-catcher. It showed an open hand gesture showing that it is asking something from people.
The next day was a bit gloomy because the sky was dark. It drizzled as we were on our way, quite risky in reaching the famous Mother Temple which was situated on a higher ground.
Besakih Temple is more than 1000 years ago and comprises of least 86 temples. Totally different from a tourist purpose of visiting, locals usually come here for pilgrimage. I saw many locals climbing the stairs to reach the temple and performed their rituals and offerings inside. There were many temples where tourist were not allowed to enter as locals were praying.
The temple is surrounded with greens and the famous Mt. Agong is visible from there, but since the sky was cloudy, I was not able to witness its beauty.
Bali Safari and Marine Park was my next destination. I expected a lot from here, but that was not attained because we arrived in the afternoon and most of the scheduled shows were over.
I hopped on the second to the last double decker safari ride and witnessed the wild.
The theme park showcased safari in 3 parts, though this is still an ongoing thing. It will take you to the habitats of India, Africa and Indonesia.
After the safari, everyone rushed to the animal show. Many different trained animals like birds, monkeys, cats and more came to the stage and performed their talents.
Next to that was the elephant show which encouraged people on the conservation of nature and animals especially the elephants in Indonesia.
The elephants were very talented that they knew how to portray death, pain and revenge.
At the end of the show, the elephants awarded the volunteers by putting a garland around their neck.
As a marine park, they also displayed a lot of marine creatures including the dreadful piranha. They actually have a piranha feeding session, which I again missed.
Tanah Lot Temple was my last day’s destination and I was welcomed by this view when I arrived, but this is not the temple yet.
Walking towards the temple gives you a good sight as the angle that your eyes capture changes.
This is the temple from afar. At high tide, the water fills around the area. I arrived at the right time when the tide is about to go high yet.
Devotees passed on the side of the rock to reach the temple.
While the other side of the temple is also a captivating view.
The splashing waves are also an attraction to every visitor.
As noticed, more people gathered here and watched the waves as they break and hit the rocks.
Many thought of Bali as a paradise, well, you say so. What makes it an ideal place to visit is its diversity. For those who love the mountains and fields, Bali is endowed with lushes of greens on its mountains that are open and accessible to climbers. While those who love the oceans, its marine wildlife is so diverse and rich that even surfers are enticed to hitch a wave ride and glide.
