Bali, Indonesia is a favorite international tourist destination. I hadn't planned a lot for this trip - as this was supposed to be mostly a beach trip with limited locations to visit (I was wrong !) . Indonesia was also an easy destination with no visa requirement for Indians. Also since we were flying out of Kolkata, there were convenient and cheap air options to Bali.
@ Kolkata NSCBI Airport
Day 1 (22 Nov 2016) - We flew out of the Kolkata airport with Air Asia. The flight landed in Kuala Lumpur airport at around 7 in the morning local time (a 4 hrs flight). There was a three hour layover. Our flight from Kulala Lampur reached Denpasar Bali Airport around 1:35 p.m local time and we took the hotel cab. I exchanged $500 to local currency at the airport (unaware of how much cash will be needed) - this is probably not a good idea, as you will get much better exchange rates at other places including the hotels where there are money changers.
Approaching Bali
Denpasar Ngurah Rai International Airport
Nasi Goreng for lunch @ Seminyak Kitchen
Bali Street View - Statue of Ghatotkach
We were staying at Courtyard Seminyak by Marriott near the Seminyak beach during the first half our six day stay which was close to the Seminyak beach - a favorite spot with young tourists. The Marriott property is new and has plenty of indoor options for kids and adults. The hotel is not beach facing, but has shuttle service to a beach club and is only a five minute walk from the Seminyak beach. I will strongly recommend taking the breakfast option at Marriott.
Day 2 (23Nov 2016):
Day 2 Travel Plan
We had a packed schedule for the day. We took a car from the hotel concierge for a 10 hour day trip. The cost was 1MM IDR (~ 75 USD). Our driver, Bobby was fairly knowledgeable about the various tourist spots. We started our day at 8:30 a.m and our first stop was for the local "Barong Dance" that was a local tale of good vs evil. The show attracts lots of western tourists. Its a 1 hour show from 9:30-10:30 in the morning and gives a rich view of local Indonesian folk lore.The entrance fee was 40K IDR per person.
The next spot was Ubud Monkey Forest. Ubud is a central province of Bali and noted for its green nature reserves and Hindu temple complexes. The temples in the forest are apparently constructed around 1350. Monkeys are considered sacred animals in Bali for their role in helping Hindu god Ram in vanquishing Ravan. This forest area has hundreds of monleys. The monkeys are well behaved but one should be careful if carrying food/ water etc. Its a nice walk through the well maintained green forest with plenty of photo ops. You can feed the monkeys bananas too. The entrance fee was 40K IDR per person.
After that we visited the Ubud Royal Palace - the outer courtyards are open to visitors and the royal family still lives in the inner sanctums. There is no entrance fee here.
As we headed north we stopped by the picturesque rice terraces of Tegalalang. One can trek in these rice terraces. It is one of the Ubud attractions.
The next stop was Kintamani near Mount Batur. Mount Batur is one of the active volcanoes in the Bali Island. The mountain is by Lake Batur, and is popular for sunrise hikes. However November is the start of the wet season in Bali - and clear sunrises are hard to predict. We reached a restaurant during lunch time in Kintamani from which there was a clear view of Mount Batur and the Lake. It started raining heavily while we were there and the mountain top got quickly enveloped in dark clouds.
Amidst the torrential rains we headed towards Besakih temple (locally known as Pura Besakih). Besakih is the mother temple complex in Bali and is considered the most sacred of the temples. We had to take a detour due to the heavy rains and road blocks. You need to rent a sarong to enter the temple complex. Also a guide is needed - the temple complex is like a maze and the guide helps in navigating through it and providing some history of the place. It cost us around 250K IDR for entrance+sarongs+ guide.
As we headed back to Seminyak we saw the Klungkun Palace.It had been a long but enriching day - as we soaked in the local cultures and traditions of Bali. If you noted - we didn't visit any of the beaches the first day although this was supposed to be a beach vacation !
Day 3 (24 Nov 2016): Beach Day at Seminyak
Sea, Sand and Sun summarized the day. The morning was well spent at the beach club.
And the sunset views were spectacular too.
Day 5 (25 Nov 2016): We had three of the most picturesque temple to cover. We started off with the Tamun Ayun Temple, also known as the Royal Temple.
Below from http://www.bali-indonesia.com/attractions/taman-ayun-temple.htm
Taman Ayun Temple is a landmark in the village of Mengwi, Badung regency, located 17km northwest of Denpasar. This temple complex boasts magnificent traditional architectural features throughout its courtyards and enclosures as well as expansive garden landscapes comprised of lotus and fish ponds. The temple was built circa 1634 by the then ruler of the Mengwi kingdom, Tjokerda Sakti Blambangan, with Chinese architectural inspirations, and underwent a significant restoration project in 1937. Towering tiers from the temple shrines make up most of the profile of Taman Ayun and are a gesture of the people of Mengwi’s reverence to their deified noble ancestors, for the temple complex is considered the ‘mother temple’ of Mengwi. The Taman Ayun Temple was to serve as a main site of worship among the Mengwi people who need not travel too far to the main large temples, the likes of the Besakih ‘mother temple’ in Karangasem, Batukaru Temple in Tabanan, or Batur Temple in Kintamani. It also served as a unifying symbol among the Mengwi royalty and the people.
From here we had a 2 hour drive to the beautiful Ulu Danu Bratan temple, which is situated on the shores of Lake Bratan. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, or Pura Bratan, is a major Shivaite and water temple on Bali, Indonesia. The temple complex is located on the shores of Lake Bratan in the mountains near Bedugul. Water temples serve the entire region in the outflow area; downstream there are many smaller water temples that are specific to each irrigation association (subak).
Built in 1633, this temple is used for offerings ceremony to the Balinese water, lake and river goddess Dewi Danu, due to the importance of Lake Bratan as a main source of irrigation in central Bali. The 11 stories of pelinggih meru dedicated for Shiva and his consort Parvathi. Buddha statue also present inside this temple.
Lake Bratan is known as the Lake of Holy Mountain due to the fertility of this area. Located 1200 m above sea level, it has a cold tropical climate.
We visited the Tanah Lot Temple next. The weather had turned for the worse and it had started to rain heavily. Tanah Lot is a rock formation off the Indonesian island of Bali. It is home to the pilgrimage temple Pura Tanah Lot (literally "Tanah Lot temple"), a popular tourist and cultural icon for photography.
We checked in at Grand Hyatt Nusa Dua that evening. This is the south eastern coast of the island. Its a beautiful sprawling resort amidst plenty of greenery. The resort is beachfront and is great for leisure.
Day 5 (26 Nov 2016): We had planned this day to see some of the most picturesque beaches of Bali. The Nusa Dua beach, where we were staying is good for swimming, but doesn't have a lot of waves. There are several resorts by the beach and is a great place to watch the morning sunrise. We saw several beaches during the day including the Pandawa bach, Dreamland beach and Padang Padang Beach.
We planned to watch the sunset from the Uluwatu Temple. Uluwatu is a Balinese Sea temple. The temple (pura in Balinese) is built at the edge (ulu) of a 70 meter high cliff or rock (watu) projecting into the sea.]In folklore, this rock is said to be part of Dewi Danu's petrified barque.
Though a small temple was claimed to have existed earlier, the structure was significantly expanded by a Javanese sage, Empu Kuturan in the 11th Century. Another sage from East Java, Dang Hyang Nirartha is credited for constructing the padmasana shrines and it is said that he attained moksha here, an event called ngeluhur ("to go up") locally. This has resulted in the temple's epithet Luhur.
There is a dance performance in the temple complex that narrates the Sita abduction story from Ramayana. Spectacular views of sun set can be seen here along with the dance show.
Day 6 (27 Nov 2016): We spent the whole day in the Nusa Dua beach. The white sands and the turquoise sea makes this an ideal vacation spot.
The first spot of the day was Chimney Rock. Its a great place for a hike, with beautiful views of Lake Lear and surrounding mountains. There is a 75 floor elevation hike to the highest point (Exclamation Point) - thats good for some calorie burning. I also did a second hike to the Hickory Nut Falls.
I headed next to Asheville. I was staying in the Mountaineer Inn - a low budget, but decent motel for a couple of days of stay.
