Wanderlust

Is Bali all about partying and cheap shopping? For me, its about experiencing the unique Balinese culture. We visited a thousand year old temple called Gunung Kawi (Temple on the Mountain of Poets). Located in the outskirts of Ubud, an area not yet burdened by thousands of tourists, you still have to run the transport gauntlet – you will need a driver who knows where to go. And be prepared for the weather. Just as we arrived, the heavens opened, as they often do up here in the mountains. Even the chickens and cats joined us sheltering under a verandah as rain flooded the sky and lightning split the air. A Balinese woman popped her head around the corner. "You need umbrella?" she asked. We politely declined, preferring to wait out the rain and avoid the inevitable haggle over price.

You might not need an umbrella, but you will need to rent a traditional sarong to enter the temple, which costs less than a dollar. If you choose to visit this temple, you’ll need to be prepared to walk down over 270 steps. However, you will pass some intriguing small market stalls, selling everything from Coca-Cola to hand crafted cow skulls. On either side of the pathway, the view will be extraordinary, luscious green jungle and rice fields, which was so different to the Australian bush.

We went meandering down the stone steps and came to an unexpected stop when a group of teenage Javanese schoolgirls were giggling and clearly wanted us to stop. We realized they wanted a photo with my 15 year-old (very handsome!) brother. He was beyond embarrassed; I on the other hand loved it. I pushed him into the group of girls to make sure they got the perfect shot. My brother couldn’t get away quick enough.

Continuing our walk down the steps, the landscape was dramatically changing. With more stone surrounding us, and I could hear a river rushing in the distance. We reached the first of the rock carvings in the side of the hill that form the temple. Towering over us, there were four “candis”-which refers to the abode of Candika, the Hindu Goddess of Death. Spanning both sides of the river busily burbling below us, the locals consider the water of the Pakerisan River to be holy. The trees cascade over the sides of the ravine, perfectly framing the constantly flowing river. After taking in the enormity and history of the temple, we began the daunting climb back up the 270 steps, closer to the heavens above, but away from the heaven below.