18/05/2017
Sanur, Bali, Indonesia
I'm leaving Bali today and headed to Singapore. Here are just a few additional highlight of the trip and activities I highly recommend.
10/05/2017
Tegalalang Rice Terrace
Batur Region is located in the northeast region of Bali. Mount Batur is an active volcano that last erupted in 2000. There is very little vegetation on and surrounding the mountain as most is covered by volcanic rock. At the bottom of Mount Batur on the southwest side sits Lake Batur with another large mountain, Mount Abang, just across the Lake.
Pura Tirtha Empul
The water temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. A mountain natural spring feeds a few pools one of which is a long rectangular pool lined with ten water spouts on one side of the pool. The spring is considered holy and spouts are individually passed through in order to perform a purification ritual.
A Hindu tale describes a battle between a powerful magical king Mayadenawa and the god Indra that led to the formation of the spring.
Pura Gunung Kawi
The area is home to 9 large shrines carved into two rock walls. The shrines are called Pedharmon and are funeral monuments dedicate to King Anak Wungsu and his favorite queens.
Vesak Holiday Processions
As we drove from one shrine to the next traffic came to a halt a few time so large groups of Balinese could pass, making their way to local temples. They were celebrating the holiday Vesak which is observed by Buddhist marking birth of prince Sddhartha Gautama.
Kopi Luwak Coffee farm
The small farm or garden walks you through a path that displays all the native fruit and herb plants on the island. Some of the fruits and herbs included coffee berries, vanilla, echinacea, Durian fruit, avocado, rosellea, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon, all used as ingredients for various products sold on the island. At the end of the walk, samples of tea and coffee featuring these ingredients were provided for tasting. The highlight of the tour was the Luwak coffee made from digested coffee beans found in the faces of civets.
14/05/2017
A trek up to the peak of Mount Agung to see the sunrise was quite spectacular. The hike began at 2 a.m. and was a strenuous 3-4 hour climb to see the sunrise at 6 a.m. Mount Agung is also an active volcano that last erupted in 1963.
15/05/2017
Sanur- a lazy sleepy beach town on the eastern coast of Bali where I swam in the ocean and enjoyed reading a book under and beach umbrella on a lounge.
Next stop, Singapore.
