Bali
is located at the western most end of lesser Sunda island of Indonesia between
Java and Lombok. Denpasar is the capital of Bali and is predominantly Hindu
dominated province of Indonesia. About 83% population of Bali consists of
Hindus while Muslims, Christians and Buddhists constitute the rest. Over the
years Bali has emerged as one of the major tourist destinations not only of
Asia but of the world. It has been rated
amongst the top tourist destinations by many agencies including TripAdvisor. Today,
80 percent of the business income of Bali comes from tourism.
Climate
and Best time to visit: The island has a fairly even climate
throughout the year with an average temperature around 30 degrees. While Bali
could be visited any time of the year, July-August and December-January are
generally considered to be high season when number of tourists visiting Bali
rises significantly and there is hike in hotel and villa prices.
We
planned to visit Bali immediately after Diwali festival on 21st of
November 2017. End of November was just start of the high season.
Ethnicity:
Hindus
comprise 83.5% of Balinese population followed by 13.4% Muslims, 2.5% Buddhists
and 0.5% other ethnic group.
Gourmet: Bali has good variety of
vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods. Typical and most famous of Balinese food
include Pisang goreng (desert made of fried banana), Mie goring (fried
noodles), Nasi goring (fried rice with egg n veggies), Sate (mashed chicken
blended with spice), baby Guling (suckling pig), bebek betutu (smoked duck) and
Gado gado (mixed salad with tofu, beans, eggs etc). Besides, Bali has array of
sea food being a popular beach tourist place. One can get Indian, Chinese and
continental foods also in Bali.
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| Bebek betutu |
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| Pisang gorung |
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| Baby guling |
Stay
Options: Bali has diversified stay options ranging from luxurious
hotels and resorts, villas , budget hotels and home stay. Depending upon ones budget,
one can go for any of these options. If you are reasonably well placed
financially, my advise would be to go for a 4 star hotel and try atleast a couple
of days in a villa with independent pool.
Dos
and Donts : a) Be careful while money changing. You will find
money changers every 50 to 100 meters and each showing different exchange rates
some of which are tempting. Some of these money changers are not recognised and
are good in the art of cheating. Since you get millions of Indonesian rupee in
exchange of your currency, they hypnotise you with some kind of card game while
counting and dupe 50-100 dollars easily. They will make you believe that the count
is correct but when you go back to your hotels and count it again, there will
be shortfall. Better go for a recognised money changing outlets like Western
Union even if the exchange rate is less than what is offered at these petty
money changers. b) While hiring a taxi service, do use your bargaining skills
to get a better price. c) Don’t walk in bikinis on streets but you can wear
bikinis on beaches even if it’s the skimpiest one. d) Respect local culture and
wear appropriately while entering a temple. e) Tipping is welcome.
Sightseeing: Temple
Tanah Lot is one of the most famous and must see temples in Bali. It is about 45 minutes by car north west of the main southern tourist areas of Kuta, Legian and Seminiyak and is enroute for those heading towards west of Bali. From Ubud it can reached in about 30 to 40 minutes by car. A taxi from Kuta charges about 300,000 Indonesian Rupee and could be brought down using one’s bargaining skills.
The word of “Tanah” means isle and “Lot” means sea, so Tanah Lot means small island floating on sea . The location dates back to Megalithic period and the structure of Tanah Lot Temple is built at irregular reef plain. Inside the actual temple compound are tiered shrines that follow the fundamental elements of Balinese design where the number of levels constructed are symbolic to the complexities of the faith. There are other formations within the area that indicate that the site is not only of great religious importance, but also maintains archaeological value. The temple is located on a rock just offshore. It is said to be the work of revered 15th century Hindu priest Nirartha and forms an important element of Balinese spiritualism and mythology.
Tanah Lot is an extremely popular tourist destination and a must see in Bali and therefore it is busy and crowded especially in the evening when tourists numbers soars to witness the famous sunset. The approach road to the temple area has a lot of souvenir shops selling just about every Balinese trinket imaginable. The area has sufficient parking space available for a parking fee of 5000 Indonesian Rupee.
At low tide visitors can walk to the base of Tanah Lot. The temple on top is closed for visitors. However, for a small donation you can be blessed and taste the holy water at the base of the temple and also take pictures with the priest. The area is a photographer’s delight especially the sunset.
Tanah Lot is one of the most famous and must see temples in Bali. It is about 45 minutes by car north west of the main southern tourist areas of Kuta, Legian and Seminiyak and is enroute for those heading towards west of Bali. From Ubud it can reached in about 30 to 40 minutes by car. A taxi from Kuta charges about 300,000 Indonesian Rupee and could be brought down using one’s bargaining skills.
The word of “Tanah” means isle and “Lot” means sea, so Tanah Lot means small island floating on sea . The location dates back to Megalithic period and the structure of Tanah Lot Temple is built at irregular reef plain. Inside the actual temple compound are tiered shrines that follow the fundamental elements of Balinese design where the number of levels constructed are symbolic to the complexities of the faith. There are other formations within the area that indicate that the site is not only of great religious importance, but also maintains archaeological value. The temple is located on a rock just offshore. It is said to be the work of revered 15th century Hindu priest Nirartha and forms an important element of Balinese spiritualism and mythology.
Tanah Lot is an extremely popular tourist destination and a must see in Bali and therefore it is busy and crowded especially in the evening when tourists numbers soars to witness the famous sunset. The approach road to the temple area has a lot of souvenir shops selling just about every Balinese trinket imaginable. The area has sufficient parking space available for a parking fee of 5000 Indonesian Rupee.
At low tide visitors can walk to the base of Tanah Lot. The temple on top is closed for visitors. However, for a small donation you can be blessed and taste the holy water at the base of the temple and also take pictures with the priest. The area is a photographer’s delight especially the sunset.
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| Sunset at Tanah Lot |
a)
Batuan
temple : is located on
the main road to Ubud and is the oldest temple in Bali. It was founded in the year 1020 AD. The temple is based on the
philosophy of “tri murty” consisting of three temples namely Desa or village
temple as a place of worship of Brahma-the creator , Pusehthe temple to worship
Lord Vishnu –the preserver and Dalem-The temple to worship Shiva-the destroyer.
At temple parking area,
there is an ancient building called Wantilan, which is used as a meeting hall
and to practice any kind of Balinese dances. Before one enters the temple one
has to wrap around a ‘kamben’ (a traditional Balinese costume). It is a must
for you to wear ‘Balinese kamben’ to show your respect and honour about the
holiness of “Puseh Temple of Batuan Village”. It’s all free, however, the local
people expect every tourist who visited to this temple can donate in any amount
of money to support the maintenance of the temple. There is provided a simple
donation box. Every donation that you give should be based on a sense of
sincerity, where Balinese people know it is called “medana punia”.
There are many stunning ancient relics from prehistoric times in the
temple and plenty of ancient and unique
statues. Based on a number of statues found in this Puseh Temple, it can be
grouped into several types. They are Dwarapala Statue, Embodiment Statue, Animal
Statues, The Status Figure of Holding the Chicken, Phallus, Demons (Time), and
many more.
c c) Uluwatu
Uluwatu
temple is must see temple next only to Tanah Lot. ‘Ulu’ means top and ‘watu’
means rock. Locally the temple is known as Pura Luhur Uluwatu. The temple is
located on a cliff top and is surrounded by forests which are home to grey long
tailes macaques. The temple offers a
great view of the surf break and the sunset . The temple is also famous for the
kecak dance performance during the evening.. Several archaeological
remains found here dates this temple to 10th century. Its primarily
a Shiva temple but Balinese Hindus believe that the three divine powers of
Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, become one here. Visitors have to wear a sarong here
just like many other temples in Bali. Uluwatu beach below the cliff is one of
the world famous surfing spots.
There
are no public transport available to reach here and one has to arrange private
vehicle or hire a taxi. Beware of monkeys here, who are trained pickpockets and
specifically trained to snatch cameras and sunglasses.
d) Besaikh. Besaikh
temple is known as Bali’s mother temple for over 1000 years and is considered
the holiest of all the temples . The temple complex comprises about 85 temples
which include the main Pura Penataran Agung –the great temple . Besaikh temple
is located on the south western slope of Mount Agung –the active volcano that
erupted recently. The temple is a world heritage site. The temple complex is
dedicated to the trinity-Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh.Early
morning is the best time to visit when its is less crowded. Wearing sarong is a
must . Hiring a guide is also recommended to understand the history and
religious importance of the temple. Good place for photography. Only bad thing
about the place is forced donations , forced selling and lot of cheats and
touts in the area.
