Gunung Kawi ~ The Valley of Kings 17 Nov 2016

Our second destination – Gunung Kawi is not far away from Pura Tirta Empul as both also in the small village of Tampaksiring.

It is about 18km northeast of Ubud lies the Pakerisan Valley, a lush area also known as the "Valley of Kings".

It is here in this valley that the impressive pre-Hindu site of Gunung Kawi which spreads across either side of the Pakerisan River. This ancient temple complex dates back to the 11th century and it really is like taking a step back in time.

Yandi drove the car to a small parking area for Gunung Kawi.

After we went down from the car, we saw there are several local stalls and small shops here selling the usual Balinese souvenirs like wood carvings, paintings and sarongs.

From the entrance to Gunung Kawi it's a rather steep climb down some 270 steps to reach the actual site itself.

Luckily the pathway leads past some stunning scenery, and taking a break overlooking terraced rice fields is almost worth the trip alone.

We do like the rice terrace so much! It is just like next to us, and I like the rice terrace here more than the one we saw at Tegallalang.

The stairway continues to lead down to the river and at one point cuts through an embankment of solid rock.

The main attraction at Gunung Kawi are the 10 candi or shrines that are cut out of the rock face.

The term candi refers to the abode of Candika, Goddess of Death, and companion of Lord Siva.

The rock-carved candis are unique to Bali and are unknown elsewhere in the world, making Gunung Kawi a particularly special place to visit.

It is also interesting to note that contrary to what is often believed, candis are not tombs as they have never contained human remains or ashes.

Each statue stands in an 8m high sheltered recess cut into the cliff face, almost resembling a doorway.

The candis of Gunung Kawi are believed to be constructed in the 11th century (1080 AD) by king Anak Wungsu in honor of his father, the great Balinese ruler Udayana.

Legend has it that the monuments were carved out of the rock face in just one night by the mighty Kebo Iwa, a mythical giant who possessed supernatural strength.

The holy Pakersian River flows through the centre of Gunung Kawi cutting the site into two separate sections with a bridge to connect one side to the other.

Four smaller candis can be found on one side of the river, five larger candis are located on the other side, and there's also a remote tenth candi set further back from the others that few visitors know about.

I only knew it after we comeback from Bali that there is another 10th.

Behind the small temple you can find several meditation caves, where monks and pilgrims came together to meditate.

We did go in and see the caves as it is a bit creepy when only Daddy and myself were there. We were allowed to go into the temple and have a closer look as well.

At the back of the temple, there is a place where women and men are preparing the food or feast during the big ceremony being held in the temple.

In Balinese Hinduism, water that has passed over a candi (or shrines) is transformed into holy water, therefore making the water from the Pakrisan River very special indeed.

I can feel the place itself is so sacred for the villagers, and may be it is because it is at the high mountain place and secluded surrounded by the forest around, made this place really serene and peace, with the sounds of the river flowing through both side of the hill.

We felt that it is a good choice that we managed to come and visit this Gunung Kawi, seeing the candi itself is a great thing as we are amazed how these candis being carved out from the surface of the rocks.

Bali is really another kind of wonders which open my eyes and mind on how great is the ancient people towards their faith and so can I!

Pura Tirta Empul 17 Nov 2016

We woke up at about 8:00am, and we would check-out Jati 3 Bungalows & Spa and leaving Ubud to Denpasar.

We had our breakfast as usual for last 3 days. Our driver Yandi would be come and pick us up at 10:00am.

Our first destination is Pura Tirta Empul, most commonly referred to as the water temple for those visiting Ubud.

It is one of the top attractions to visit in the area, although most people just stop for a few photos before heading out, and some come for the purifying bathing ritual.

Pura Tirta Empul is a Hindu temple famous for it’s holy spring waters. It was founded in 926 AD and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu.

There are a few legends surrounding this temple, the most popular telling of a magical king named Mayadenawa and his battle against the god Indra.

Mayadenawa began using his powers for dark magic so Indra and his army came to stop him.

Catching wind of this plan, Mayadenawa created a poisoned pool while Indra’s army slept, and when Indra awoke the next morning he discovered his men sick and dying from drinking the fouled water.

Indra struck the ground with his staff changing the pool into the sacred healing waters that now flow into Pura Tirta Empul temple.

It is one of the most holy temples in Bali and locals and tourists alike flock to the grounds to bathe in the magical healing waters.

The temple is made out of three main sections; front yard, central yard, and inner yard.

The healing pools are also divided into three areas, each with a variety of different fountains. But it’s not just a free-for-all.

If you want to complete the ritual property there is a set course to follow; fountains to use and fountains to avoid.

We went through a garden before we arriving the temple, and after a walk, we finally reached to the famous temple.

This was the first time that we actually can able to enter a temple and walk nearer to it. There was a praying session on going.

I felt that I was so lucky that able to go nearer.

Then we came to a pool which the water is flowing in from the ground. I guess that is the legendary sacred healing waters.

The water from this pool flows into the sprout which attract people here for the ritual.

There is a koi pond at the other side of the temple. It is where the small café just beside the temple for the visitors for have some snacks and rest. And, a souvenir stall nearby too.

We left about 11.30am for our next destination – Gunung Kawi Temple which is nearby around.

Pura Tanah Lot 16 Nov 2016

After the Pura Taman Ayun, we went for our second destination – Pura Tanah Lot. It took us about an hour to reach there.

We felt a bit hungry and we asked our driver Yandi to stop somewhere to have a light meal.

On our way, we saw a stall at the roadside selling Babi Guling. We felt as we would like to try some. So, we just had our meals.

This was the first time we officially trying the Babi Guling. It is the combination of crispy pork skins, pork sausages, pork meats cooked in spices, blanched kangkong and eat together with the white rice. The chili sauce or sambal really spicy. We like it!

We passed by a village and we noticed that there were men and women bringing their children in their best praying dress and attires to attend the special ritual ceremony in the village temple.

That made the journey a bit slow and the road jammed a bit due to that.

At around 3.30pm we arrived at Tanah Lot. After we got our entrance ticket, we walked down a busy street lined with restaurants and souvenir vendors, towards the ocean.

There is a saying that one has not consider visited Bali without visiting Tanah Lot, this showed that how this temple placed a significant spiritual role or spot in Bali.

Propped proudly amidst the crashing waves was a remarkable rock formation, home to the famous pilgrimage temple, Pura Tanah Lot (meaning “Land in the Sea”).  It is believed to date back to the 16^th century.

The temple forms an integral part of Balinese mythology and is one of the seven sea temples around the Balinese coast.

Each of the sea temples was established within a direct line of sight of the next to form a chain along the south-western seaboard.

During high tide the rock formation is completely surrounded by water, making it a photographer’s dream location.

It was low tide when we arrived, as we can see many visitors were flooding here, and many of them were from China.

Priests were at the temple to bless those who gave a donation for a good cause.

We refrained from taking a closer look and opted to walk to the nearby lookout rock, which offered picturesque panoramic views of Tanah Lot.

Our sunset tour wasn’t quite as expected. We arrived at Tanah Lot ahead of schedule around 3.30pm and sunset wasn’t going to occur until at least 6pm. We just sitting at the garden facing the Indian Ocean and enjoy the breeze.

We had no desire to spend more hours waiting for sunset with tired children, so we skipped this glorious sight, but we love to return and see it another time.

After a long day, the drive home was the perfect opportunity to take a little nap, which also happens to be the best part about organised tour transport.

Once you have taken your fill of activity and sightseeing you can sit back and relax while someone else takes care of driving and navigation.

We reached our hotel around 7.00pm. It took almost 2 hours!

We were really tired, we took our bath, and walked out for our dinner again.

This time around, we choose to dine at one of the open restaurant and I forgot the restaurant name again. It is actually with the hotel or villa stay at the back of the hotel.

As usual, Annabelle’s all time favourite Pizza, Issac’s would be having burger, Green Curry with steamed rice for myself and Daddy was having a Bee Hoon Soup. And, that sums up our day.

Pura Taman Ayun 16 Nov 2016

After our free and easy walking tour the day before, we woke up early as usual and had our complementary breakfast from Jati 3 Bungalows & Spa.

After which, we were relaxing, watching TV, reading in our room while waiting for our afternoon half day trip to Pura Taman Ayun & Pura Tanah Lot.

We went to Pissari Bali Café for our light meal.

Pissari Bali Café is a bit unique in the sense of its kitchen and toilets are designed, as such is in the centre of the restaurant.

There is a front dining area which facing the main Jalan Monkey Forest and the back dining area which is facing the rice paddy fields, and we can see the ‘dirty ducks’ around.

It is really a relaxing sight and place to be.

We ordered 3 water Rp.27,000, 1 Pizza Margarita Rp.50,000 and 1 Nasi Goreng Rp.30,000. Both pizza and nasi goreng were delicious and tasted great. Total bill plus 10% tax is Rp.117,700. Considered quite reasonable.

After our light meal, we went back to our hotel and we already saw our driver was waiting for us in the hotel. His name is Yandi.

We started our journey at 1.00pm to our first destination – Taman Ayun Temple or Pura Taman Ayun.

The full name of the temple, in the Balinese language, is "Pura Taman Ayun", which translates as "Garden Temple in the Water".

It is surrounded by a narrow and artificial moat, which is planted with the lotus flowers significant in several Eastern religions.

It is also surrounded more distantly by a river, on an island within which it was built.

The temple is entered through a traditional Balinese split gate.

Gates of this design are common in temples in Bali.

It is traditionally believed that if an evil spirit attempts to enter the temple by passing between the two halves of the gate, they will come together and crush the invading spirit.

The journey took around 40 minutes and we were arriving Taman Ayun Temple.

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 is surrounded by beautiful streams and the area really made one feel peaceful!

Every entrance design of the Bali's temple are almost the same…

After the main entrance, there was a big green field. On the right end of the field, there was a tower.

The purpose of the tower is to call everybody to gather together whenever there's a ceremony by the temple.

We came to a small hut beside the temple, it was some kind of souvenir shop or art workshop of the Temple.

Many paintings were displayed and all for sale. There is an artist was working on a painting at the hut.

We were attracted by this Barong. Barong is the Good Spirit in Balinese Hinduism.

The Barong was made with the natural plants and ingredients using red beans, soya beans, black beans, paddy stalks, etc.

The artist whom made or created the Barong is brilliant!

After that, we were continue our walk in a narrow path towards the temple itself. We were not allowed to enter as usual, but we were allowed to walk around the temple.

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.

The tour spend about an hour and we continue to our second destination of the day – Pura Tanah Lot.

We left about 2.45pm.