We were lucky that our private, full-day cultural tours were led by a very knowledgeable local guide, who explained to us the Hindu traditions, ceremonies, and beliefs as we visited sacred temples, mountain villages, and local markets.
Day 55, Wednesday, October 30: Labuan Bajo – Ubud
This morning, at 10, we took off from Labuan Bajo on Flores island – on Batik Air – toward Bali. On Denpasar’s airport we met our guide, Wendy, and our driver, and we were driven to our hotel in Ubud, the Maya Ubud Resort & Spa.
But first we stopped at a local post office in Sanur to mail Steve’s ballot for the presidential elections. It was slow service, but in the end, they understood that we wanted to send the letter only in the simplest way (not registered and not as a packet).
On our way to Ubud, we noticed that the streets were basically open-air markets. There were “stores” everywhere selling food, furniture, wooden carvings, doors, plants, stone statues, and many more things. And, there were all those wires!
Around 2 pm, we arrived in our hotel. Took a discovery walk around the resort and attended the afternoon tea offered for the guests.
Then the rain came. From our room we witnessed, how in the courtyard, below our balcony, the beautifully designed dining settings were destroyed by the rain.
Day 56, Thursday, October 31: Ubud
Today, we had our first private, full-day tour to visit famous sites. We were driven to the east side of Ubud, to Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave), a Hindu meditation center built in the 11th century. We entered the cave to see the altars and statues, and marveled at the old stone carvings.
The site also had beautiful gardens and scenic walkways through the lush greenery.
The weather was hot and humid, which made the visiting often not very pleasant. Thanks to the nature of the private tour, when back in the car, we were greeted with a refreshing small towel and cold water.
From Elephant Cave we went to Tampak Siring to see the holy spring water temple, Tirta Empul. Many Balinese believe that the water has magical power to purify from sins and to heal diseases. In order to enter the temple, we had to wear a sarong (traditional Indonesian skirt) over our clothing.
Outside Ubud we visited a small coffee, tea, and cocoa plantation where we tasted many wonderful teas and coffees (even though we aren’t coffee drinkers).
Next was viewing the magnificent panorama of the still active Mountain Batur volcano, which last erupted in 1917, destroying many villages.
We had our lunch on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the volcano.
After lunch, we visited the Tegalalang village area. Here we saw the beautiful rice fields, or –more precisely – rice terraces, which made Bali famous.
And the day’s activities were not over yet. Last summer, on the Caribbean island of Saint Kitts, we discovered a beautiful resort, the Bellemont Farm, which was designed by Bill Bensley, hotel interior and landscape designer, who creates unique places. I knew that one of his projects was right here, in Ubud, and I wanted to visit it very much. Our guide said, no problem, we can do it. The luxury tented retreat, Capella Ubud, had 22 tents hidden in the jungle, and we even got to see the interior of one of them.
We ended the day with a wonderful dinner outdoors (in the courtyard that we could see from our room) and attended a Balinese performance, the “Ramayana” dance, a famous Hindu epic, in the amphitheater of the resort.
Day 57, Friday, November 1: Ubud
After breakfast, around 9, today’s private, full-day tour started with a short visit to a local wood carving store.
Then came the long drive to the Besakih Temple (the Mother Temple) on the slopes of Mountain Agung, in eastern Bali. This is the biggest, most important, and the holiest Hindu temple in the country.
It’s basically a complex of 23 separate but related temples. It takes a long time to see everything. Lots of stairs, lots of walking, and peeking into the prayer area (tourists are not allowed to enter unless they are going to pray). Here we also had to wear a sarong in order to walk through the temple grounds.
Lunch in a local restaurant overlooking some nice rice terraces.
Back in Ubud for a short sightseeing of Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung), a historical building with impressive architecture and ornate decorations.
The streets were also beautifully decorated in preparation for the New Moon celebrations.
Finally, we visited the local market near the palace.
Back in the hotel we were ready for some relaxation and preparations for next day’s departure from this unique island.
Day 58, Saturday, November 2: Ubud – Auckland
Once again, we met Wendy and our driver, this time at 7:30 am, for our drive to Bali’s international airport in Denpasar. At 11:30, we were flying on Jetstar to Auckland, New Zealand, via Melbourne, Australia.
Fortunately, we could take all of our carry-ons into the aircraft. Besides the inconvenience that in Melbourne we had a 3-hour layover and it was an overnight flight, we were ready for new adventures in a different country.
At the airport in Denpasar, as we said our goodbyes, Wendy, a very sympathetic and polite Balinese man, surprised us with a hug! I guess, despite cultural differences a hug can be a demonstration of mutual affection and respect. Thank you, Wendy, for taking good care of us. We will remember our time in Bali forever – the hectic streets, the traffic, the hospitality and friendliness of the people, the unique culture and wildlife, the incredible food, the hot weather and humidity; everything!
