Bali
One thing I didn’t realize about Bali is that it’s huge! I ended up booking lodging right on the beach in Kuta and every night got front row seats to some of the most spectacular sunsets I’ve seen. With the thin layer of water from the sea going out it creates a reflective layer that amplifies the color and highlights everything in a magenta cast. Between the surfers and the spectators that are out there it’s an amazing backdrop. I couldn’t take enough pictures.
Since I only had limited time and I wanted to see as much as I could, I started by going under the water and scuba diving out at Nusa. it was an awesome dive site with heaps of fish and beautiful coral. The next 2 days I wanted to cover a lot of ground so I hired a driver to take me around. We headed up from Kuta to the Kintamani Volcano and on the way stopped off at the Besakih Temple, which is the largest Hindu Temple in Bali and has several different levels that overlook the country side. It’s quite magnificent. Once we finally made it to the volcano, the clouds had lifted and I was able to eat lunch overlooking this massive mountain and lake. Talk about a view.
The next day I took the morning to explore Ubud, was a beautiful town so I can see how people would want to move there and make it their home…or second home. I even went to the monkey forest, played with the monkeys and had flash backs of Japan….but it was a lot warmer. To add to my animal fascination I had my driver take me to the Elephant Safari Park. I lucked out and one of the elephants had just had a baby about 3 months ago and he was out playing in the water when I got there. Talk about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!! (I kept wanting to call him Dumbo.) I could have spent all day playing with these massively beautiful animals, but we had to make it through the rice fields and to Tanah Lot in time for the sunset. I was fortunate to cover most of the fantastic island and highly recommend it!
