Bali Temple Tour

I signed up with a tour from Ubud to see a few temples among other things. Sometimes one can get into overload with these tours and this one did it for me. By the end of the day, I am unable to remember much about any of these temples, not that our driver offered up information. He just drove.

First stop was Goa Gajah, the elephant temple, dubbed for the carving over the mouth of the entry cave. Those carvings are now thought to be demons maybe to ward off evil spirits. This temple was built in the eleventh century, I think.

Check me out in my sorong.

Next stop is known as the rock temple. Its defining features are the three huge rock carvings as well as some very primitive outlines carved in mossy green boulders. A bridge leads across a waterway with a small waterfall to a temple complex with a few grass-topped pavilions the same shape as many in Ubud back yards. It was a very nice hike down between a couple rice paddies and a heart thumping walk back up all those steps.

Rice paddies at the rock temple

Before going on to another temple we stopped at a local coffee plantation. They say it is the best in Bali as they plied us with samples. All of us chose coconut coffee as the number one choice with ginger coffee following close behind. We saw the plants, peeled a few of the berries and were given a small demonstration of the roasting process. Then we were taken to the shop...of course!

Back to the temples, this time Pura Tirtha Empul which has pools that are said to have healing properties. I suspect most of the bathers were escaping the heat. Around the pools there was a blue stone walkway that I found more interesting than the pools themselves. I dodged bathers and circled around to the temples themselves. Much more interesting were the pavilions and statues, more plentiful and ornate than those viewed earlier. Once again I am taken by the animals with the exaggerated expressions.

At Pura Tirtha Empul

At Pura Tirtha Empul

The grandest temple on the tour was Puru Ulan Bator. This one is huge, walled in and looked to be of the same type of structures as the prior temples. I did not pay to go in. Instead I took photos of the outside. The statues there were colorful and very different. 

At Ulan Batur

At Ulan Batur

We were then taken to a famous rice terrace view, or so the driver said. As usual, there is a charge for driving up to do no more than gawk and take photos.

The rice terraces

Finally our day tour was done and what do we do...we get together and sucker some taxi driver into taking us to the Tonah Lot Temple on the west coast of Bali in hopes of catching a nice sunset. I am now officially templed out.

Tonah Lot