Nov 2018
The third week saw mom and me fly across the Indian ocean for a week long holiday in Bali. For me it was a much needed break from sandy Dubai and also gave mummy a few days break from the hot/ cold weather swings that the Doon valley was experiencing. Bali and Borobudur had intrigued me for many years and despite no visa restrictions for Indians sadly I had never been able to travel and explore these two Indonesian islands. A colleague was holidaying in Bali around Aug- Sep when the earthquake had struck. Fortunately she was safe and regaled us with stories that helped encourage the shift from holiday planning to actual trip materializing. Incidentally in June 2018, Mount Augung had erupted and another friend's holiday plans had been shelved.
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| Paddy fields - Ubud, Bali |
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| Beach at Seminyak |
Oberoi hotels were quick to confirm that their hotel in Seminyak/ Kuta was very much safe and welcoming visitors. Their hotel in Lombok was however still under repair in the aftermath of the quake. Choosing the Oberoi was not only because the hotel had great access to the beach and is known for hospitality- it was also because mummy is vegetarian and the Oberoi team would go all out to cater to her - which they did much to her delight. As we were arriving on different flights I knew they'd look after her well after her long journey. The Oberoi hotel is approx. 30 mins away from the Denpasar international airport in Bali.
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| Mumsy at Changi Airport Orchid garden |
Singapore airlines Delhi to Denpasar despite a long layover at Changi, Singapore (an airport that's been almost a transit home for me on a number of occasions) did not disappoint and mummy loved flying with them. I reached the hotel almost 06 - 08 hours after mum's arrival and she had been totally pampered by then (including photo sessions)! Emirates flies directly to Bali from Dubai. While air travel saves you time, as an Indian, you slowly learn to appreciate the vastness of your own country - displayed in flight path when you see time taken to cross post entry at Gujarat and exit after Andaman Islands!
Bali has a unique link to Hinduism and this reflects in their culture, mythology, rituals, cuisine, music, arts/ crafts/ sculpture and architecture. The island has large statues from Ramayan and Mahabharata and almost every house has a Ganpati /Vinayak / Vighneshwar statue (elephant god) Incidentally the Oberoi hotel is actually built on sacred ground and am sure this added an element of serenity and benediction. November is a great time to visit as it's not monsoon season, the island is still quite green, flowers are in bloom and the tourists throng only December onward. Bali overall is a tad expensive compared to other south east Asian tourist hot spots but the locals are very friendly and happy to assist. They have strict rules about entry to temples and offerings so do read up before you go.
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| My favourite parking spot at the hotel |
In our 5 day stay we did our best to see and experience as much as possible. We did drop a few items from our itinerary that feature on majority of the tourist to do lists. One reason for deselecting was traffic versus available time (sadly Bali succumbed to traffic woes). Someday I'd love to do the trek to Mount Batur (an active volcano). This had erupted in 1968 when my maternal grand dad was supposed to fly in for an official visit that eventually had to be scrapped. We did get to see the rich black lava soil on it's slopes and enjoy the scenic view of the lake close by in the town of Kintamani on the Island. We also skipped the coral reefs, underwater walks, dip in volcanic sulphur waters and the shopping in Ubud.
Day 01 was spent at the hotel - recovery from jet lag and general pampering.
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| Batik on cotton |
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| Batik Painting on silk |
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| Weaving the silk |
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| Silver workshop |
Day 02 saw us explore the crafts workshops in the artisan village (batik and metal/ jewellery, followed by a visit to Kintamani to see the Mount Batur and then onward to Besakih temple dedicated to the mother goddess (east Bali).
The route is scenic through the forests and it felt similar to doon valley on some stretches. We skipped Ubud and Goya Gaja temple due to traffic woes. The overall tour took us around 7 hours including meals and rest room breaks.
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| Lake near Mount Batur |
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| Mount Batur and it's caldera |
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| Our Guide - Mr. Dharma |
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| Mum with her beloved selfie stick |
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| Fresh fruit at Kintamani Village |
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| View from the higher hills overlooking Kintamani |
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| Country roads |
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| The woods are lovely dark and deep |
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| Active Batur volcano and it's lake |
On the way, we passed by the Culture village - each dedicated to painting, leather crafts, wood work, metal art/ craft etc. Dinner was at the hotel - delicious food eaten while listening to the waves and the local musicians.
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| Besakhi Temple |
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| Steep stairs |
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| The path to view the deity |
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| Start from left to circle the temple |
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| Each shrine in the temple complex has a different crown |
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| View as we climb |
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| Entry to a side shrine |
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| Wooden wind chimes at the top |
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| View of the temple from the Shop |
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| Climbing simply |
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| Some more steps |
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| A pagoda like spire |
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| Ganpati Bappa Morya |
Besakhi temple has a lot of stairs to climb so not advisable if you are not too fit or have old people with challenges in climbing. A sarong / skirt is advised - you can also tie your scarf like a wrap around - do ensure your shoulders are covered at all times.
Day 03 was a very long and activity intense one for us but we loved this one. It started with a visit to temple Taman ayun (Towering tiers with water features in Ubud), followed by Ulun Danu temple in Bratan lake (caldera of Mount Bratan on the western highlands) with its beautiful gardens, the vast Bali botanical gardens (orchid, cacti and teak/ sal forests) and sunset at Tanha lot temple dedicated to God of sea Varun (west Bali).
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| Taman Ayun |
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| Main complex |
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| Towering spires |
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| Mom poses |
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| Beautiful garden |
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| Frangipani in bloom |
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| Guardians |
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| Guardians |
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| Barong dance - made with lentils and cereals |
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| Garden at the entrance |
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| Step in to serenity |
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| Fountain next to the entrance centre |
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| Temple with water feature (similar to Angkor) |
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| Entry gate to the complex |
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| Fishing! |
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| T n Coffee sampling |
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| With Key |
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| At Bratan Lake |
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| Walking towards the complex |
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| Ganpati blesses us again |
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| Inside the complex |
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| Temple of the lake |
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| Beautiful blooms |
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| Photo op |
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| A place to walk and picnic |
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| Flower power |
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| Meditating at Bratan |
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| I love these greens |
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| Yeh dil mange more |
We stopped impromptu to visit a spice garden which featured Bali and Civet coffee among other items. This took us almost 08 hours - we thoroughly enjoyed all places and am tempted to just spend half a day at the Botanical gardens and the lake temple on my next visit. We had a mini lunch picnic near a koi pond. I'll cover those pictures in another post.
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| The rolling hills |
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| View of Bratan lake |
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| Tanha Lot Temple |
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| Rock formation near Tanha Lot |
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| Sunset |
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| Sunset starts |
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| My fav pic |
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| Sun bids adieu |
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| See the waves |
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| See the wave of humanity |
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| Faith versus the elements |
Day 04 was dedicated to visiting Garudawisnu (towering statues, mayan like pyramid amidst limestone cliffs, souvenirs and theatrical performances - featuring Barong dance - all inclusive in the ticket which includes a free soft drink; also you get an amazing view of the city), eating snapper at Jimbaran bay (musicians show up uninvited while the boats bob in the surf) and Uluwatu temple (we did an afternoon visit and skipped the dance performance).
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| The Aztec like pyramid with Garuda in the background |
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| Dance performance |
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| Dedicated to kite flying |
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| City panorama |
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| Uluwatu - temple on the cliff |
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| Spot the holy monk |
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| The bay near Uluwatu temple |
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| So much deep H2O |
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| Monkeys are revered |
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| Jimbaran |
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| Garudawisnu watches over Jimbaran |
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| Clean Beach n green waters |
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| Sight for sore eyes - love the colours |
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| A boat ride anyone? |
We also saw barong dance on the streets twice - there were some ceremonial processions much to our delight though if I had a flight to catch my reaction would have been different. We were able to complete this trip at a much unhurried pace and took only around 06 hours. In the market close to the hotel, we saw signboards that direct one to Tsunami evacuation emergency sites.
In addition, the hotel had also organised a dance performance (scenes from Ramayan) performed by village children that are supported under the Hotel's CSR initiative. They had singers and local musicians available from evening till dinner around the cafe premises.
Much to our relief the tectonic plates and waves behaved themselves and we had a safe and peaceful trip.
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| And we journey on.... |
Mornings were spent enjoying the tranquility that accompanies a sunrise and breakfast at the beach. Evenings were spent back at hotel enjoying the sunset and post dinner sitting by the sea listening to the waves, watching stars and seeing the lights of the ships anchored in the vicinity. Mummy was happy with her Indian vegetarian fare and I relished the seafood on offer! I look forward to the day I can visit again - see the places I could not, revisit some I liked and if nothing vegetate on the clean beaches of beautiful Bali.
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| M takes a pause |
