Indonesia – Bali

May 8, 2019

Bali in the off-season: beaches, rain, hindu temples and moon ceremonies

**ROUTE:**
1. From the airport by taxi to **Kuta** (20 min)
2. By bus to Denpasar + shuttle to **Ubud** (20 km total, but traffic jams)
3. On a scooter to the temple of **Pura Batur** (far away on a scooter)
4. By mini-bus to **Amed** (78 km around 1.5h)
*Amed neighborhood on a scooter*
By taxi to Kusamba (about an hour), from there by ferry to the island of **Nusa Penida** (20 min)
Nusa Penida – Sanur (Sanur) on the ferry
(40 min), from there take a taxi to Kuta

**BUDGET:**
25.4 € per person per day
15 days
end of march 2019
useful information – prices, and more, at the end of the article

After the Philippines we decided to visit Bali. Why Bali? Well, Denpasar, the capital, is a big airport hub, and it’s simple and cheap to fly to and from different places, especially to New Zealand, where we were going afterwards.

Bali has only 2 seasons: dry (from May to October) and wet (from November to April). Without really realizing it, we arrived at the end of the rainy season. But I think we are very lucky, because in the dry season Bali is just overflowing with tourists! Even outside the season, we stood at the airport passport control for more than an hour, and it was at 12 at night!

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!

In the airport
Russian menus in the first bar – Behind Wout

After spending the night in Kuta, the nearest town to the airport, we went to the city of Ubud, as it turned out, this is just a “mecca” of tourism. In Denpasar itself, there’s not much to do, and Ubud is just half an hour away, and it is much more comfortable to stay at. The city is very conveniently located, and by renting a moped you can explore a large part of the island. Disadvantages, well, overcrowded, and far from the sea and beaches.

Traditional house in Bali
at the entrance is a corner dedicated to the deceased relatives
Housing in Ubud is very comfortable and cheap (out of season at least)

The city met us with rains in the afternoon, and in the morning there was an opportunity to visit something. But we still got quite wet.

One of the attractions of Ubud – rice plantations. You can visit them for free, a very beautiful place, the space is large, so there is enough space for everyone. However, while traveling on a scooter, we saw many more plantations, where there were no tourists at all.

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!

The main religion in Bali is Hinduism, unlike the rest of Indonesia, where Islam is preached. Temples can be found at every step, Balinese are very religious people, and their lives are filled with traditions, superstitions and ceremonies. For our first visit, we chose the Temple of Gunung Kawi, built in the 11th century.

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!

Raaaaain
Rice paddies on the temple grounds
Ladies not allowed…
One of the main elements of Hindu temples in Bali is the gateway or ‘candi bentar’.
Women holding a mini ceremony

The weather in late March is very changeable, from rain to sun and back, so be sure to have a raincoat or an umbrella with you.

Ceremonies in temples in Bali take place quite often, and it’s really worth seeing. We were lucky to arrive at the holiday of the solstice and the full moon, which is held once a year. To watch the ceremony, we went to one of the most important temples in Bali – Pura Batur, with a stunning view of the lake and the active volcano Batur.

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!

To enter any temple in Bali, both women and men must wear a sarong – like a long skirt. We had shawls with us, but the locals said they were too short, and we need to buy shawls longer, up to the ankles.

The ceremony was very colorful, happy and lucky the weather. Although we did not understand what comes through and why, it was very curious to watch what was happening. I was especially impressed by the music that literally drives you into a trance.

Families often dress the same
A dance to drive off evil spirits
Everyone gathers to receive blessings from the priests, and to stick rice on their foreheads
Gifts to the gods

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!

What this is and where they’re bringing it to… no idea
Women parading with gifts to the gods

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!

After touring Ubud, we went to the small town of Amed, in the northeast of Bali. It is mainly popular with diving enthusiasts for its famous American freighter US Liberty, which sank in 1942 next to the shore because of a Japanese torpedo.

The beaches in Amed are black volcanic, and the water is opaque, but this one has its own charm. We really liked the city, quiet and small, not loaded with boutiques and excursions for tourists like Ubud. We met nice people. After renting the scooter, we enjoyed the wild and beautiful nature. And of course snorkeling and diving!

The wreck dive was awesome, and we did our first night dive here as well with a strong current.

Beach full of fishing boats
Making magic 🙂
Oh dear!
Fishermen preparing their nets
Agung volcano
Our dive instructors at La Bila dive resort
We were impressed by such a professional and personal approach!

The dives with La Bila in Amed

Not far from Amed is one of the most photographed temples in Bali – Pura Lempuyang. It is famous for its gates, and local photographers who, using a special reflective piece of plastic, make mirrored photos. The queue for the photo is huge, so we decided not to lose our time, photoshop it later, and climb the mountain to other temples, which is not at all popular with tourists, as it’s a long hike. We counted 1800 steps … and honestly, the view from above was not worth it, but it was the challenge that counts! 🙂

Queue for that one special photo

At the 1000th step
When will they end, these steps!
Temple on the way up
Still people there on our way back…
By the way, the gate can be approached from two sides,
only not everyone knows about it)))
But you might get some interference 😀
The sacred Banyan tree with roots in mid-air (because of the humidity)
At the top we were met by monkeys
And garbage, lots of garbage on the way up

Garbage is a sore point in Bali. People quietly throw garbage out into the street, and such sights do not surprise anyone. Plastic for single use all the time. At best, the garbage is burned, or sooner or later it ends up in the sea 🙁

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!

In the neighbourhood of Amed

On the way to the ferry to the island of Nusa Penida, our driver brought us to the water palace Tirta Gangga, which was previously the royal residence.

The picture below is a 360 photo, click and drag to look around, scroll to zoom!