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| Garden Villa at Kamandalu Resort & Spa near Ubud - because you're worth it! |
How can I not adore this place - a beautiful location next to paddy fields, amazing service, with my own garden day-bed and an outdoor rainshower!
Kamandalu Resort & Spa could seriously screw your sightseeing plans, whether you like it or not.
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| Really enjoying the day-bed. The outdoor rainshower is on the left with the adjoining bathroom with no curtains. Oops! |
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| Really nice room :) |
Once, while going for a short morning trek among the paddy fields, I even saw those white herons which catapulted the adjacent Petulu village to fame - if only my camera had at least 20X optical zoom, I would have been able to snap some decent photos of them shy birds ;) Oh, and not to mention the naked villagers I saw bathing in the streams, haha :)
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| Paddy field trekking. Beware of naked villagers bathing in the streams! |
Guided by my hungry stomach, I managed to pry myself out of my garden villa and into a cafe-lounge in central Ubud.
Ubud is of course the artistic centre of Bali. Handicrafts, paintings, sculptures made of wood or stone - everything from visual arts to performing arts - they're all here. And if you're pressed for time, there is always Ubud Market, a one-stop shopping extravaganza. Shop till you drop during the day and when the shops close, watch all the dance performances to your hearts content. Very convenient if you ask me. In fact I did exactly that :)
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| The symbol of power at Puri Saren Agung, the residence of the Balinese royal family in central Ubud. Smile! |
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| Not much space to venture into as you're only allowed to wander in the courtyard :( |
Depending on where they are held, most shows start around 7.30 pm including at the centrally located Ubud Palace. Different venues showcase different dances and these change every night, so search the net for an updated
dance schedule before you go barging in ;)
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| Legong dance at Ubud Palace. Shake your bon-bon.. or maybe not. |
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| Kecak dance at Pura Dalem Ubud starts at 8 pm. |
The next morning, I got myself a little side trip to see
Pura Taman Ayun, the temple complex for Balinese royalty at Mengwi famous for its multitiered
meru before moving on to another great spot, Tanah Lot.
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| Pura Taman Ayun at Mengwi - tall, taller, tallest! |
The
Pan Pacific Nirwana Resort at Tanah Lot was specifically chosen because it was one of the few hotels open for business on Hari Raya Nyepi. That is, open but still respecting the rules of Nyepi - no lighting fires, no working, no entertainment, no travelling. Nyepi is the Balinese Hindu day of silence, fasting and meditation. If I am going to be stuck in a hotel for the whole day, why not make it a good hotel, eh? Well, apart from feeling treated second rate to white tourists, it's not that bad considering the superb location. The hotel also offered a free shuttle bus to see an
ogoh-ogoh procession at a nearby village but there was a thunderstorm that night so I'd rather not go.
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| Pan Pacific Nirwana Tanah Lot - stand at the edge and let the breeze take your mind off things... |
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| The room looks nice but the floor is curiously wet all the time :( |
A visit to
Pura Tanah Lot is ever-tempting to say the least. The temple is believed to be built by the 15th century priest Nirartha and is one of the 7 sea temples around the Balinese coast. Perched on top of a tiny rock formation, it was definitely a wonderful sight. I got there a bit late in the morning so the place was already swarming with tourists. On top of that, I didn't get to take photos of the temple at sunset despite a 2-night stay at Tanah Lot, which would be awesome (I blame the rain). Oh well, maybe next time :(
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| Tanah Lot temple swarmed by visitors, local and foreign alike. |
That's all for my personally enlightening week-long island excursion, folks! Since this trip was supposed to be a mind-soothing getaway from work and everyday stresses, I wasn't really bothered to see the tourist-strewn beaches of Kuta and Jimbaran, nor was I excited about the bopping club beats at KuDeTa and the likes this time round, although I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be back, haha :)
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