The Island Of Thousand Temples

Bali, not only famous for its breathtaking view of rice-terraces and sandy beaches overlooking the Indian Ocean, but its unique cultural attraction has always been the main reason for travellers to explore the island so full of myths. Lying just eight degrees South of the Equator, Bali is one of the 13,677-odd islands that make up the great Indonesian archipelago. Just 5632 sq. km. in area, it is barely the size of the State of Delaware. Nevertheless, renowned for its outstanding natural beauty and being home to a unique and vibrant culture, Bali’s reputation as an island paradise far exceeds its small physical size. Although Indonesia declares Islam as its dominant religion, Bali however is the only state of Indonesia that devotes Hinduism largely covering almost 90% of the island's population. Combination of both Buddhist and to a lesser degree Hindu beliefs, laid the foundation for modern Balinese-Hinduism. 

I could not withstand the charm the island had set on me any longer. On 7th Feb 2004, with my travelling buddy tagging along, I departed to the resplendent island. Setting foot on the holy ground, I visioned that the trip would be fulfilling.

The first thing we did immediately after touching down at Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar was to find a good car rental shop. Not bothering at all about lunch, with the jeep we that manage to rent with good price, we made our way around Kuta Beach. True enough, the beach was cotton white and lively. Happening cafes and bistros lining up the shore. Some surfers showing off to the onlookers how skillful they were at 'playing tricks' with the ocean water. Craft vendors pestering the tourists with their fine arts. Eventhough Kuta had once been marred by the bomb blasting tragedy, somehow the incident did not succeed to discolor its beauty.

We made our way up to Nusa and Ubud the next day stopping only at few temples (pura) we saw along the trip. I was fascinated to see young Balinese women place floral offerings to the gods in front of every doorway. Uluwatu Temple, situated in the center of Uluwatu town was one of the captivating temples I had seen so far. In Ubud, we took our time to try out the ancient spa and watch Legong dance (also known as Dance of the Virgins). In legends, Legong is the heavenly dance of divine nymphs. Accompanied by the gamelan gong (the full Balinese orchestra), the dancers would move artistically to the melody.

From Ubud we made a stop at Kintamani, where the majestic volcanic Mount Agung and Mount Batur could be found resting serenely. We managed to climb to the top of the historically active Mount Batur located at the center of two concentric calderas north west of Mount Agung. Standing 1,717 metres above mean sea level, the first historically documented eruption of Batur was in 1804, and it has been frequently active since then. The mountain's last eruption was reported in 2000. As we descended down, some small temples could be seen from afar. 

Making our way down back to Kuta, we stopped by at few places; the infamous Banjar Hot Spring and Reptile Farm, the antique Puri Anyar (Anyar Palace), the breathtakingly beautiful Tanah Lot Temple and some other strange old temples.

Time had not been kind to us. So many things to see, so many places to explore with so short of time, four days of exploration didn't seem to be enough. We finally got on board of an airplane, taking sweet memories of Bali back to Kuala Lumpur.

Bali - definitely an interesting and wonderful place to discover!