Temples, Waterfall & Reunion in Ubud

At around 9:00 a.m., we left Sanur for Ubud with Chris - that's what our driver's name was. Daniela had chosen some attractions for us to see on our way to Ubud.

The first stop was a gigantic waterfall. We had to go down several flights of stairs to reach it, and all of this in nearly 40 degrees heat. It was a true nightmare for me. When we arrived at the waterfall, we cooled off a bit and simply enjoyed the nature around us. It was incredibly beautiful. Daniela was beaming with joy, while I had a somewhat forced smile on my face, thinking about the way back. Climbing all those stairs in the heat...ugh. Well, we eventually had to make our way back to the car, and surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.

Next, we headed to the Gunung Kawi Royal Tombs. We stopped at a large parking lot. As soon as I stepped out of the car, a sarong was wrapped around my body and the lady babbled something about 10 dollars. Daniela came over to me and laughed. It was a scam to rip off tourists. Wearing a sarong and temple scarf is actually mandatory. You can get them for free only inside the temple and you don't have to buy them. So, I quickly removed the sarong and returned it to the lady. It was crazy how many women had tried to sell us such sarongs on the way to the temple. Unbelievable! I was grateful that Daniela knew about this.

The Royal Tombs are located in a valley. They are surrounded by beautiful rice fields, and here too, we had to go down approximately 300 steps in the midday heat, and of course, go back up again. For me, the Royal Tombs were an incredible sight. The landscape is breathtaking: lush green rice terraces surrounded by palm trees and jungle, with the peak of Mount Batur towering in the background. I was deeply impressed. We walked along the rice terraces for quite some time, admiring the Royal Tombs. After over 2 hours, we walked back to the car. I was completely exhausted from the sun, but I knew that there was one more attraction to see.

This time, the drive didn't last 10 minutes and we arrived at the Tirta Empul Temple. It is Bali's holy springs for spiritual purification. Sarongs were also mandatory here. They were also given out for free, and then we walked around the temple complex. When we arrived at the holy spring water temple, I was surprised by the number of tourists performing the cleansing ritual there. If I had known beforehand what bathing in the holy springs of Tirta Empul can do, I might have considered it! It is said to protect against diseases, sorrow, anger, and problems. However, the ritual would have had to be performed under all 20 springs. I preferred to take a shower at our accommodation and didn't do it. We watched the people for a while and then returned to the car.

Then came THE MOMENT for Daniela. We stopped at our first accommodation in Ubud. There, she finally embraced Phuket again after 3 weeks apart. Phuket is a mega cute stuffed bunny, and we just couldn't leave him behind in Bali... :-)

Now we are in our bungalow and enjoying the 2 days we will spend in Ubud. The resort is like a dream. It is bordered by the jungle and offers amazing views.

So, today we will sip some cocktails on Phuket and then probably fall into bed completely exhausted. We send our greetings to everyone, and Monika, PHUKET is on board again! :-)