Day 175 Exploring the South of Bali

After a hearty breakfast, we were picked up by our driver, whom we had booked for the next 2 days to explore the island a bit. Today, we are exploring the south, while tomorrow we will go to the north.

The traffic was murderous, so we made very slow progress and it took some time until we were out of the biggest trouble. Our first destination was Nusa Dua Beach. A beach in the south of the island that belongs to several 5-star and more hotels. The various hotels were spread out in a huge complex. The complex was adorned with various figures and statues.

In a roundabout with a particularly beautiful fountain, we were able to observe a couple during a photoshoot.

At the beach, we realized that the sea here is much calmer than back home. This would be the perfect place to swim.

The coastline was adorned with rugged volcanic stone, and from several lookout platforms, we could enjoy the view of the sea and the horizon.

After the beach, we visited a bit of culture at our second stop. We visited the cultural center of Bali, which is mixed with a Hindu temple. First, we were shown a traditional music and dance show. I think we were told part of a local story, but I couldn't really understand it. It was definitely very entertaining. Even though it ended up dragging on a bit.

After the show, we visited the temple. After seeing so many Buddhist temples, I was curious about the Hindu temples. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much to see. Most of the buildings were off-limits, so we had to make do with the statues outside.

The biggest of the statues was still under construction and is expected to be completed next year, according to our guide.

What was really special about the whole complex was that it was built into a hill. The hill was excavated at certain points to create passages and make room for the houses. When you walk through one of these passages, high rock walls now loom on the left and right.

Our third stop was at the Monkey Temple, the Ulu Watu Temple. The temple is known for its many thieving monkeys who lived around the temple and gladly stole sunglasses, hats, and anything else they could get their hands on. I was rather skeptical of these monkeys while Cornelia would have liked to take one home.

While she was busy with the monkeys, I preferred to watch some birds.

The temple itself impressed me mainly with its location. High up on a cliff while the sea crashed against the steep cliffs below. The view was simply breathtaking.

This temple could also only be admired from the outside, so we quickly saw the temple.

The Suluban Beach was the final stop of our tour. An address that every surfer should know. Through rock tunnels, you can paddle from an open cave out into the sea and find perfect conditions there. Since we couldn't surf, we contented ourselves with watching the surfers from a restaurant on a rock, partly envious.

Since the weather unfortunately threatened to change, we made our way back to the hotel to spend the rest of the day by the pool.