Alright! Let's pick up where we left off.
In the previous blog we ended at Gunung Kawi. Let's get the show on the road again! We continued our journey to Pura Tirta Empul. It is a Hindu Balinese water temple famous for its holy spring water. Balinese Hindus go here for ritual purification. It was accessible for tourists as well, but since I'm not religious I didn't feel comfortable going in.
Again the surroundings were really beautiful. And again an amazing tree! I'm wondering how old it is. Astonishing!
When we left the temple we had to drive up Mount Batur to reach our next destination. So we stopped to admire the view and have lunch.
With renewed energy it was time for the next adventure: Pura Besakih, the largest temple complex on Bali. The entrance fee at the ticket office includes a scooter ride up to the entrance which is about 1 km further up Mount Agung. Pura Besakih is a complex of 23 temples. The largest and most important is Pura Penataran Agung, which is built on six (!) levels.
As you can see in the pictures everybody is wearing a sarong, which is mandatory when you visit a temple. Some also wear a sash. Our driver was really skilled at tying the sarong and sash in a certain way. We kept taking them off when we got back to the car, because it was super hot. Poor guy had to dress us up again at every temple... Sorry!
The complex is beautiful, but huge! It took quite some effort to walk around in the heat. And I didn't even have offerings that I was carrying around on top of my head. Can't image pulling that off!
The climb was definitely worth it. Check out that view!
But then of course you also have to climb down again... Luckily everything around us was a feast for the eyes!
Inevitably this temple complex is really touristy and therefore more expensive. I've seen some negative reviews about it online. I personally thought it was really pretty and worth a visit.
A bit hilarious that there's a street light here. Sadly, it does ruin the shot.
Alright guys. Time for New Year's Eve dinner in this time zone. So we'll continue the journey later. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you like it.
And thank you for all the support in 2017! I hope you have a great night. Close off the year in style because we'll never see 2017 again. Enjoy whatever it is that you're doing today and see you next year!
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