Since Bali has loads of cheap international flights, we used it as our base while traveling in and around Indonesia and Malaysia. We got to know the island pretty well as we hopped in and out over the past several months. Our friends Grace and Kirn joined us for a whirlwind couple of days in Bali so we revisited a couple of sites that we had previously been to (Besakih Temple, Tegallalang Rice Fields, Goa Gajah Elephant Cave) but there were plenty of new destinations to explore. Highlights of our time in Bali include checking out the macro diving at Tulamben and Amed (both are fabulous SCUBA destinations for a plethora of nudibranchs), Tirta Gangga Royal Water Palace, seeing all the Ogoh-ogoh paper mâché statues sprouting up in villages throughout Bali in preparation for the annual Ngrupuk Parade, visiting waterfalls (Blangsinga, Uma Anyar, Sumampan, Kanto Lampo), witnessing the holy purification ceremony of Melasti at Masceti Beach, playing with monkeys at the Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest, and watching the fantastic Ogoh -ogoh parade the day before Nyepi. Bali never fails to disappoint and we will definitely be back again one of these days!
Shiva statue at the Gilimanuk Harbor
Macaque monkeys by the roadside looking for handouts in Gilimanuk
Traditional Balinese penjors along the street. These tall bamboo poles with decorations are set up in honor of Hindu gods prior to religious festivals
Street mural
Artwork on a cafe in Sanur. These reflects the sentiment of quite a few tourists who come to Bali and never want to leave!
Fruits for sale at the Sanur morning market
Cute painted tuk tuk in Sanur
Wall decor at Shotgun Social Bali in Sanur
Walking path next to the beach in Sanur with lots of cafes, bars and shops selling souvenirs
Dragon kite for sale at Sanur Beach
Jukungs (traditional fishing boats) on the beach in Sanur
An inviting pool shower near Sanur Beach
Bali sign at the airport
A defunct Rasta Factory outlet store in Kuta
Enjoying the pool at Natya Hotel Kuta
Wanaku Seafood & Chinese Restaurant in Kuta
Enjoying happy hour at Don Juan, a Mexican restaurant in Kuta
Sunset over our private pool at Tulamben Dive Villa
Getting our SCUBA tanks ready for the day at Tulamben Dive
"Rush hour" during the early morning market in Tulamben
Spanish dancer - a very large and colorful sea slug
Tulamben dive dog
Robby enjoying a massage on our front porch at Tulamben Dive Villa
Swimming pool at Ocean Sun Dive Resort
Enjoying our massive German schnitzel at Chops & Hops (so good we ate here twice!)
Blue velvet nudibranch
Striped catfish
Goby hiding in coral
Ornate Stiliger Nudibranch
Common squat lobster
Giant mantis shrimp
One of 3000 species of nudibranchs
Another of Tulamben's many nudibranchs
Spotted sharpnose puffer aka Papuan Toby
Peacock mantis shrimp with eggs
Hydroid decorator crab
Juvenile yellow boxfish
Desirable Flabellina nudibranch
Donut nudibranch (Doto greenamyeri)
Banded coral shrimp
Goby sticking out of a hole
Posing with dive master Kadek and Mount Agung in the background
Local women carry our dive tanks at the Batu Emerald dive site
The rocky coastline typical of Tulamben's dive sites
Catching a jukung to our Batu Emerald (for an extra 150,000 IDR)
Juvenile oriental sweetlips
A juvenile Harlequin sweetlips
The first time we could finally catch a glimpse of Mount Agung although it was completely covered by clouds shortly afterwards
Becky smiling on the short boat ride out to Batu Emerald
A pair of fire gobies
Robby drinking underwater!
A trio of scrawled filefish
Lobster
Grilled tuna at a local warung - great value and super tasty at $3 each!
Amed beach view of Mount Agung, Bali's largest volcano
Jukung boat ride out to Deep Blue dive site with Dive Master Gita
Baby tuna for sale at Jemeluk Beach
Tomato clownfish in anemone
Pocupinefish
A pair of saddleback anemonefish
Adult yellow boxfish
Jemeluk Beach
A long line of jukung traditional boats lined up on the beach at Jemeluk
Razorfish
Blue-green chromis
Soft coral has grown over the Japanese Wreck just off shore in Banyuning Bay
Black bar chromis
Becky flying over a motorcycle
Another view of Jemeluk Beach
Jukungs on a beach near Amed
A pod of dolphins; Amed
Our favorite beach side warung in Amed - the tuna cooked with garlic sauce is amazing!
School girls returning home from school; Amed
Wall mural at a tattoo shop in Amed
Huge Buddha head statue at an abandoned hotel in Amed
Clark's anemonefish
Honeycomb moray eel
A pair of striped pufferfish in front of garden eels
View of Mount Agung from our guesthouse room at Tira Amed Homestay
Dive Concepts shuttles us to SCUBA dive sites on this customized truck that has been outfitted for our dive gear
Lipah Beach
A blue ribbon eel emerges from its hole for some food
Yellow-edged moray
Linking up with Kirn and Grace at their private plunge pool; The Pavilions Bali
Water garden at Tirta Gangga
Becky posing at Tirta Gangga Royal Water Palace
A model poses in front of a fountain at Tirta Gangga
Fountains at Tirta Gangga Water Palace
Statues at Tirta Gangga
Someone added sunglasses on this stone guardian outside a temple at Tirta Gangga!
Huge duck statue at Maha Gangga Valley campground
Visiting Besakih Temple
Besakih Temple Complex
Pura Besakih is considered the holiest of all Balinese Hindu temples
Buddha face carving souvenirs for sale at Besakih Temple
Two Hindus going to Besakih Temple to worship
Carved coconut souvenirs for sale at Gunung Kawi
Gunung Kawi
Rice paddy at Gunung Kawi
Tegallalang rice field scene
Becky at Tegallalang Rice field
Grace and Becky at Goa Gajah (elephant cave)
Ancient ceiba tree at Goa Gajah
Waterfall near Goa Gajah
Balinese ogoh-ogoh statue
Driftwood animals for sale; Ubud
Patung Bayi, a massive stone baby that was erected in the middle of a traffic circle in Ubud
Entrance to Dtukad River Club - a female figurine built entirely out of woven rattan
Blangsinga waterfall
Wall mural
Statue at a temple near Tegenungan waterfall
Infinity pool looking over towards Tegenungan waterfall
A small village builds an ogoh-ogoh statue for the Ngrupuk parade which takes place on the eve of Nyepi day in Bali
Uma Anyar waterfall
Limestone carving near Sumampan waterfall
Sumampan waterfall
Becky on the staircase leading down towards Sumampan waterfall
Duck herders
One of over 10,000 Hindu temples in Bali
Saraswati Temple in Ubud
Stall at Ubud Art Market
Colorful kites for sale; Ubud Art Market
Decor at a cafe in Ubud
Coconut husks drying out in the countryside near Ubud
Stone statues for sale
Street art; Ubud
Becky standing in between two massive statues at Taman Dedari
Robby at Taman Dedari (Angel Park)
Colorful mural painted on a building near Tegallalang Rice Terrace
Ogoh-ogoh statues started popping up in small villages everywhere in Bali a few days prior to the annual Ngrupuk parade
Beautifully dressed women carry temple offerings balanced on their heads
Kanto Lampo waterfall
A long line of tourists wait to take the perfect Instagram photo at Kanto Lampo waterfall
Stream leading away from Kanto Lampo waterfall
Ogoh-ogoh statue in Ubud
Hindus crowded into a truck for the Melasti Ceremony (a Hindu Balinese purification ceremony and ritual held several days prior to the Nyepi holy day)
Devotees at a Melasti purification ceremony
Devotees bringing offerings for Melasti
It doesn't take too long before the Melasti offerings pile up
Offerings of fruit, flowers, rice and other symbolic objects are brought by Hindus for the Melasti Ceremony
Hindus arranging the offerings brought for the Melasti Ceremony
Arranging offerings for the Melasti ceremony
Portrait of a Hindu at the annual Melasti Ceremony at Masceti Beach
Entire village communities travel together to the closest source of holy water for the Melasti Ceremony
Devotees stand by for the purification ceremony in the sea at Masceti Beach
Men carrying the pratima shrines (the place for ancestor spirit) on their shoulders; Melasti Ceremony
Traditional Balinese Barong (creature with a lion's body which serves as a symbol of the protective spirit of Bali) at the Melasti Ceremony
View of the Barongs making their way through the crowd to the beach; Melasti Ceremony
Entire villages worship together as one unit during the Melasti Ceremony
A line of ladies carrying offerings on their heads (a procession called Mapeed) as they make their way to the sea for the purification part of the Melasti Ceremony
Close up of a Hindu woman carrying offerings on her head
Hindus line up by the water's edge and wait to enter the sea during this portion of the Melasti Ceremony
Rear view of Hindus waiting to enter the sea during the Melasti Ceremony on Masceti Beach
One of Bali's most iconic ceremonies is the Mapeed where lines of Balinese women walk together in a ritual procession
A woman shields the sun away from her face during the Melasti ceremony
Once the Hindus enter the water, they believe it washes away negative energy and purifies their souls to prepare them for the new year ahead
Once the water cleansing ritual is done, the devotees walk away from the beach to make room for the next group of Hindus to partake in the Melasti Ceremony
Men carry either a Pratima shrine or Balinese umbrellas during the Melasti Ceremony
Hindu priest blessing devotees with holy water at the Melasti Ceremony
A Balinese Hindu throws a duck into the ocean as an offering during Melastic, a purification ceremony held several days before the holy day of Nyepi
A girl flashing the peace sign at the Melasti Ceremony
Poor chicken! A Hindu devotee throws a chicken into the sea as an offering during Melasti, a cleansing ritual
Men walking on either side of a Barong (Balinese mythological creature) at the Melasti Ceremony
View of a man readjusting his Barong costume
Hindu men balancing pratima shrines on their shoulders
Female priest (purohitas) at the Melasti Ceremony
Friendly Hindu girls pose for a photo at the end of the Melasti Ceremony
School children in their own Ngrupuk parade
Big smiles on these girls' faces at a children's Ngrupuk parade
School kids carrying a small Ogoh-ogoh statue during a children's Ngrupuk parade (held a few days before the real Ngrupuk parade)
Two boys strike a pose for us
Beautiful school girls smile for a photo
Two farmers planting rice
Competition for best ogoh-ogoh statue is fierce for bragging rights and prize money! These giant papermâché sculptures can take months to create and costs must be kept under a certain budget
Balinese traditional dancers
A teenager demonstrates Balinese traditional dancing for us
Nyoman shows us his traditional kitchen
Last minute preparations of this ogoh-ogoh papermâché sculpture in the small village of Bedulu
Macaque monkey chewing on a leaf; Monkey Forest in Ubud
Carved figurines on the tunnel at Monkey Forest in Ubud
Portrait of a macaque monkey at Monkey Forest in Ubud
A family of macaque monkeys eating breakfast
Visitors taking photos with a macaque monkey
Macaque eating corn on the cob
Becky standing on a dragon bridge at the Sacred Monkey Forest
Moss covered limestone statues at the Sacred Monkey Forest
Becky takes a selfie with a macaque monkey
A family of macaque monkeys stares intently in our direction
A monkey sits on a tunnel at the Sacred Monkey Forest
Fountain statues at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary
Statue of a monkey wearing glasses while another empties a purse; Ubud
Tattoo wall art mural
Restaurant wall mural; Ubud
Papier-mâché ogoh-ogoh statues lined up for the Ngrupuk Parade in Ubud
It is still early but everyone is getting excited for this evening's Ngrupuk Parade
A whole line of ogoh-ogoh statues line the main street in Ubud several hours before the parade kicks off. Traffic is already being diverted away form the city
Another view of the ogoh-ogoh statues
Ogoh-ogohs are designed to be giant menacing looking sculptures used to ward off evil spirits
A mosquito ogoh-ogoh statue
Definitely check out all the ogoh-ogoh statues during the daylight because once the sun sets, it will be impossible to make out all the detail that goes into making these!
Children bring out a small ogoh-ogoh so they too can participate in the Ngrupuk Parade
The main road in Ubud gets really crowded as the Ngrupuk Parade is about to start
It takes several hours for all the giant papier-mâché ogoh-ogoh sculptures to be paraded through the streets to ward off evil spirits
Women dancers at the Ngrupuk Parade
Bali's ogoh-ogoh parade is a stunning display of Balinese creativity and culture rolled into one
Balinese gamelan (percussion-based) band at the Ngrupuk Parade on the eve of Nyepi Day in Ubud
Nitty Gritty:
Tulamben Dive (WhatsApp +62 81915699681): With over 500 glowing reviews online, we chose this local owned operator as our dive center in Tulamben and could not have been happier. We had our own private dive master (the excellent Kadek), all dive gear, lunch, and 3 dives for IDR 1100k ($70 USD) each per day. Additionally, the dive center owns Tulamben Dive Villa so they offered us accommodation with breakfast, AC, hot showers and swimming pool for IDR 350k ($22) per night. It was easy to keep extending our stay here and we ended up doing 10 dives over 3 days.
Chops and Hops: The best restaurant in Tulamben, hands down! Order the schnitzel and you won’t be disappointed.
Kubu Di-kayla Guesthouse (+62 81236803366): Need a great place to stay in Sanur? This guesthouse has rave reviews on booking.com but save yourself some money by booking directly with the owner. We paid IDR 250k ($16) for a private room with ensuite bathroom, AC, hot water shower, WiFi, flat screen TV, fridge, shared kitchen. Extremely clean and comfortable and the owner is lovely.
Bali Made Tour (https://www.balimadetour.com/): Need a private car and driver? We got a great deal booking with these guys and they are willing to create any custom tour you’d like for a good price. Our driver was fantastic and the vehicle was clean and comfortable for the four of us. We paid IDR 750k ($47) for a driver/vehicle for up to 10 hours.
Wahwik’s House (+62 81239317998): Want a clean, comfortable and budget place to stay in Ubud? Booking directly with the owner will get you a better price than booking.com. Nyoman (owner) is wonderful and prepares breakfasts for you daily on the top floor overlooking the monkey sanctuary. Our room had an ensuite bathroom, AC, hot water shower, good WiFi and breakfast. We paid IDR 729k ($46) for 5 nights which works out to $9 a day.
