Going to Jimbaran

Friday, February 08, 2013
Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia
It was sad to leave Ubud, but we had one last morning. After breakfast we walked to the Monkey Forest. We got there so early that the staff had not arrived, so we had to wait for a few minutes. This time, I knew better than to bring bananas for the monkeys so didn't have to deal with a monkey attack like last time. We actually had time to walk through the forest and down to the Temple and holy spring. Even at 8 am it was very hot and humid.

One of our group, Nancy, had arranged to take a cooking class at a cafe near the Monkey Forest, so she left us there . The rest of us returned to the hotel and then 4 of us made one final shopping trip to the center of town. Sadly, we did not get to visit the Ubud Market. The main building is being renovated, and will not reopen for another 6 months. However, there are plenty of shops to visit along Monkey Forest Road. While I was window shopping I saw a pair of earrings that matched the bracelet that I bought on my last trip. I didn't even bargain, just bought them on the spot. I also bought some other small Balinese items and am beginning to worry how I will get everything to Bangkok.

We left the hotel at noon, and Headed south. Our first stop was for lunch at a small warung set among rice fields. First we shared the food from Nancy's cooking class, gado gado, mie gareng, shrimp satay, nasi gareng, and black rice pudding. It was all delicious, but we needed a little more so we all ordered crispy duck.

As we left the warung, we passed a group of women harvesting rice . So we stopped for another bit of learning and discovery and some of our group tried their hand at harvesting the rice. I was satisfied to capture the experience from the air conditioned comfort of our van.

About an hour later we arrived at Taman Ayun, a royal temple surrounded by a moat and set in a lovely garden. It was built in 1634 and its name means beautiful garden on the water, which describes its setting. The temple consists of an outer court with a Bale, or assembly hall, an inner garden and the temple, which is closed to non-Hindus. However there is a walkway around the temple that provides good views of the temple grounds. Inside the temple precinct are 27 separate menus or pagodas dedicated to various gods. The importance of the meru can be determined by the number of levels, with 11 being the maximum and reserved for kings.

Every day it seems like we try a new fruit. Today it was Jackfruit, which tastes like a cross between pineapple and coconut, and was very good . Then it was back in the bus and on to our next stop, Tanah Lot.

This is one of the most famous tourist temples in Bali. It's name means "small island floating in the sea" which accurately reflects the way the temple looks at high tide. However, we were there when the tide was out and the strand was clearly visible. Before we viewed Tanah Lot we took a brief hike to another nearby temple, Batu Balong. It too is located on a rocky outcropping in the ocean, but this one is accessible by a natural stone bridge which is quite interesting.

By now it was mid-afternoon and we were still moe than an hour from Jimbaran. So it was back in the van for our drive through Kuta. Traffic is as bad as it was 4 years ago, but now there is a major construction project. An underpass is being built to eliminate a traffic light at a major intersection. It may make things better in the long run, but now it is problem. It also seems like there are more cars, but still as many motorbikes, who feel no obligation to stay on the proper sides of the road.

Finally we reached our hotel and after checking in I decided to take a short nap. I went to sleep before 6 and slept through until the next morning.

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