Sights Around Bali: Temples, Rice Terraces, Volcanoes and more

Demon clown in Kecak dance

Driving thru the island of Bali I was amazed at the number of temples and the fact that the surrounding buildings seem to share walls and architecturally flow seamlessly into and around the temples. It can make it quite hard to know where the actual temple ends and the homes begin. Most town have one large temple and many smaller ones with even more statues all over. Stone carving is a famous profession here in Bali so there is no shortage of stone Buddhas or other deities to carry off.

Indo's version of Stomp

Getting more in depth in the culture means checking out some of the local dances. The costumes, make up, and especially the masks are just incredible. During this Kecak dance a beautiful woman is kidnapped by a demon in disguise. His comedic demon friends keep the crowd entertained while the monkey god spirits in to rescue the woman. Apparently he does this by stomping out the ring of fire with his bare feet. Pretty cool show although I am shocked no one was burned.

Bathing at Water Temple

 The most famous temple we visited was the Water Temple where Hindu worshipers come from all over to bathe in the hot spring water the it jetted out of these stone carvings to the left. I opted to stay dry but enjoyed the sight nonetheless. I'm not sure if all the temples is how Bali got the nickname "Island of the Gods" or if it was the cloud capped peaks of all the volcanoes on the island. Overlooking the newest lava flows (early 1900's) and the beautiful crater lakes could definitely inspire a little religion.

One region that I really wanted to see was where rice is farmed on the steep hillsides in beautiful terraced gardens. We found these not far out of Ubud, Bali which seems to be the cultural center of the island. There were little covered tables set on the hillside overlooking these terraces in case you wanted to enjoy a cold drink while drinking in the view. I could have wandered these hills the entire day.