March 1, 2024
we were scheduled to arrive in Benoa at 12 but we got in at 11am and we were able to get off the boat by noon. We had texted our driver, Kadek, and he was there at the port when we got off the boat. We threw a little wrench in his plans by asking if it was possible to go to the Hard Rock Café either today or Sunday, and he decided that that would be the first place that we went. When we got in the car, he had a. Tote with some drinks in it. Several waters and two of the local beer which one of our Australian friends had just emailed us last night and said we had to try.
Kathy sampling the local beer
The currency in Indonesia is the Indonesian, rupee and ₹100,000 equals about $6.50 American. When we made our purchases at the hard rock, the lady checking us out said that if we spent 2 million we got a free tote. Cathy felt that if we spent 2 million we should get a free Rolls-Royce at the least.
Our next stop was to see a giant statue of one of their gods. This statue is so large that you can see it from miles away. It is Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park.
It is the god Vishnu being transported by Garuda the winged bird. Garuda is a golden eagle with the wings, beak and feet but man’s arms and trunk.
They had another large statue of Garuda with his eggs. Kathy is standing behind the eggs to give some perspective.
It was quite humid, and it was an uphill walk, not a bad walk, but by the time we reached the top, we were both soaked. You can pay extra and go to the top of the statue and look out, but when we inquired about it the girl selling the tickets told us that it’s a very small window you look out and all you can see is the airport. We thanked her for her honesty, and chose not to pay extra.
We spent about two hours there and then headed to another temple that is on the water. It is called Uluwatu and It looks down on crashing waves, and high cliffs and the area is well-maintained.
Yup that is me wearing a skirt….sort of
Views from the temple
It is inhabited by tons of monkeys, who will be very brazen about taking things from people. While we were there, a monkey had taken a girls hat and thrown it on the other side of the barrier so one of the caretakers had to go and get it for her.
They had this large statue of a monkey and a real monkey had climbed up it and was hugging it.
The one monkey had gotten himself a water bottle, and the other one was sitting in a tree, eating his snack, and looked very proud of himself.
This mom was carrying around her baby
They feel the monkeys are spiritual and belong in the area, so they are taken care of and nothing is done to curb the population. You are warned not to wear jewelry, glasses or take anything with you. They will even take cell phones out of your hands if you’re not careful.
Besides the monkeys, it was a beautiful area and there were a lot of people there. We stayed for about an hour and then headed off to our next stop which was dinner on the beach watching the sunset. Unfortunately it was very overcast so there was no sunset. Also, the traffic in Bali is incredible. The roads are very narrow and they have 1 million motorbikes that weave in and out and come up alongside you and ride on the sidewalk and there are no rules.
There are tons of restaurants, all along the beach, and to go into one you basically drive in and they open the doors for you and you walk through the restaurant down to the beach. The cars are then moved to a parking spot.
You can see how crowded the beach is with restaurants.
They had a cart and he was grilling corn to order on the beach. We started with drinks and chips while we figured out what to order.
There was no sunset, but the water was nice and calm.
We opted for a seafood combo for two, which included a lobster, crab, calamari, whole fish, grilled shrimp, clams, soup, and vegetables, and a big bowl of rice.
It was nice and fresh, and we almost finished it when it started drizzling a little so we had to move inside.
After dinner, it was time for our driver to take us to the hotel that we booked for the next two nights. We are staying at the Conrad Hilton on the beach and can’t wait to see the property in daylight because it looks stunning.
The pool at night
Our room
On Saturday, I am being picked up to go Scuba Diving and fingers crossed to see the giant mantas and Kathy is getting some spa treatments. Looking forward trying out the pool when I get back from Diving.
We are in Bali until Sunday night.
Two things, one being a question:
1. Was the skirt required because of local cultural rules? I noticed the woman by the corn roasting cart was also in a skirt.
2. The protected monkeys at the shrine made me think of Nara, Japan. There it is deer which are protected. Thousands of deer throughout the town, walking and just hanging out. There is a large park, centered on a huge sitting Buddha. Deer everywhere. On the streets, in the parks. At least the deer don’t take items from you.
Since it was a temple, out of respect, you needed to cover your knees and shoulders. Since it’s so hot here and almost everyone wear shorts they have hundreds of pieces of cloth that you can wrap around.
I would much rather have a park full of deer than hissing monkeys.
Wow, love this post. Especially the skirt Allison!
Wow, you had the best guide as he took you to great places in that area of Bali.
In the old days the gate at Uluwatu was open for tourists…..Merv wore a shirt as his shorts were too short.
Did you like the water spinach at the Seafood restaurant…quite spicy?! it’s love and hate for me.
Hope you get to see the Manta Rays Allison.
The water spinach was not our thing and thanks for telling us what it was. I did not even taste it so did not know it was spicy.