Bean Traveling...

May 31st, 2010

Kuta - Day 2
I can't begin to describe how amazing today was. I went on a tour today to see "The Unforgettable Sunset". I got in the van, only to be greeted by 2 Canadians, better yet, 2 Vancouverites. Made my day to have a little taste of home. Dell and Tina have been best friends for 35 years and were celebrating their birthdays in Bali this year. I think I have a few more years, but I am already planning this trip in my head with my best friends.
We first stopped at a temple and were greeted with a sign that read "Women who are menstruating are forbidden from entering the temple." Awesome. The temple was beautiful. Hand carved statues, intricate wood carvings and bamboo works. The amount of effort that goes into some of these pieces is crazy. I can't even imagine turning rock into something other than gravel, let a lone a dragon. All over Bali, you will find 'offerings'. Each day people put out new ones, usually consisting of some flowers, fruit and rice. Very cool, but sometimes you kick them if you aren't watching where you are walking. I'm not kidding, they are everywhere.

The next stop was really the highlight of the tour. We went to a sacred monkey forest. Just from the name, how could this place not be a dream? Monkeys EVERYWHERE! =) Simon, from Slovenia, bought some peanuts and the monkeys came running. Before I even knew what was happening, I had a monkey up on my shoulders, sitting on top of my backpack. I was a little freaked out at first, because I thought she was going for my earrings, but really all she wanted was peanuts. Once she had them, she got down. Walking through the forest, we saw baby monkeys all around. Some where only a couple weeks old. All the monkeys had Mohawks, which made them look cute and evil all at the same time. Unfortunately, our stay in the forest was only an hour or two before we headed to the beach for the Sunset.

The beach we went to was located near a temple that is 0.5km off the shore when the tide comes in. There was a Holy Spring at the base of this temple, where fresh water flows. The water isn't accessible when the tide is in, luckily we were there while the tide was out. Everyone was lining up to wash their face in the Holy water and be blessed. After you wash your face, they place some rice on your forehead and a flower above your ear. I don't consider it a religious experience, just an experience. The sun was setting fast, but unfortunately it was behind the clouds. I did get some great shots of the waves pounding up the rocks and soaking people.

We got back to the resort around 9pm, too late for a dip in the pool. I walked toward Kuta until I found a small restaurant and had a late dinner. Nasa Goreng is delicious and I recommend everyone try it! I grabbed a beer at the bar on my way back to my room, chatted with some other guests and headed to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

~Bean