Ubud Part Three: From the Mountains and Besakih to the Art of Pampering

Still on our little island in Indonesia.

We arrived on Halloween and haven't left since.  
Can you blame us?

When we're not at happy hour we spend most of our time reading in our hammocks or beach chairs, snorkeling with sea turtles, spear fishing (you know which one of us is attempting that) and walking the perimeter of the island once the sun begins to set or just after it has risen.  During the day, it is HOT.  I guess this is to be expected when you're practically ON the equator.  But we don't have too many complaints these days :)

More on Lombok later, and back to our last few days in Bali.

***** 
  

Besakih, a group of over twenty temples  spread over nearly two miles and set along the slopes of Mount Agung is a sacred place for Balinese Hindus.  They believe the gods occasionally enter the temple and reside there.  We set out for the long trip by motorbike, through small villages and past Bali’s most beautiful and famous mountains, dodging Polisi as we went.  What?  Do YOU have an international driver’s license?  We are rebels, I know.

After a two hour drive we made it.

Unfortunately there were groups of young men hassling us with fabricated stories about how we “needed a Balinese temple guardian” (for a fee of course) to even walk around the temple’s complex.  One man eventually revealed that that wasn’t actually true, so our self tour finally began.

On the way back to Ubud we stopped in Klunkung, stopping to see the home of city’s ancient king.

 
There were a variety of Hindu processionals stopping traffic as we made our way back to Ubud. 

 

We saw our last dance that evening, the best we’d seen in Bali.  

{Balinese dancing deserves its own post-when I have the time back at home to look over the many photos and videos we took at the three dances we saw}

*****

We made our last full day in Ubud a relaxing one.  

An early walk led us through rice paddies and Bali’s lush green jungle.

The rest of the morning was spent perusing the buildings that compose NEKA, the island’s most famous art museum.

 

We ate lunch across the street at Naughty Nuri’s, known for its barbecue.  Spicy chicken for Ryan,  Indonesian veggies with bean sauce for me.

After lunch we pampered ourselves at one of Ubud’s many spas.  Together we had a side by side couple’s massage.  To follow I had a body scrub, floral bath, facial, hair treatment, manicure and pedicure.  I decided spa days like that need to happen at least once a year for me.  
In Bali, if possible!
 

The next day we flew to neighboring Lombok, where we are now.  

Updates on our three stops (Kuta, Sengeggi and Gili Meno) in the works :)