Bedugul

Bedugul is a mountain lake resort area in Bali. There are several lakes here such as Lake Bratan, Lake Buyan and Lake Tamblingan. The weather here is quite mild compared to the other areas in Bali and I really enjoyed it. 

A view overlooking Lake Bratan.  

Pictured here is Pura Ulun Danu Beratan. A very famous Hindu temple in Bali. It is pictured on the Indonesian 50,000 Rupiah banknote. 

This particular day was very, very bright making it difficult to take photos. It was also filled with tourists, even if you don't really see it here. There were a LOT of people. 

Men fishing. 

On the way to our accommodations, we saw monkeys chilling on the side of the road eating fruits. 

We gave them some bread too and they were very happy. Just be careful around them as they can become pretty aggressive. 

Gitgit waterfalls. We couldn't stay here long because it was already after sunset, but it was quite nice. A tiring hike back up to the top however, lots and lots of steps. 

We found a good spot for sunset. This is Lake Buyan.

Right beside is Lake Tamblingan. 

In this pano you can see how they are located side by side. 

This is my favourite picture of the trip. We stayed at Anaheim Villa Lake Buyan. It used to be a luxurious villa complex but it is now under restoration. The place has an eerie, abandoned feel to it. It reminded me of camping. The man who takes care of the place says that one time he heard noises in the kitchen and found it in disarray...hmmmm

The next morning we went to see the sunrise but it wasn't that remarkable. 

The edge of the villa property is being used to farm vegetables and flowers. 

Here we picked our own carrots and chayote. 

It is quite a beautiful place! I would come here again. 

That's all the pictures I have for my adventures in Bali!

-e.m.

Tampaksiring

Tampaksiring is located in the Gianyar Regency in Bali, Indonesia. We hired a driver to take us around central Bali and this was one of the places we visited. 

We visit Pura Tirta Empul, known for their holy water. Locals, as well as tourists, use it for purification purposes. 

They have a little dress code here--they will give you a sarong to wear around your waist which is free of charge (as long as you don't get it wet because if you do, they will charge you for that)

A man preparing canang sari, daily offerings offered by Balinese Hindus (source: Wikipedia). 

A family partaking in the purification. There are fish in these pools as well. 

To the right of this particular location there is a villa on the hills. It was built for President Sukarno back in the 50's. It's used as a guesthouse now for prestigious visitors. 

I was fascinated by those gigantic green fruits. 

After leaving the temple, our driver took us to Cantik Agriculture, where they make organic products such as Bali coffee and cocoa. They also make kopi luwak here. Pictured above is the luwak, kept in a cage for educational purposes (poor luwak). 

So kopi luwak? What is it? I'm sure you've heard of it. A lot of people call it the most expensive cup of coffee in the world for good reason. The luwak eats coffee beans naturally and the poops it out. The droppings are collected and then cleaned multiple times to collect the beans.  

They also sell many other products here. Everything was delicious, especially the rosella and lemongrass tea.  

That's all for this region of Bali 

-e.m.

Kintamani

Kintamani is a village on the western edge of the larger caldera wall of Gunung Batur in Bali (source: Wikipedia). 

Food with a view at Batur Sari Restaurant. The buffet here is nothing remarkable (and expensive at $15 per person), you're really just paying for the view. 

Double selfie sticks.  

The driver we hired to take us around actually just dropped us off here and didn't give much of a choice. I think the restaurant had some kind of agreement with the drivers. There were also lots of tour buses that came here. So yes, this place is pretty touristy. I think it's difficult to find a place in Bali that isn't.  

You can see Mount Batur more clearly here. 

A woman sells fruits at the roadside. I've also seen people sell puppies on the roadside here. 

Lake Batur on the right.  

Roadside shops as usual.  

Quite a pretty place.  It is unfortunate that it has become so touristy. 

-e.m.

Ubud

In Ubud, we went to the Ceking-Tegallalang rice fields. It was a rainy day, which may not be the best time to hike the rice fields...

At first, there are man-made steps to help you descend. 

Terraces are the most effective way to farm in hilly or mountainous terrains. Its design also makes irrigation more efficient. 

So the five of us descended down into the muddy terrace, and then we made our way up the closest "peak" of the terrace. 

Going up wasn't too bad...going down was another story. 

It was really slippery at points, especially going down. We were all wearing flip-flops/sandals. One of us even broke a sandal on the way down. 

I believe these have just been planted, or so it looks. 

We finally made it up to the top of the terrace. There is a hut there where locals sit; as they know you're a tourist, they'll ask for a payment in order to look around and take pictures. This guy in particular--I asked for his picture and said thanks, he demanded money right away. I doubt that he's even a rice farmer, lol. 

Doing some cleaning

Handheld panorama--a little bit distorted but you get the picture!

-e.m.