Bali is one of my top favorite destinations in Southeast Asia, surrounded itself with sandy beaches and a tropical climate all year round. Apart from its beautiful beaches, Bali has a richness of culture and history, which makes the island very distinctive than any part of Indonesia, with more than 80% of the island population adheres to Balinese Hinduism.


Getting Here and Around

Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) is the main airport of Bali. The island does not have any rail networks, therefore the best options to travel outskirt are to hire a scooter or a car with a reliable driver who is well familiarized with the island and tourist spots.

Day One

Around 8 am, my driver picked me up from my hotel and make my first visit to Bale Kulkul Bali to watch Barong Kris Dance. The place is situated in Batubulan, next to the beautiful green paddy fields. The people here preserve their culture, living in their indigenous Balinese traditional home decorated with original Balinese cravings and customs of various colors.

Their performances tells the story of the eternal battle between the good and evil spirit. Barong, a mythological animal represent a good spirit and Rangda, a mythological monster represents an evil spirit. 


After the end of the performance, I made a quick one hour stop to visit Celuk Silver Village to see how the finest artwork of jewelry is made by the silversmiths and also to Batuan Village, filled with famous Balinese artwork and printings. Hundreds of paintings were drawn by local artists and they illustrated many stories about religion and Bali life.

We drove up to a village called Kintamani and the journey takes more than an hour to pass through this narrow and curving road. The traffic was very heavy because many trucks and tourist vehicles were using the same path which believed it is the only route coming from Denpasar. Kintamani is known for its Mountain Batur, an active volcano partially surrounded by a large Lake Batur.

My guide recommended to one of the local restaurants that served lunch buffet and a la carte menu, either local fried rice or fried mee hoon. Since I had a heavy breakfast beforehand, therefore my choice of the day will be the fried rice with a glass of ice lemon tea. The taste of the food was just average, but the price was above priced. However, I can’t complain much, given that the location of the restaurant offers wonderful scenery of the volcano and the lake.

Heading back downhill, it was so cloudy and was thinking if we still can visit three more tourist spots as planned. My next stop is Tirta Empul, a Hindu Balinese water temple founded in 926 A.D. and is dedicated to Vishnu, who is the Hindu God of water. Its name actually means ‘holy water spring’ in Balinese.








Next stop is Pura Gunung Kawi Temple. Walking down the 300 slippery stairs with the view of the long paddy terraces and green valley, I made it to the west side of the river to see Bali’s most ancient shrine.  Four of the seven-meter high shrines were used to buried the mistresses of King Udayana at the west side of the river.  Whereas on the eastern side lies another five tombs, where this Balinese King along with his sons and his assistant were buried.


Before the end of the day, I still manage to visit the Tegalalang rice terrace in Ubud. It is usually a great place for photography with cool breezy temperature. However today, the place is pretty misty, yet just see many tourists wandering around the rice paddles

Day Two

My first attraction of the day was Taman Ayun Temple (Mengwi Royal Temple). It was built in 1634 by Raja Mengwi, Gusti Agung Putu on a land surrounded by a big fish pond with a beautiful garden. Inside this Balinese Hindu temple’s third and most holy courtyard lies the most important shrines with each Meru built on five, seven, nine, and eleven tiered. The compound of the shrine is only accessible during important religious ceremonies and visitors can only view from the outside.

It’s been a long drive on the road and almost fell asleep. Thankfully, we reach to a coffee plantation, Tegal Sari, famous for its most expensive coffee in the world called Kopi Luwak. I was invited by their friendly host, as she introduces and let me taste a variety sample of coffees and traditional herbal tea. The sample of Kopi Luwak costs 50,000 rupiahs (USD $4) and a pack of 250g of coffee powder costs 700,000 rupiahs (USD $50). The rest of the coffees and herbal teas are sold starting from 120,000 rupiahs (USD $9), where is get myself a pack of ginger tea.


Freshen up after taking a few cups of sample coffee, I am now totally awake and now heading next to Ulun Danu Beratan Temple, another popular tourist spot in Bali. It was a perfect time of the year and is a privilege to witness such an event where the locals come here to perform their ritual when Nyepi festival is just around the corner. Balinese Hindu people from every village will gather at the temple during the Melasti ceremony to pray and dress in bright clothes.


Moving on to my next stop before lunch is Jatiluwih Rice Terrace, a village with a splendid view of 22.3 square kilometers paddy fields and earned its place for UNESCO Cultural Heritage. Its surrounding was very cooling because it is situated in the highlands at the altitude of 2,270 meters above the sea level on the second highest peak in Bali after Mount Agung.

The path is very easy to walk, allows me to explore slowly and admire this fascinating paranormal landscape of the rice terrace with the back view of Mount Batukaru. It is fun to observe how the farmers manage the huge land of the plantation just by using seven traditional irrigation systems (subak) with each system coordinated by one master water controller (Pekaseh).

Dine-in at Billy’s Terrace Cafe, right in front of the green fields with a lovely atmosphere. The waiter took some free time to chat with me and later knew that the rice served here are mixed with both red and normal rice, making it so delicious. The paddy of the red rice takes five months before they can be harvest and sold three times higher than the normal packets of rice in the supermarket at 30,000 rupiahs. The normal rice only needs only three months before the farmers can harvest and its size of the grain is smaller than the red rice.

Driving another two kilometers to the foot of Mount Batukaru from the paddy fields is Batukaru Temple. The locals referred to this place as Pura Luhur Batukaru. The walled compound contains several shrines with tiered roofs, high ‘meru’ towers, and pavilions carved with ancient Balinese features.

The 11th-century temple was built to devote to the Hindu god Mahadeva, the master of the air, water, and plants The main courtyard has a lake and freshwater spring that was used as the holy water for prayers, ceremonies, cleansing, and purification rituals.

Lastly, arriving at Tanah Lot Temple right before the sky turns dark. Unfortunately, it has been raining throughout the day and had no chance to see the sunset at the beach. Strong winds and large waves continually crashing at its rock base and it was impossible for me to cross to view the inside of the temple.


Day Three

As it comes to the last day of my Bali trip, today will take a free-and-easy way, so there is no rush to explore the island. The plan is to head down south of Bali to visit Bajra Sandhi Monument. This major landmark was built to dedicate the struggle of Balinese people during the war against the Dutch colonial who invaded and occupied the island. Its architectural design symbolizes the independence day of Indonesia on 17 August 1945 with 17 entrance gate design, eight main pillars, and 45 meters monument height.

There are fish ponds,, a library, administrative rooms and exhibition halls on the first floor. The second floor is the museum exhibiting Balinese history from prehistoric times, the development of civilization, development of the Bali Kingdom and Hindu religion, and the struggle of its people to gain independence. The highest floor allows me to get the 360-degree view of Denpasar. What I have noticed is that there are no skyscrapers in this island because given that the local government regulations and the influence of religious groups do not permit anyone to build any buildings taller than 30 meters (height equivalent coconut trees or Balinese temples).





Day Four

Time flies as it is time to catch my flight back home at 1.30 pm. I need to arrive at the airport before 10 am before the roads start to close for the Nyepi ritual tomorrow. Shopping malls, tourist spots, bars, restaurants, and beaches will be closed from 17 March at 6 am to 18 March at 6 am. Local people also begin their journey back home to make the preparation with their families.

Both Balinese people and tourists are not allowed to walk around the streets. Noises and lights also need to keep to the minimal. Many travelers also do the same by flying out of Bali because the airport will also be closed at the same time as the malls.

This trip is one of the incredible moments of my journey to learn and experience the local culture. Driving through small villages, the streets and visit Ulun Danu Temple to see the Balinese Hindu people perform their ritual will be one of my most collectible memory and worth sharing. (Read more)

Travel Tips

  1. Hire a reliable driver who is well fimiliarize with Bali to get you to the tourist spots. It is help you save time and get some travel advice from them as well.
  2. If hire a scooter, do carry a local driver permit and internationa driving license on the road
  3. Do give yourself enough time to travel from Point A to Point B. Although the distance shown in Google Map or travel guide map maybe close to each other, it will still take longer time to travel. There is only a single line on each side of the road and is difficult to overtake the car in front.
  4. Visitors are required to wear sarong when visiting the Hindu temple. They will provide one without or with a small fee.

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