On day 3 of my visit in Bali, I got ready and as I had booked a tour of Ubud tour got myself prepared for a full day tour of Ubud. Fortunately, the roads were empty as I had heard from previous visitors that the roads might get jammed due to traffic. The first stop which I visited in Goa Gajah.
Goa Gajah is a Hindu temple of the elephant god, Ganesh and it is one of the temples which is located inside the cave. The stark image of the temple is the opening of the temple which has menacing carvings which are supposed to be warding off evil spirits. The cave was discovered by Dutch archaeologists in 1923 and the holy bathing pool was discovered in 1954.
The temple has idols of Hindu Gods, Shiva, Ganesh and some images of Buddhist monks, this is one of the holiest temples located in Ubud and is accessible by a flight of stairs. I offered my prayers here and explored the region of Goa Gajah which was full of greenery. During my visit, there was a festive event which was happening which is the reason why there were many people and they were setting up tents for the festive happening.
Tip: One needs to wear a sarong if you want to enter the temple, however, Sarong is not needed if your legs are covered, the temple is holy site hence it is advised to remove the footwear before entering.
After my visit to Goa Gajah, I visited to the famous waterfall Tegenungan waterfall. The waterfall is located at Tegenungan Kemenuh village and is visited by millions of tourists worldwide. It is one of the few waterfalls that is not situated in the highlands of Bali and is located with a forest background. The sound of the roaring waterfall can be heard from the distance which the site of the waterfall is amazing.
However, to reach the main waterfall region, one needs to climb down a number of stairs which and towards the waterfalls, a series of bamboo sticks are kept as a pathway. One needs to cross the bamboo sticks and it provides impeccable views of the waterfall. I spent some time here at the Tegenungan Waterfall as it was an amazing site and clicked some images here.
Climbed up which took me some time and headed off to next location called Campuhan Ridge walk.
Campuhan Ridge Walk is a lush scenic pathway across the ridge located in Campuhan where you need to walk with a view on either side. The walk takes about 2 hours to complete from 1 region to other and is a must-visit after the monsoon times as it will be lush green and would be amazing to walk.
Later after a quick lunch, I went to an art exhibition center which is little to less known by many people. It is called the Blanco renaissance museum. The exhibition center was once a house for the famed artist Antonio Blanco. Taking pictures of art is prohibited and I explored the works of Antonio Blanco where there are 2 storeys in the museum. The first story is where we get to know about Mr Antonio Blanco and how he fell in love with Bali and its culture, and some of his famed works are kept in the second storey.
The location of the museum was far from central Ubud, however, the location was quiet and simple. The surrounding of this museum was full of greenery and when you enter the museum you will be greeted by birds. It was an amazing experience as an art lover where I explored most of the art. However, I was due to the closing time of the museum hence I quickly explored the region and stepped out.
My next location was the Tegalalang rice terraces which was on my list to visit and when I entered I was a bit disappointed as I had reached after the harvest region. But I explored the Rice Terraces of Ubud, which was famous for its step terrace.
Before the harvest season, it will be completely green and the surroundings will look beautiful. The step terrace is huge, and if I am not wrong there are 4 major gateways. You need to pay a sum at these gates as they are used to help maintain the surroundings. I explored the region and also, climbed up to other regions to take a better image, however as I mentioned the place I had visited was after Harvest season I could not get the amazing shot which I expected it to be.
Passing through the gates, climbing up and climbing down took a lot of time and in addition to that exploring the place was amazing. I wanted to try out the famous Bali swing here however, I was on a tight budget for the day hence I skipped that.
If you are at the rice terrace at Ubud, do not miss to try the famous Bali Swing as it will be an exhilarating experience.
Next up and the last location which I went to was the Gunung Kawi temple in Ubud.
This is an old temple which was constructed around the 11th Century and is spread across the Pakerisan river. It comprises of 10 rock-cut shrines which are carved on a 7m high cliffs and there are funeral monuments that are dedicated to King Anak Wungsu of the Udayana dynasty.
The temple complex is huge and has a bit of caves which made me explore the regions. There are many rock cut idols present here and are worshipped everyday. Getting down to this temple is bit of a task as it has numerous steps, however once you enter the temple premises It takes your breath away as it has beautiful rock cut works and the calmness brings you with inner peace.
The weather turned a bit cloudy here and hence I packed up my way back to the tour vehicle and off I went to the hostel back after a day of exploring and sweating due to the climbs which I did.
