Bali’s Water Temples

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan

The sky was still gray and gloomy when we reached the lake. The air was chilly up there, but it was puzzling to see so many people wearing swimsuits as if we were on a beach. For a brief second, I wondered if I should have brought mine with me.

The temple was small and serene, seemingly floating in a lake with lush green mountains behind it.

The trees stood like guardians. We walked around for minutes ignoring the driver’s request for us to meet up at a certain time. We suspect that he wanted to go home early thus imposing short hours for each place we visited.

Tanah Lot and the surprise sunset

The drive to Tanah Lot was long, but our eager driver was able to pass the other tour vans and got us there ahead of schedule. He seriously wanted to end the tour as early as possible and did not care about our safety. After our earlier accident, you’d think he would have learned his lesson. But instead, it was as if he’d developed amnesia in a short amount of time and ignored any safety protocol.

I was crossing my fingers the whole time, and with luck, the sun was out when we got there.

Tanah Lot is one of those places you definitely have to visit in Bali. There are tons of tourists, but the sunset view and the rock formations make it worth the visit. The afternoon sky was scattered with colorful kites, while the sound of the waves was hypnotizing. It was also fun observing the crowd as they moved from rock to rock, drawn by the light and the crashing waves.

My camera’s battery died just as the sun began to set which drove me to use my phone’s camera. The photos below are taken using my iphone 4. Can you tell the difference?