Love Tree Travel Blog | Bali, Indonesia Part 2

So I posted part one of our trip to Bali, Indonesia earlier. We crammed so much into this trip that I honestly couldn’t fit it all into one post.

Now originally I decided to go to Bali for spiritual reasons. Close to a decade ago I discovered yoga and meditation, and as I deepened my practice I became more interested in Vedic texts and ultimately Hinduism. I was most interested to check out the Hindu temples across Bali because they are so vastly different from the temples I visit here in BC, and I knew they’d be different from the temples in India, which I plan to visit in the future.

The temples were amazing. As soon as you walk into them to you feel how sacred the spaces are. The air just feels different. Everything somehow feels more green, more alive, closer to spirit.

Tirta Empul Temple is a holy temple complex located in Tampaksiring, Bali, Indonesia. In order to be respectful at the temples it’s important to dress modestly. People who are menstruating are not allowed into the temples. I have been told this is partly because menstrual blood is an outward flowing energy, and prayer is an inward flowing energy, therefore those who are menstruating should be in a state of rest rather than taking energy in, so I did have to wait until later in our trip to visit this location.

Inside of the temple is a holy spring from which water bubbles up. The temple is comprised of many complexes that flow into each other. In one area visitors to the temple pray at an altar like shrine, while in another area they bathe in deep pools of cold mountain water. With hands in anjali mudra (prayer hands) they bow under the rushing water. We didn’t bathe in the water ourselves, though now that I have converted to Hinduism I will definitely consider making this pilgrimage next time I’m on the island.

It wasn’t a coincidence that I planned this trip to coincide with the Balinese New Year, Nyepi. Nyepi itself is a day of silence and fasting observed by the entire island, it is a Hindu holiday that is observed by locals and tourists alike — tourists are not allowed on beaches or in public spaces during the holiday. Even the International Airport is closed for the day. Not all of Indonesia is Hindu though – the vast majority of Indonesia practices Islam.

For the earlier part of my trip I sat in a 10 day vipassana meditation, so for me the most important aspect of this trip was setting time aside to look deeply into myself. Our driver Wayan, quicky became a friend to us and when I told him I was considering converting to Hinduism he invited us to take part in the festivities at his family’s temple leading up to Nyepi. I was so deeply grateful to be included in his events, and even more grateful to learn his wife had an extra sarong in my size I could borrow and wear.

Wayan’s family spent the day making offerings and in the evening they brought to their home to change into temple clothing, and we joined their family at the temple. A family from Switzerland with a little girl around Tia’s age was also staying at Art Villa with us and Wayan extended the invitation to them as well. Wayan also had a daughter named Dewey who was two years older than Tia and the three girls were so happy to hold hands and wander through the temple making offerings.

What we didn’t realize was that there was folklore stories, songs and dances all taking place at the temple. I felt as thought I had been invited into a secret world. With not another single tourist in sight except for the Swiss family we had come with we were totally immersed in Balinese culture, and I found myself backstage with the performers as they got ready for the evening’s show.

We didn’t understand any of it of course because it was all in Balinese, but the music was beautiful and the dancing was enchanting and unlike anything Ive seen before. Unfortunately Tia broke out in a mysterious rash (which we later learned was due to a penicillin allergy, and she had been on penicillin for an earlier ear ache.) Because I had had some earlier run ins with scorpions in the day I was feeling particularly nervous about this mystery rash so Wayan was kind enough to take us back to our home a bit early. After he dropped us off he returned a few minutes later with some Balinese medication, and after a quick google we realized it was the equivalent of children’s benedryl and some calamine lotion.

When people talk of Balinese hospitality they are not kidding. The Balinese are the kindest people I’ve yet to meet on Earth. Wayan genuinely cared for Tia’s wellbeing like she was his own child, and Tia took a real shining to him and his daughter Dewey as well.

As Nyepi approached we decided to move to a hotel, that way Tia could play and be a kid, and we wouldn’t be disturbing the local Balinese as they observed the sacred and silent holiday Nyepi. We found an amazing deal for The Mansion on Groupon (and I’ll talk more about this phenomental hotel later). Before we departed our home at Art Villa, we took a drive through the rice fields and went south west to Tanah Lot.

Tanah Lot was the temple I was looking most forward to seeing. Unfortunately the tide was coming in as we arrived so we didnt get to explore it much, but we walked around chatting with Wayan and snacking on delicious Indonesian food at the local warungs. (I ate so much mie goreng over the course of the trip it isn’t even funny and I’m STILL not sick of it.)

I though the sun set at Tanah Lot was phenomenal, but what no one told me was that at sunset millions upon millions of flying foxes emerge from the caves below the cliffs and nearly black out the sky as they swarm the air looking for mosquitoes. Now I am usually not the type of person to get excited about bats. Lets get real, bats are kinda disgusting.

This was the most magic experience of my life. Like one of those experiences that makes you feel so alive in the universe, like God itself is bursting in your heart and in your eyes marveling unto itself. The bats emerged in black jets and floods, twisting and dancing patterns out in the sky as the sun set in oranges and blues behind them. I stood in silence next to Brad and Wayan and Tia as we marveled at the sight, not saying a word, tears just rolling down my cheeks. I tried to make a video but it just didn’t do it justice – but here’s a clip I found on Youtube that someone else captured: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I679WqOLJHM

The next morning I headed to the Bali Botanica Day Spa, on the recommendation of a friend and this spa DID NOT DISAPPOINT. It was hands down the greatest spa experience of my life, and I’m kind of a spa-snob from years of working in the spa industry prior to going to college to study photography a decade back. I was booked in for the Ayurvedic Chakra Dhara, which was the most sensual and spiritual spa experience ever. The treatment begins with the dripping of warm ayurvedic herbal oil over each of the chakra points followed by a deeply relaxing massage.

The Chakra dhara treatment lasted over 2 hours, and ended with a green smoothie, and a beautiful bath in flower petals, overlooking the beautiful Balinese jungle. I can honestly say I felt rejuvenated, totally relaxed and a little bit sexy laying there in my bath of exotic florals. If I ever return to Ubud this will be a definitely stop on my list.

Finally the eve of Nyepi arrived. For weeks villages had been working on building giant effigies called Ogoh Ogoh. On the eve of Nyepi the Ogoh Ogoh are paraded through the streets to scare away evil spirits. Shortly after the effigies are beheaded and then burnt in a massive fire. The biggest parade is in Ubud, of course, and you could feel the excited energy in the air from the moment we woke. Wayan picked us up and drove us over to the Masion hotel where we got checked in and then dropped us off in downtown Ubud before the big parade began.

Admittedly the first Hindu deity to win my heart was Krishna after reading The Bhagavad Gita several times. Seeing giant effigies of Krishna parading down the street made the cells in my body light up like Christmas lights on a tree. We stayed until quite late into the night, but by then Tia was getting tired and hungry, and snacks were no longer tying her over. So we grabbed some food at a local warung, and called it a night and headed back to The Mansion.

The day after Nyepi we mostly stayed inside and quiet, hitting the pool to cool off mid day, but using the day mostly to be reflective.

The following morning I had booked a really beautiful massage at the Mansion Bali’s Spa where I had an incredible volcanic clay exfoliation and banana leaf wrap followed by a massage. I spent most of the day lounging by the pool, but we headed into Ubud one last time to do a bit of shopping for souvenirs for our family.

All in all, month in Bali was a month well spent.
We adored Bali, Indonesia, from the kindhearted people, to the delicious mie goreng, to the endless opportunities to connect with spirit and each other. We cannot wait to return.