Bali Trip 2018

There was something magical about Bali. Something that left us with a lot of inner peace. It felt like we were back from meditation. My wanderlust has taken me to several places within and outside India. But what was so different and wonderful about Bali? Maybe the crazy vacation plan with a like minded friend? Maybe seeing a lot of greenery around? Or was it simply the magical charm of Bali? Read my photo blog to know!

The Westin, Nusa Dua Beach

Dreams anew on a fresh new day Happiness I sense is coming my way... In His beauty I let myself soak While He sends me a message In those Rays of Hope! - Mukta Aphale

Indonesia is a foodie's paradise. We went on a food tour one evening where we tried out 4 restaurants and 12 dishes. We ate at Moonlight Rooftop restaurant & bar which offered a lovely view of the golden hour. Kilo Bali was my personal favourite and a must to visit when you are in Bali. We also tried Frestro and Salazón.

Baked Bombe Alaska dessert at Salazón; Delicious food & wine at Kilo (PC: Dipti)

Sunset at Double Six beach, Bali

One of the highlights of our trip was doing a sunrise trek atop Mt Batur. Mt Batur is an active volcanic mountain close to Ubud in Bali. It is 1700 meters high and about 2 hours climb. Most exciting part of our trek was we started at midnight! We woke up at 1am, took a cab at 1:30am, reached the mountain base at 3:45am, started the climb at 4am and reached top at 6am!

When we started the climb up the sky was clear and we could do star gazing as it was a no moon day. We could see Mars very clearly. We were given torches to see our way up; when we switched off the torches it was pitch dark! The entire climb was a lovely experience.

As we neared the top of the mountain, it suddenly became very clouded and foggy. When we reached the top, all we could see was a white dense fog and we wondered if we climbed that high up to view this fog?!

White dense fog

Sun begins to rise...

But just when Mr. Sun started to rise, the white curtain was drawn and the most beautiful show started unfurling before our eyes! It was one of the most serene and beautiful experience! I recommend the Mt Batur sunrise trek when you visit Bali.

Sunrise trek from Mt Batur

Sharing a panoramic video from the mountain top. Check it out below.

It is so ironic that it was very cold on top, 5 deg C but next to us on the mountain was the volcanic crater from which hot steam was coming out. It was magical!

Volcanic mountain

Steam from small crater

Bali is known for its beautiful Hindu temples. We visited the Pura Tirta Empul in Ubud which is a holy water temple, the Pura Ulun Danu Beratan, a lakefront temple with gardens and the Tanah Lot temple. The temples are beautiful and serene. There are many stone carvings which showcase Bali's distinct culture. These temples are very different from the Hindu temples in India. In some of the temples, a "sarong" is mandatory for everyone.

Bathing in holy water for blessings (PC: Dipti)

Pura Tirta Empul

Procession in the temple (PC: Dipti)

We also visited some other places like: Coffee plantation and tasting, Tenenungan waterfall and terraced rice plantations in Ubud. All three were good. You can skip these as they are typical touristy places you can see elsewhere.

When in Bali a must watch is the traditional dances. We watched the Kecak dance near Ubud market. This dance does not have a playback recorded music. Around 60 men were chanting "ke-chak" which created the rhythm on which a part of Ramayana play was enacted in the dance form. At the end of the dance, a boy who is supposed to be enchanted, danced on top of real fire!

Kecak Dance

Boy dancing on fire

Another must visit attraction in Bali is the Tanah Lot temple. Tanah Lot temple is one of the 7 sea temples to worship the Balinese sea Gods. The sea around Tanah Lot is mesmerising and said to be surfer's paradise. We spent time watching the huge waves hit the rocks at Tanah Lot and break into sprinkles...

Tanah Lot Beach (PC: Dipti)

The wave of hope rose And gushed towards the shore... Green and blue and then white It made a melodic roar... The wave hit the rocks and shattered Into beautiful pieces of water But my hopes only grew higher! ...And I could feel the love of the Creator! - Mukta Aphale

Tanah Lot (PC: Dipti)

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple (PC: Dipti)

This trip marked our first for diving. We did Scuba diving at Tulamben, which is to the north of Bali. We dived down into the sea to watch an American ship wreck. I didn't know that a ship wreck under water would look so beautiful! I discovered that the most peaceful and quite place in the world is under the sea! They say diving is like meditation.

Scuba diving at Tulamben

An interesting note here is that Tulamben and also our hotel that night was very close to Mt Agung - the volcano which has erupted just a week before our visit! Due to this, the entire resort was to ourselves! We were upgraded to the beach villa at Hotel Kejane Tulamben on the Kubu beach, which is the preferred resort when you visit Tulamben for diving. We were able to watch one of the beautiful sunrise from Kubu beach.

Our life is like the sea... Calm or still. Rough or turbulent. But no matter how... It’s always beautiful! (PC: Dipti)

The sunrise doesn't care If we watch it or not. It will keep on being Beautiful, even if No one bothers to look at it! (PC: Dipti)

We concluded on our trip by soaking in the beauty of the sunset from the infinity pool at the Padma Resort on Legian beach. Legian beach is supposed to be the party area of Bali.

Padma Resort, Legian

Sunset at Legian Beach

Bali is a lovely place. Must visit. The people in Bali are nice too. It takes you close to the nature. It is artistic and rustic. I hope Bali stays like this and doesn't lose its charm as tourism grows in Bali!

The memorable trip to Bali made me realise: "It's all about finding the calm in the chaos"

Legian Beach

Life is only a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see...

Count not the cost of giving...

“Count not the cost of giving, give off yourself with a smile! The secret of all true living, is reaching out all the while...!”

This song (our school anthem) was playing inside my head. I was feeling happy and content. This feeling was way too different. It was one of its firsts.

We were at our sons’ threading ceremony. My husband had gifted one year educational sponsorship to 8 kids through Swa-Roopwardhinee NGO. We had just met those 8 kids, had a tete a tete with them and they felt like an extended family.

Indian traditions and rituals are sacred. There is a scientific base to everything, they say. With due respect to all the traditions, my atheist husband felt we should tweak some of the rituals to match to current day needs.

In olden times, the threading ceremony was done to mark a son leaving for his higher education at “gurkukul”. There is a ritual (matrubhojan) in which the mother of the son calls over 8 of his to-be classmates and serves them special lunch. The logic at that time was that it gives the mother some assurance to know the other disciples who will be studying with her son, as the son will be staying away from her for several years for education. Also it is the last time when the mother takes her son on her lap and feeds him food. Note - it was a time of no mode of communication! The world was probably driven by telepathy and rituals ensured spreading a feeling of positivity.
We felt - how is this even significant in today’s world?

We decided to tweak this. Threading ceremony is associated with knowledge, education and gaining wisdom. There are so many bright kids out there who deserve to go to school but cannot afford it due to economical reasons. It’s more important to help them than follow a ritual where we call 8 “batu” and have them sit for “matrubhojan” and pay the caterer for the event a few thousand bucks extra for wasted food which these “batus” don’t eat!

We would like to spread this message to all: We all spend loads of money on such functions. There are small ways where we could save a few bucks here and there, eg decorations, wastage of food. This money can be better used by someone who is in need of it. It will cost you nothing extra. Infact you would be blessed with a lot of good wishes! Such acts spread feelings of positivity which would ensure you the real happiness. And this indeed is a different kind of happiness which you all must experience.

To know more about how you can help make a difference, checkout the website: http://www.swaroopwardhinee.org or you can leave me a message.