On recommendations from my Mom and Nasia, I headed to Bali for the weekend (1 to 3 December 2006). I had decided to splurge on a bit of extra luxury and booked into one of the resorts on Nusa Dua beach. And was it worth it!! Saturday morning was spent lounging on the beach enjoying the fact that I had no where to go, nothing to do and no one to see. After I'd indulged in my idleness for long enough, I headed off to the village of Guligan to walk in the traditional terraced Rice fields. Really gorgeous, lush green countryside. After leaving Gulingan, I made my way to the Royal Temple of Mengwi - Pura Taman Ayun. Dating from 1634, this temple complex is surrounded by a moat, and contains many multi-roofed meru shrines, complete with intricately carved wooden gates.
Next up was the sacred Monkey Forest, which is set amongst a cluster of towering trees and is home to hundreds of monkeys. Although monkeys are nothing new, having lived in Durban most of my life, the sheer volume of them was rather daunting. Memories of being chased by monkeys in Leisure Bay did enter my head. Before heading back to my hotel, I stopped at Tanah Lot, famous in Bali as the Sunset Temple. The black lava towers of the sacred 16th century temple, built on a lava rock 200 meters off shore created an impressive silhouette against the setting sun. Almost a perfect end to the day - topped off with a glass of wine and dinner at the beach front restaurant.
Sunday was another relaxing day although it started off with an exhilarating speed boat ride out off the coast of Nusa Dua to see hundreds of dolphins frolicking in the water. Fresh air and sunshine were exactly what my body had been craving. Best I enjoy before heading to colder climates in China next weekend.
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