Hello there!
Having completed my earlier travel posts on Japan (Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido) and Maldives, I saw that World Map Pin had the Winter Challenge #winterchallenge, so I thought I should give it a shot! Being in a country that is summer all year round, I went through some of previous overseas trips for some winter stuff, and I managed to find some interesting stuff!
And then while I was reading the Halftime post, I noticed they mentioned this:
So far we have seen a lot of snowy winter posts, Christmas markets, and adventures in the cold. Only a few brought in some warm in here. - So we remind you again: The post doesn't need to be winter-related, you can also write about escaping the cold and bringing us some sunshine!
So thinking along those lines, I came to the idea of sharing my experiences in Bali, Indonesia. While it's summer all year round in South East Asia, Bali is one place that many Westerners come to escape the cold winter, and there's ample sunshine here!
In my previous post, I shared the magic of Bali's beaches.
Indonesia - Capturing The Magic Of Bali’s Beaches
As most of you would know, other than relaxing at the spa and chilling at the beach, Bali has a lot more to offer! So here's some of my adventures at Bali!
On one of our days in Bali, we scheduled a day trip to visit some of the sights and sounds around Bali. One of the popular spots would be the Taman Ayun Temple. It's one of the biggest temples in Bali and is also designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Here's the entrance of the temple compound.
Not too sure who they were, but I thought they looked majestic.
As we walked further in, one would see structures or gates like these. In fact, these are very common sights in Bali, and many visitors like to take photos with them.
Here's another one! Both sides are meant to symmetric and I think with the right camera angles, the photo effect can be very pretty.
There are many structures which probably had a lot of history attached to each of them. I wasn't too well versed in history, so I was just happy to explore and soak in these new sights and experiences at this temple.
This area was probably the highlight of the temple. There were shrines of different tiers, and these are the photos you would get if you would Google this temple.
Surrounding the temple is also a water compound and it ties with the naming of the temple, which translates to Temple of the Garden on the Water.
More random sites at the temple...
And a beautiful garden too!
After a tiring walk under the hot sun, we went to try the famous Luwak coffee which was nearby! For those who are not familiar, I took this definition from Wikipedia, and you would probably know why it's "famous" and a little weird. Haha.
Kopi luwak, also known as civet coffee, is a coffee that consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet.
Other than luwak coffee, we were also served with many different types of coffee and tea to sample. Initially, I was wondering if combining all of them together would cause a stomach upset, but since I was there, I thought I should just try all of them. Hehe.
Anyway, for those who are wondering, luwak coffee was actually okay. It didn't taste special but it was fine. And I didn't get any stomach upset. Hehe. I would still prefer my cafe lattes and macchiatos because the aroma from the espresso is much stronger. This tasted quite light. ;)
I liked that the place had a good view and it's relaxing to sit under the shelter, sip our tea, and admire the green fields.
Alright, that's the end of our short adventure in Bali, which is slightly different from the typical beaches and resorts that most people go to Bali for. Have you been to Bali for temple hopping before? Let me know in the comments below!
Stay tuned for more adventures as part of my participation in the #winterchallenge! (if time permits - 1 day left!)
Finally, thanks for reading my post in the community under World Map Pin! On this note, I wish all World Map Pin readers a happy holiday season as well as a happy new year and an awesome 2025! :)