The usual routine of breakfast, bags on bus and the Imaginative Traveller group made their way to Lovina for two nights. Another long day but we had three Balinese Temples to visit. Temple Number One, Taman Ayun, is a short, 18km/11miles west of Denpasar, and built in 1634 by a rajah to worship royal ancestors and bring prosperity to the area. Taman Ayun is a Royal Temple of the Mengwi Empire and just one of Bali’s Hindu Temples visited by many tourists because it is usually on the same route of Tanah Lot Temple (our Temple Number Two). Wide, spacious…View image. View image, filled with towers, shrines, dedicated to separate deities. The higher the tower, the more important the deity. Taman Ayun was filled with busloads of students (from Borneo) who were extremely excited to meet westerners and be photographed with us.

Non-Balinese are not allowed inside Taman Ayun or most Bali temples, and you must be satisfied to just walk around the perimeter looking in the ponds, at gorgeous merus, the multi-leveled towers so that the Gods can descend to earth. There are shrines and memorials at the important temples that go back many generations.

Taman Ayun Temple “merus” (towers), Bali

Taman Ayun Temple carving, Bali

Other than one really huge bug…View image, and raucous interaction with the Borneo teens, the group made a semi-fast circuit and headed to Temple Number Two, Tanah Lot (read tomorrow’s article on Tanah Lot).

Lunch…View image, then Temple Number Three, Ulun Danu…View image, an inspiring place of worship on Lake Bratan, that fills the crater of ancient Mt. Bratan in the northwestern part of Bali, at an elevation of 1,239m/4,064′ above sea level. I was told that this is the most photographed temple in Bali and on the back of 50,000 rupiah notes. I was also told that Tanah Lot is the most photographed temple in Bali and on the back of 50,000 Rupiah notes. Both are stunning sites and perhap you’ll decide who is correct. Ulun Danu also has what is said to be the only Buddhist stupa on Bali…View image.

Ulun Danu Temple, Bali

There were Orchid plants and exquisite foliage…View image… lining the entrance…View image, the Buddhist Stupa and the out of the world Ulun Danu Temple floating in the lake. A fun touch was the big frogs at each corner of Ulun Danu, It was much cooler here, cloudy and even began to rain. This made the women umbrella sellers extremely happy. They just sat around schmoozing, biding their time until the rain began in earnest before rushing cars/buses entering the parking lot of Ulun Danu Temple…View image…with umbrellas for sale or rent.

colorful umbrellas to use at Ulun Danu Temple, Bali

Entrance fees for the three temples plus the Git-Git waterfall that we’ll see on Thursday when we leave Lovina ran 30,000 Rupiah per person (less than $3.00 U.S.). Not bad at all…

Ulun Danu Temple frogs, Bali

Don’t just sit there – Get off the beaten track and into a real life adventure with Intrepid.