Day 12: BALI: TEGALLALANG, GUNUNG KAWI, TIRTA EMPUL, KINTAMANI, LAKE BATUR, PURA PUNCAK PENULISAN, PURA BESAKIH, PURA KEHEN, PENGLIPURAN
Day 12: Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Today the alarm went off a little later, but not late enough to say we don't get up early. Before leaving to Tour Bali with a Spanish guide by car from Ubud, we looked out to the balcony, to see the views we have from the room, since yesterday we could not even see the Bebek Tepi Sawah Restaurant & Villas of Ubud in the daylight!
Our Ubud hotel terrace
At 7 in the morning we are already in the breakfast area of the hotel Ubud and we get a pleasant surprise. Breakfast is not a buffet, it is à la carte and you can choose between 5 kinds of breakfast, each one more appetizing.
So filling our stomach and almost without realizing it, we see that it is almost 8 in the morning, which is the time that we have stayed with Wayan, which will be our guide 2 of the days of travel by Bali with a Spanish guide by car from Ubud.
After our experience touring the island in this case with Tomi and in 2017 with him, we have to say that we have found in Wayan, in addition to a great professional, a great person and a great friend.
If you want to contact him you can do it directly through his email [email protected] or through WhatsApp in the number +62 813-3778-9865
In case of not having availability you can book this car service with driver in which you decide the itinerary and the places you want to visit.
We go to the room to pick up the cameras and backpacks and we go to the reception.
There we meet Tomi, who explains that Wayan is sick and that he is his friend and has agreed to do him the favor of joining us.
He speaks perfectly Spanish and we tell him that there is no problem, although inside we are not very funny ... we had heard very well about Wayan, but we do not know Tomi.
With those thoughts, but trying to be very positive, we get in the car and show you the planning we have for today.
Tomi tells us that he sees it very well, but that it will be a day full of visits and that we do not think that we will go with much free time.
We explain that this is not what we want and that we do not mind finishing the day late, that what we want is to see and know all we can these days.
And after the presentations and comments about the itinerary of the tour of Bali with a Spanish guide by car from Ubud we set off for Tegallalang, the famous rice terraces.
It took about 30 minutes to arrive and Tomi our guide in Spanish of Bali He explains things about Bali, both Ubud As of history and culture.
We see that he understands a lot and this makes us feel much calmer.
Finally we arrive in Tegallalang, we park on the side of the road and one of the most famous views of Bali.
Tegallalang
At the beginning we were not a little disappointed because we expected to see the much greener rice fields, but Tomi explains that they have already picked the harvest and that is why it is not in all its splendor.
Even so, and despite the fact that the day is quite cloudy, once we are there for a while, we begin to see that behind that postcard view that we thought we would meet, this one is not worse at all, it is simply different.
Tegallalang rice terraces. Touring Bali with a guide in Spanish
Other views of Tegallalang
Before we leave we stop once again, to see another perspective of the most famous terraces of Bali.
After this, we set off to Gunung Kawi, which is made up of 10 candi (sanctuaries) carved into the rock.
We pay 12,000 rupees for the entrance and 2000 more for the parking and we enter what will be our first temple of Bali and of our trip to Indonesia.
And there we were almost speechless, trying to assimilate what we were seeing.
Those temples that we had seen so many times in documentaries and photos, now we had them in front, just for us.
Tomi tells us that we will always try to go ahead of the "tourists" time, so that we can see the quieter temples.
He says that he has more or less seen the idea we have of a trip and believes that it is the best for us, not to mix too much with tourists.
It tells us a little about the history of this Temple, but we are so absorbed in what we are seeing, that we hardly hear it.
Gunung KawiTouring Bali with a guide in Spanish
Gunung Kawi views from the entrance
After spending a while circling the entrance hall, our guide in spanish for Bali He tells us that now we have to go down some stairs, surrounded by rice paddies, to reach the candi that are carved in the rock.
He asks us permission to go to breakfast, since when Wayan let him know at the last minute, he has not had time.
We tell you that without problems and we go straight through the rest of Gunung Kawi.
And without realizing it, we are surrounded by rice paddies ...
Rice paddies in Gunung Kawi.Touring Bali with a guide in Spanish
We are surrounded by nature, we do not know how to look, because everything reminds us of a documentary. We go down stairs and we find small shops that sell water and groceries, souvenirs ...
We continue down, until we cross a small bridge and we find one of the most impressive images before us: The ancient monuments of Gunung Kawi.
Ancient monuments of Gunung Kawi
We get lost on all the roads that surround the monuments and when we look at the clock we see that we have been more than an hour.
So we set off to climb the stairs and meet Tomi again.
Saying goodbye to Gunung Kawi.Touring Bali with a guide in Spanish
On the way back, we meet local people, with whom we share some phrases and offer us insight into their daily lives ...
Nice gentleman who kept asking me where my husband was
Field work
How is it happening to us since we are in the trip to Indonesia, before leaving somewhere, we always look back ... to keep the last image ...
Trying not to forget the last image
And so we find our guide in spanish for Bali, which awaits us at the top of the stairs, with a couple of bottles of water that you bought us.
Here we begin to see that apart from being a very open minded person, with a lot of culture ... Tomi is a very detailed person!
We explain what we have seen, we discuss some doubts we have and we go to Tirta Empul, the sacred pools.
Today we are already seeing that it will be a day full of sensations, because we do not stop seeing new things that leave us with our mouths open.
The car journeys here in Bali They are more “quiet” than in Java, although it is true that there is less traffic.
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Bali by travelers:
- Excursion to the Gili Islands
- Lakes and temples of Bedugul and Tanah Lot
- East of Bali and Mother Temple of Besakih
- South Bali, Uluwatu Temple and Jimbaran
- Cultural route from Batubulan to Kintamani
- More excursions and tours here
Book the best rated tours and excursions in Spanish from Bali by travelers:Anyway, the journey is still a luxury for us, which we continue with our mouths open admiring, this time, Bali go through our eyes ...
And so we arrive at Tirta Empul ... which according to tradition have miraculous qualities.
We paid 12,000 rupees the entrance plus 2000 rupees for parking.
There Tomi explains each gesture we see in the Balinese who are bathing, he explains the reason for each thing and with those explanations we are more speechless if that can happen.
Before us we have something, which we will never forget.
Tirta Empul.Touring Bali with a guide in Spanish
Before taking any photo, we ask Tomi if it is possible to take them, since we see some tourists taking them without having the slightest respect.
Tomi tells us that while we are respectful there is no problem and then, from a corner, we try to capture some details of what our eyes are seeing.
Details in Tirta Empul
In black and white
Ceremony
Priest
After spending a good time watching life in Tirta Empul, we step back on our steps, not before, as in many other occasions, turning around, to keep the last image:
Bathrooms in Tirta Empul.Touring Bali with a guide in Spanish
We leave with some sadness, we would have been here a few more hours, just watching, just trying to understand a religion that merges with life in a totally amazing way.
Before we leave, we look at today's planning and Tomi decides that it is time to go to the Penelokan and Kintamani area, to see the fantastic views of the Gunung Batur and the lake.
Gunung batur
And as always, after many curves, many overtaking, many explanations and questions on our part and in this section, a lot of ascent, we stopped on a shoulder and found a panoramic view, which makes us open our mouths wide.
We rest for a while with these views and above all we stretch our legs, to make our way to the entrance to the Pura Puncak Penulisan of Bali.
Now we have not met any tourist for a long time and as Tomi tells us on many occasions, the early morning is worth it, we take advantage of it ... although only in the first visits, because we have enough additions that most people do not usually do.
Pure Puncak Penulisan
Here they don't let us into the Temple, just see it from the outside, but Tomi insists that we look a little to see the wonder that is right behind where we have to stay.
This visit has been shorter than the rest we have done today and when we look at the clock, it is 2 in the afternoon!
Tomi proposes us to go to Pura Besakih (Mother Temple) before eating, so we will not find so many tourists and although we have a slightly empty stomach, we listen to him and we ride in the car, thinking that in nothing, we will be in one of the most sacred sites of Bali.
When we arrived we found that here we are not the only tourists.
We take the time to stop and buy some sarongs that we want to take as a souvenir.
When we tell Tomi that we want to buy, he gives us an idea of prices, but he always tells us something that for us is a kind of motto. "Pay what you think it is worth." There are times when we get into the bargaining so much, that in the end you lose even the illusion of what at the beginning had excited you.
After many trips, we do not haggle until “the end”, we do it until they reach the price we think the piece is worth.
And so we do with the sarongs ... although this operation takes us almost half an hour and go from one store to another about 5 times.
Once we have them, we will leave them to the car and we will go directly to the entrance of the Mother Temple, which is nothing more than a large complex with 23 independent temples, but related to each other.
We had read that the visit could become disappointing at the insistence of the locals to guide, but the truth is that we have made a visit of 10.
It may have been why Tomi came with us, but we have enjoyed every step we have taken.
Pure Besakih. Mother TempleTouring Bali with a guide in Spanish
As we go up to the highest part of the enclosure, we like the views we have.
Ceremony in Pura Besakih
Pure Besakih
After almost an hour, Tomi looks at his watch and reminds us that lunch time has passed and he proposes us to go to a buffet restaurant overlooking rice paddies.
He warns us that it is very touristy, but hey, as you have to see everything, we say that without problems ... that we can get going.
In less than 20 minutes we arrive at the restaurant and we see that it is a fairly complete buffet, but completely dedicated to tourism. We ask the prices and we get about 10 euros to change per person, so we decide that we stay.
And with wonderful views, we fill the stomach ...
Views from the restaurant
Tomi tells us that he will only eat with us one day. We say no, that we want him to eat with us and that we invite, but although we insist a lot, we only get him to agree to do it on the last day.
He says that the owners of this type of restaurants are already quite rich and if he stays to eat with us, we will have to pay the same price ... and he, if he stays in the car, gives him the same free food ...
There is no way to convince him, although in the end he agrees to have coffee with us after lunch.
We see how the day is flying by, so we get up from the table and start again, we still have several things to visit.
The planning we have taught Tomi says that we now have to visit Pura Kehen, which is the official Temple of the kingdom of Bangli.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Bali
- Guide to prepare a trip to Bali for free
- 50 things to see and do in Bali
- 10 essential places to visit in Bali
- Rent villa in Bali with Airbnb
- The 15 essential temples of Bali
- The best tips for traveling to Bali
- The 5 best rice paddies in Bali
- 10 essential places to visit in Indonesia
- The 5 best beaches in Bali
- The 5 best waterfalls in Bali
- The best things to do in Ubud
- The best places to eat in Ubud
- The best coffee shops in Ubud
- Where to stay in Ubud
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Indonesia
Tomi tells us that he has never been and that if he wants we can skip it, we tell him not to speak, that we still have time and even if we will hit a race to visit him ... And there we go!
Pura Kehen is at the top of a hill and as soon as we arrive we are surprised by the long staircase that leads to an entrance with spectacular ornamentation.
Pure KehenTouring Bali with a guide in Spanish
Here we pay 15,000 rupees of the entrance plus the parking and although we like it very much, the visit we have to do it a little fast. Time is on us ... but we do not stop enjoying the wonderful views we are having.
Pura Kehen interior
From here we go to the last visit we have scheduled for today: The village of Penglipuran.
The truth is that the first time we heard about this name, it was on the Peking Express television show. In this village, one of the tests was done.
And after visiting it, it does not surprise us at all that it is one of the most visited sites of Bali.
Penglipuran
"Restaurant" fast
After a brief visit to Penglipuran, we are leaving Ubud.
Today we have a reservation at the Zen Spa for a massage.
So it's a bit more running with the car to arrive on time.
Tomi leaves us at the same door and there we relax for almost 2 hours with a relaxing massage, then a scrub ... a bath ...
Come on, we can't ask for anything more a day or yes?
And as we do not want to conform 🙂 when we leave the Zen Spa we go straight to the Dirty Duck, yes to the Dirty Duck !!, there Roger eats the famous duck plate and I have chicken skewers that take your breath away.
Having dinner at Dirty Duck in Ubud
About 10 pm we call the Bebek Tepi Sawah Restaurant & Villas of Ubud so that they come to look for us… and really, I think that in that same moment we stopped “existing”… we fell down. It only gave us time to get to bed and think that we are in Bali!!!
Day 13BALI - UBUD: PURA TAMAN AYUN, PACUNG, PURA ULUN DANU BRATAN, CASCADA GIT GIT, DANAU BUYAN AND DANAU TAMBLIGAN, VEGETABLE MARKET, JATILOWIH RICE ...
