To shrug off some of the lethargy of over-consumption of vegetables that lunch hour and the disappointment of GWK, we decided to get to Melasti Beach which is an hour from Canggu and it is the preferred site for marriage photography session. What a good site, actually! This place lifted my inner spirit immediately. I am surprised that this is truly a very beautiful beach site. Melasti Beach is also located at the most southern tip of Bali and truly one of the clearest water and cleanest beach in Bali.
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| Melasti Beach landscape.... |
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| Melasti corals and landscape.... |
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| Women's power la....... |
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| Pura Luhur Uluwatu |
It was low tide when we arrived there and I could see the coral and rocks formation below. It was such a wonderful sight with the waves of the Indian Ocean hitting the beach. I could see anglers doing their thing at the shallows and pocket pools. Beautiful sight and the rock formation to get to Melasti Beach amidst the twist and turns of road was tremendous. Love the place very much. We did not stay long as we need to get to Pura Uluwatu to catch the sunset which was known universally as the loveliest sunset ever.
Getting to Pura Uluwatu or locally known as Pura Luhur Uluwatu (with Luhur meaning “something of divine origin”) was a real rush as we wanted to catch the sunset. Uluwatu Temple (Balinese: Pura (Luhur) Uluwatu) is a Balinese Hindu sea temple (Pura Segara) located in Uluwatu (South Kuta, Badung). The temple is regarded as one of the sad kahyangan and is dedicated to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in his manifestation as Rudra. The temple (pura in Balinese) is built at the edge (ulu) of a 70-meter-high (230 ft) cliff or rock (watu) projecting into the sea. In folklore, this rock is said to be part of Dewi Danu's petrified barque.
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| Kawan-kawan at Pura Luhur Uluwatu |
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| Mother -daughter bonding.... |
Though a small temple was claimed to have existed earlier, the structure was significantly expanded by a Javanese sage, Empu Kuturan in the 11th Century. Another sage from East Java, Dang Hyang Nirartha is credited for constructing the padmasana shrines and it is said that he attained moksha here, an event called ngeluhur ("to go up") locally. This has resulted in the temple's epithet Luhur.
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Sunset in Uluwatu..... |
As usual, the temple grounds were off limits to tourists except for those who are offering prayers but the view was breathtaking. The inner sanctum of the pura (temple) is perched at the edge of steep cliffs which tower over Bali’s legendary surf breaks at the south. Most travelers enjoy the view of this temple from two different vantage points, from both northern and southern part of the area.
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| Sunset in Uluwatu.... |
Behind the main shrine in one of the courtyards of Uluwatu Temple lies a Brahmin statue facing the Indian Ocean, considered as a representation of Dhang Hyang Dwijendra. The two entrances to the temple area are split gates with leaves and flowers carvings. In front of each of them are a couple of sculptures shaped like a human body with an elephant head. A heritage of the 10th century is the one-piece winged stone gate to the inside courtyard of Pura Uluwatu. Winged gates are not commonly found on the island. An addition to Pura Uluwatu in the 16th century is Pura Dalem Jurit. There are three statues in it , one of them is of Brahma.
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| Fat Buddha, Jalan Drupadi, Seminyak... |
At a good vantage point, I struck a conversation with an Indonesian man, Pak Jomo who tells me that he comes here to catch a glimpse of the sunset. He even told me where to stand to get the best pictures and when the sunset would be at its best. However, that evening, he told me that it wasn’t going to be a good one as it was too cloudy and I couldn’t have agreed more. After taking a few shots of the sunset, I hurriedly climb down the stairs to meet up with the rest who were already on the way down the temple. Along the way, I saw a troop of monkeys and they are mischievous lot indeed. Quickly hurried pass them and went in search of my family and friends. What a great relief and we are off for dinner that night.
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| Interiors of Fat Buddha, Seminyak..... |
That night, we had dinner at Fat Buddha at Jalan Drupadi near our “home” in Seminyak. I guess, it was the place mentioned by our Australian “neighbor” to be cheap and good place for makan. So, we decided to try the fried rice and fried noodles there. Yes, again it was fried rice and fried noodles, our favourite staples in Bali! Hahahahahahhaaaaaaa…… Surprisingly, the food was nice, tasty and quite a portion. Then the crowd started to walk in as they were promoting buy 1 free 1 cocktail drinks. Quite a nice place to relax and sauntered over drinks, actually. Well, we were tired after a long day today but we’ll be back ….someday.
We then walked to Coco Minimarket to get our food stuff for breakfast the next morning. Though tired and exhausted from our travels, these lovely people could laughed, make fun and even lift each other’s mood up. I am so thankful and blessed with Richard, Teresa, Hwee Shean, SYuena and SLing – the bestest travel companions, actually. What a group of bonkers family!
We sat down for drinks and nightcap after freshening up. We talked some more, laughed a lot and drink some more as the night wore on. We had a good time and just laughing at each other, I guess. That’s what good friends do and that’s what travelling is all about. We spoke enthusiastically about the places we went and the food we tasted. We also spoke of the people we’ve met along the way.
It was our last night in Seminyak, Bali and as I lay my head on the bed, I am so thankful for the wonderful memories that I had and the opportunity to share my experience with others through my writing and my own way of expression. I look forward for the next day and I know that I will leave this place filled with greater memories ever.
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