Friday, March 23, 2018

Thursday, Mar 22nd, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

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Greetings!
After two wonderful days on the north coast of Bali, we drive south from Lovina for the town of Ubud.   The road climbs up and down past rice terraces along the way, and we try to time our photos out the windows to not include electric wires we tell ourselves we can Photoshop out of the picture. 
We visit Brahma Vihara Arama, the most important Buddhist monastery in Bali, complete with golden Buddha statues and a pristine natural setting.  Our guide (Putu) took us on a special tour of a mostly non-tourist center, currently serving as a meditation resource. 
Our main destination was Tanah Lot, an ocean temple built atop a huge rock surrounded by the sea at high tide by one of the last priests to come to Bali from Java in the 16th century.  The rituals held there include the paying of homage to the guardian spirits of the sea, as sea snakes found at the base are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders.  
I found some surfers sampling the waves just east of the rock.
Finally, we arrived at Ubud.  The town gained a reputation many years ago as a mecca for scruffy backpackers, cosmic seekers, artists and bohemians.  Now, you’re more likely to find western travelers seeking great restaurants, gallery art and photographs, handmade clothing and silver, and exotic daytrips.
To see all of the photos taken today, click on Thursday, Mar 22nd, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

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