Religious Balinese

To say “Balinese are religious” is quite an understatement. They spent really a lot of their time in temples (locals called it pura), be it temples built by the others or temples in their own homes. And because of the temples they’ve built, it’s enough to attract visitors for a visit.

The temples may be situated by the sea, on the cliff or up in the mountains. And their decorations are very elaborate, with lots and lots of greens and plants growing around the temples. The structures looked black-grey as they built it using the black sands of the beach.

This is an example where their house was transformed into a religious stage for ceremonial procession and just outside this lotus pond, is a restaurant they’ve built for attracting tourists.

They really pray a lot and they spend most of their time preparing for a religious festival, like the Royal Cremation Ceremony to be held soon. At the end of the ceremony, the beautifully made statues would be burnt.

Basically you’ll see lots and lots of temples while you’re staying here. Select a few famous ones to visit. I missed the floating temple during my stay here. Anyways, here are some tips while you’re visiting the temple:

1. Wear a sarong while visiting the temples, bring one if you have one. No shorts and sleeveless shirts.

2. Some temples are rip-offs, so be careful. Some charges extra, while some others would try to force you got hire a tour guide, saying that “there are some restrictions around the temple and you need a guide to lead you, so that you don’t interfere with the ceremonial procession”. Remember that you don’t need to pay for a tour guide if you don’t want to. Bargain with them if you have no choice, at least a 75% off.

3. Sunsets at Tanah Lot and Uluwatu may be enticing, but you may not necessarily see a good sunset. So be aware of that, look at the weather.

4. Monkeys may be around the area. Beware of that in case they snatch your items, especially your spectacles.

If you’ve got the time, you should stay here for a week or two as there are lots to see and enjoy.