More Highlights from Bali, Indonesia

We did so much in Bali that I'm having to break this down into separate blog posts. As you've probably noticed, it's impossible for me to just post a few pics and be done with it. I like to give as much backstory as I can about the places we've visited. That's part of the excitement about traveling; being able to learn about new locations and cultures. So here are just a few more things we did in Bali (The Island of Paradise)!..

But before we get started, you have to see the incredible breakfast that was delivered to our bungalow 😋

Okay, let's get into some more highlights from our trip!..

Pura Luhur Lempuyang (aka Heaven's Gate)

On top of Belibis Hill, in Karangasem regency, sits one of the most sacred temples in all of Bali. It's purpose is to protect Bali and its people from evil spirits and it is dedicated to the supreme God, Sang Hyang Widi Wasa. There are 1,700 steps cut into the mountain which lead you up to the shrine from the parking area, but we were fortunate enough to have a driver take us right up the mountain.

You'll probably notice that in the picture at the top of this blog there is no water in front of the gate. So you're probably wondering where the mirrored reflection came from in the image above, right? Well... it's a little photo magic the locals use to create the perfect image for tourists. They literally place a mirror in front of your camera to add in the reflection. And the picture it creates is pretty incredible. Totally worth the 10,000 rupiah which we "donated" to the photographer.

Ubud Water Palace

Designed and constructed in 1948 by Anak Agung Anglurah, the last Raja (King) of Karangasem, The Ubud Water Palace sits just on the outskirts of Ubud in Tirtagangga. The grounds of the water palace include three separate complexes with swimming pools, lotus ponds, and many sculptures and statues.

It's quite the marvel to witness in person. And what makes this place so remarkable is that all of the water is fed in by a natural spring which flows through all of the pools and exits into a rice field below the property. We explored the area for an hour or so, but we could've spent most of the day here.

Near the entrance to the palace there is a huge koi pond where you can walk across the water on top of pedestals. It was almost like a labyrinth on water. The fish followed me around, hoping I had purchased some of the fish food before entering the palace. Unfortunately for them, I had not.

Sacred Monkey Forest 🐒

Monkey Forest is right in the middle of Ubud, which was a short walk from our bungalow. The 12.5 hectares of forest is home to over 700 Balinese long tailed Monkeys, as well as many temples and sculptures. Walking into the forest was very strange because it sits right inside of the city. But once we stepped inside, it was a completely different world. It felt as if we'd gone back in time, deep into the ancient jungle of Bali.

The forest was very entertaining, to say the least. These monkeys were eager to grab up anything they could from unsuspecting onlookers. Just when you thought you were alone, you'd turn around to find a monkey right behind you eyeing your bag. So you had to be on constant lookout. Some folks got a closer counter than they were expecting...

To be fair, she wasn't being attacked. There were workers keeping an eye on us while we made our way through the forest. And this worker thought it would be funny to have one of the monkeys jump on this girl's shoulder. This picture was captured on the monkey's way down and the girl wasn't injured at all.

Then there was THIS monkey who had apparently gotten ahold of a woman's lipstick. I can only assume that there's an empty bag laying somewhere out in the jungle LOL. It doesn't seem that the monkey has figured out the purpose of the lipstick though because he/she just kept smelling it and smearing it on the rail.

I got pretty close to this guy (or girl) but he was really chill. They're such interesting creatures. And I found out (as you can see from the picture at the top of this section) that they work really well with the iPhone X's portrait feature. I guess we're not too far removed from the ancestral lineage LOL.

Next Stop Kuala Lumpur!

I hope you've enjoyed our journey so far. It's hard to believe that it will be coming to an end soon and I'll be back in my home studio shooting videos again. To be honest, I've missed being able to shoot videos for you guys. Anyways, next stop will be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we have a short layover before heading back to Shanghai, China. From there we have two days and then it's back to the good ole US of A.

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