Nungnung Falls. 500 steps down from the road - and we had it to ourselves.
In the last post I expounded on the beauty of Balinese culture, and in this one I will focus on the natural beauty of the island.
Located just south of the Equator, Bali is a volcanic island with reefs and beaches on the fringes, and lush tropical forests on the interior. The parts we saw were fairly developed, with villages, roads, and rice fields dominating the landscape, but with spectacularly beautiful rainforest filling the many river valleys. Even in a busy city like Ubud, you can step off the crowded, noisy sidewalk, walk a few feet through a resaurant, and enjoy a quiet meal on a veranda overlooking a peaceful, primordeal junglescape.
Here are a few of the sights that took our breath away...
Mt Agung at sunset. We got a fisherman on the beach to take us on a sunset sail. The boat was no wider than my butt, but it had two outriggers, so it was quite stable. Mt. Agung is the "mother mountian," the holiest place in Bali.
Here is the fishing fleet hauled out for the day. They go out after dark (unless you hire them during the day), and return at sunrise. When we sat on the beach watching the sun come up, the horizon was filled with hundreds of traditional Balinese Jukung fishing boats.
Sunrise on the beach at Amed
Sunrise over Lake Batur. We took this photo from the top of Mt. Bature volcano. We hiked up it in the middle of the night so we could be there when the sun came up to enjoy the sunrise, steaming crater, and capering monkeys.
Everywhere you go you see these purple flowers, not just where people planted them, but EVERYWHERE! There are lots of other flowering trees and shrubs growing wild in the forests and road sides, but these purple beauties were my favorite.
The monkeys like them too.
Terraced rice fields. These were my personal favorite. The water distribution system in Bali is unique, and has earned the rice fields of Bali a UNESCO World Heritage designation. The water sharing system is called Subak, and it represents a combination of religious, philosophical, and agrarian ethics.
A typical sunset scene that can be viewed almost anywere on the island.
As soon as you step away from the rice fields or the city streets, you are instantly immersed in lush jungle vegetation. I love tropical plants, but my favorites are strangler figs and banyon trees.
Banyons engulfing a bridge in Ubud Sacred Monkey Forest.
Of course there is every imaginable fruit tree, which not only makes the scenery intersting, it makes every meal a real treat (especially in fruit-deprived Korea). The people of Bali love fruit, and not only do they serve a lot of it, offer a lot of it to the gods, and also use the leaves for serving food.
Bannana leaves are used as plates, and folded up in clever ways to make bowls and cups.
Because the parts of Bali we visited were developed, the only wildlife we saw were monkeys, butterflies, birds, and fish. Not that we're complaining....
A lot of people don't like monkeys, but we found that if you don't make yourself a target by carrying something they want, they just leave you alone and entertain you with their cute antics.
Confession: as a child in the Philippines I was obsessed with collecting butterflies. I thought I was over them until I got to Bali and saw once again how astoundingly beautiful and graceful they are.
Thousands of "herons" (actually egrets) descend on the town of Petulu every night at sunset and roost in about five trees. I have no idea what is so special to them about these particular trees, but the sight of so many huge and beautiful birds congregating so close to us is something I will always treasure.
Warm water filled with hundreds of species of fish and huge masses of live coral - Jameluk Bay is definitely worth the trip.
So that's it. I'll quit raving about Bali (at least online). I'm not trying to make you jealous, but just trying to convince you that a trip to Bali is worth the money and the time. Chances are that Bali's been on your bucket list for a while, maybe it's time to check it off.
