Temples, Plants and one Waterfall

I recently travelled to Bali for a short break, being that its both cheaper and quicker to fly to than most cities on the east coast, it was an easy sell.

I was collected from the airport by Mangku days before, he was kind enough to drive me around a further two times on my holiday in Bali.

Today's mission was to just drive on up the middle, heading north until we ran out of time, and then turning back, but more accurately, we planned on stopping at Taman Ayun Temple, Leke Leke Waterfall, Bali Botanical Garden and finishing with Ulun Danu Beratan Temple.

Taman Ayun Temple

This one is a small-ish Hindu Temple, not far north, still close to suburbia. It's made up of a number of structures, surrounded, according to the brochure, by a number of canals. I prefer to call them moats, because they are impassable.

There are a bunch of shrines, pavilions and ponds. Took me about an hour to walk around the place. There's kind of a diorama chicken fighting display but, more amazing, just before the chicken display is a small cinema. I watched for a short while but that's not what caught my attention...

One is a chicken fighting display

...the other is a canvas of...yes. Click and zoom if you dare...

Leke Leke Waterfall

One thing Bali has in abundance is massage parlours, mosquitoes, swimming pools, mi goreng, mopeds, coconuts, beaches and waterfalls. Many one things.

I've been to a fair few waterfalls each time I've been to Bali, but each time I go, in a pleasant way I'm starting to visit the waterfalls that seem to be devoid of tourists, either by being less popular or because its low season.

I paid a small fee, wandered down the many many steps, skipped over the sections of mud, across the river, up a short section, back down and further down to the base of Leke Leke waterfall. Glad I wore my hiking shoes, there were many thongs abandoned in the sticky mud, and of course there was one wise man with a walking stick, with many thongs from those that had succumbed to the trail.

No tripod and tracelling solo makes for no person subject....but what a cute waterfall

Bali Botanical Garden

Bit further up the road to the north was the Bali Botanical Gardens. There was a strangely high number of strawberry vendors, but do not get distracted! Paid the entry fee and had a walk around.

Up the middle of the place is the sealed main carriageway that runs up to the top of the valley this park sits in. At the end of this road is a giant old tree, which I never saw. On the way there though are a series of statues that line the centre line. They were gloriously dramatic.

On the left side of the road, grassland, lots of trees, heading though and up the valley, leading to the mysterious Cactus Greenhouse.

On the other side of the road is the Orchid Park, the downside being that it wasn't orchid season, but it was still quite nice walking around the place.

We walked through the rose garden, understandably underwhelming in the absence of roses, and then walked back to the car, enjoyed a quick fish lunch and then onto the last stop of the day.

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple

You might recognise this place, another Hindu temple but located on the side of the Beratan Lake. It costs IDR75k to get in, cheaper if you're a resident. There are a handful of temples, pavilions, a jetty to rent pedal and motor boats. The lake side temple is stunning, very popular, definitely the busiest place we've been to today, though more so with Indonesian than foreign tourists... but there was a darkside to this place....