I was introduced to my tour guide through my Indonesian friend, Ridwan. He helped build my itinerary and revise it when my plans changed. His name is Made. We had exchanged messages on WhatsApp for weeks before my trip and it was like he was already my friend. When I met him I felt like I should give him a hug, but he stuck his hand out and we shook hands. Then he said he felt like he should hug me, so we did.

First we drove to Lempuyang temple. It’s one of the 9 big temples in Bali that the Balinese say they must visit in their lifetime. It is famous for the open gates that look out over the mountainside and everyone wants to take a picture here. Made estimated the line would take 45 minutes to an hour. I just couldn’t see spending my day that way, so I stood further in front of the gate and he got my picture from here.

Instead of getting that perfect photo I experienced something very neat. When we walked the steps to the top of the temple, Made asked if I would like to pray with him or wait. If I was allowed to go in, of course I was going to see how to pray! On the way up the temple steps he bought the offering, incense, and matches.

Each round of Balinese prayer was focused on thanking the gods for something different and in one prayer you ask for forgiveness. We started sitting on the ground with our offerings and burning incense in front of us. Then we washed our hands and faces in the smoke of the incense.

The first prayer is done with empty hands.

The second prayer is done with white flower petals between the fingertips.

The third prayer is done with mixed flower petals between the fingertips.

The fourth prayer is done with mixed flower petals between the fingertips.

The last prayer is done with empty hands.

The priest put holy water on our heads. We splashed holy water splash on out faces. Then we caught water in our hands and drank from the holy water 3 times.

At the very end, we took a pinch of rice, and placed it on our forehead and neck. Then we ate a few grains, thanking the gods for rice (food) and life.

Next we went to Tirta Gangga Water palace. It was built in 1948 and is more Balinese in style. It contains pools, stepping stones, fountains, and beautiful rice terrace gardens. The koi fish in the pools are huge from tourists feeding them! We wandered through the pools and took pictures, then I had lunch overlooking the water palace.

After this, we drove to another water palace called Taman Ujung. It was designed by a Dutch architect and you could see the differences between this water palace and the last one. Inside the palace building was a small museum with photos of the King and his family.

Then we headed south for a long drive to Canggu. I saw a lot of Bali, including more inside the cities this time than when I had traveled to Bondalem. I could look out the window and see the coast with huge crashing waves most of the drive. Once we got close to Denpasar, the traffic got worse. It was very crowded here. Canggu is a resort and beach area very popular with surfers and loud Australians. My hotel is very close to the beach, surrounded by restaurants and shops. On the top level of my hotel, there is a pool and bar overlooking the ocean. You can see Canggu very well from up here. It was pretty cloudy, so I could not see very much of the sunset, but the views were great still.

Having only buffet style vegetarian meals for the last 16 days, I was craving sushi. I found a great sushi place nearby and treated myself to a nice meal: salmon nigiri with creme fraiche and green caviar, maki tuna roll, and a deep fried salmon and cream cheese roll with jalapeño.

I ended my meal treating myself with a chocolate covered ball of green tea ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce that had raspberries, little cakes, and fresh mint leaves. Yes, it was delicious. And yes, it had a lot of things going on.

I walked around after dinner, scouting my breakfast plan and shops to browse the next morning before Made picked me up. It’s the next morning and I just finished watching the cloudy sunrise. Clouds or not, this view is phenomenal.