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Published: August 20th 2007
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Sunset
Tanah Lot Temple Before I travel to a destination, I'll make up my mind about what to do and what to see there. For Bali it was to dive the SS Liberty shipwreck, stroll through some evergreen ricefields and terraces, see a Balinese dancing performance, eat delicious Balinese food, climb one of the volcanoes for sunrise and to watch the sunset at Tanah Lot, one of Bali’s most famous scenic wonders.
Some say that Tanah Lot means "Land in the Middle of the Sea" in Balinese, some other say it's "Temple of the Earth in the Sea" as "Earth & Sea" symbolizes the union of natural and cosmic elements, a powerful combination of energies. I personally prefer the latter translation. But then Tanah Lot is also called Tanah Let "Ancient Land" and also Tanah Lod, which means the "Land to the South".
- Bali --> Tanah Lot Kumiko and I left Tulamben on the North-East coast of Bali and drove back to Ubud to return the rented car. Kumiko managed to arrange a private driver to get us from Ubud to the temple Ayun and afterwards for the sunset to Tanah Lot on the west coast and last but not least
back to Kuta, for a quite reasonable price, what made me admit that women are a way better in bargaining than men - at least when they have to deal with males on the other side.
The Ayun temple was ok, nothing too impressive, but neat to see. After that we moved on to Tanah Lot and arrived right on time to see the sunset.
Chronicles say that Tanah Lot was founded by a 16th century priest called Nirartha. It's said that during his travels along the south coast he saw the rock islands beautiful setting and decided to take a rest there. Some fishermen saw him, and brought him gifts and invited him to stay in their huts. Nirartha refused and spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock as he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.
Tanah Lot was built on a huge rock off shore, which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide and only accessible at low tide. During high water the rock takes on the appearance
Twilight
Kumiko & a Stranger of a large boat at sea, such is its shape. Set apart from the mainland by a stone basin, it is the most romantic and indescribable view, when the golden red skies frame temple and waves crash into the rocks, while the temple dissolves into a striking silhouette against the simmering evening sky.
The temple Pura Tanah Lot, simple in its construction, is dramatic in its ocean-front location and is one of the main temples in the worship of Balinese gods. At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. There is said to be one giant snake which also protects the temple. It is believed that this snake was created from Niratha’s scarf when he established the island.
The area has many local vendors, who have taken over a nearby cliff and filled it with a dozen or so restaurants and open air pubs. After a walk around the area, Kumiko and I dediced to have a drink there and watched the start of the beautiful sunset, the pagodas were silhouetted by dramatic colours of the sun as it dropped slowly into the sea, an
Skyline
Ayun Temple exceptional moment.
Have you ever asked yourself the question why we like to watch sunsets? Is it just because it's simply beautiful? Maybe. But then, what is beautiful? Aren't "beauty" and "sadness" always walking hand in hand? I mean, isn't a beautiful moment in the same instant sad as well, as beauty is perishable like everything in life? So, maybe we like sunsets because it marks the end of something, the end of the day? Like when the setting sun paints the sky into a romantic red, we know that this beautiful moment will not last forever... so, do we like to watch sunsets because, somewhere deep inside, it reminds us that everything is just ephemeral...? and that we are just evanescent? Maybe. Who knows?!
With loads of pictures we left Tanah Lot and returned to Kuta. Had dinner and made our plans for the following days and the decision to leave Bali on the next day to Java, the main Indonesian island, west of Bali.
Even though Bali is not the "paradise" like it might used to be in the past, and partly very touristic, I liked Bali, it's an exceptional destination with a lot to
offer to visitors. Evergreen ricefields, mountains and volcanoes, great diving and surfing spots, a good cuisine, mystic dancing and a very unique atmosphere.
There is no other place with such a mixture of everything, Indian, Asian, Javanese and full of Myths, Gods and all kinds of of creatures... so if there were a place on earth to be called "The Island of Gods"... it would probably be Bali.
To be continued… next: Indonesia - The Ring of Fire...
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Janik
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Pictures
Beautiful pictures, very nice colours!