Hetal Chirag
When we were travelling through Bali, we visited the famous Tanah Lot temple which is also known as the “temple of rock”. After crossing narrow pathways surrounded by small shops and restaurants, we were able to see a beautiful ancient Hindu shrine facing the wide open ocean on top of a natural platform made out of black stones.
We were lucky to visit the Tanah Lot temple when there was low tide. Reaching the base of the temple is not possible during high tide since the walkway submerges underwater. We were told that during typical low tide, you can simply walk to the temple. However, the ocean made our journey to the temple a bit more adventurous with water level reaching up to our waist.
They say that Tanah Lot rocks are home to many sacred sea snakes. Once we reached the base of the temple, a priest sprinkled fresh holy water from a natural spring over our heads. We also got to take a sip of surprisingly fresh holy water. With a perfect sunset in the background, the ancient temple looked absolutely spectacular.
The next day we visited Ubud Monkey Forest on our way to Tegenungan Waterfalls. As you stroll through the jungle it feels like you have entered a dream world with moss-covered ancient sculptures and hanging roots from tall banyan trees. You can also say hello to monkeys swinging from one place to another while exploring the lush green forest. Feeding tiny bananas to the monkeys was also a fun experience. You just have to hold a banana in one hand and stand still. Monkeys will literally climb on your body and take the banana from you.
After visiting the monkey forest and exploring ancient temples, we drove to Tegenungan Waterfalls. It’s a hidden gem you must explore while visiting Bali if you feel like being a little adventurous. You need to walk down the stairs to reach the trail that leads to a narrow bridge made from bamboos and tree trunks held tightly together by a few straps.
