A story from Tanah Lot

I love stories. One of the many reasons I love to travel is because of the stories I’ll get to hear about. Every place, every landmark, every building has a story to tell, and beautiful and mythical Bali is the very place for endless tales…

“Long long time ago, back in the 15^th century, a holy priest named Nirartha was traveling along the South coast to preach the teachings of Darma (duty). During his travel, he saw a beautiful bird-shape rock at the coast and decided to take a rest and pray to the God of the Sea. There, he preached to many of the local people from the village of Beraban. Villagers in the nearby area also came and learnt about his teachings and became disciples of the teachings of Darma.

This has enraged the leader of Beraban, Bendesa Beraban. He angrily gathered what was left of his believers and demanded that priest Nirartha leave the place immediately. Priest Nirartha was not afraid at all. When he saw Bendesa Beraban approaching, he used his power and moved the rock he was sitting on into the middle of the sea. He then created hundreds of poisonous sea snakes to surround his newly created rock-island.

Bendesa Beraban saw how powerful Nirartha was and surrender to him. Not only that, Bendesa Beraban later became priest Nirartha’s most faithful follower, helping him spread the teachings of Darma.

Before priest Nirartha left the rock island, he spoke to the people and told them to build a shrine on the rock for it is to be a holy place to worship the Balinese Sea Gods. Thus, the temple of Tanah Lot was build.”

Beautiful is an understatement...

The Tanah Lot Temple attracts not only the local Hindu worshipers, but also international tourist to marvel at the beautiful temple at this amazing setting by the sea. When the tide is low, people can even walk to this temple. However, they are cautioned not to disturb the sea snakes as they are believed to be the guardians to the God of the temple.

The Tanah Lot Temple is also one of the seven sea temples build around the coast of Bali. Every one of these sea temples are build within sight of the next sea temple. It forms a magnificent looking chain of sea temples along the South Western coast of Bali.

Sunsets at Tanah Lot are the best!

The silhouette of the temple set against the setting sun is a sight to behold and fall in love with. Book a trip now with PYOtravel, amazing deals are offered in this Merdeka season.

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Offerings for the deceased

It was only very recent when I heard of the passing of a noted, well-respected film maker in Malaysia. Her name is Yasmin Ahmad. My heart was saddened along with the family members and friends of the departed Yasmin Ahmad as I watched the news broadcast on TV. Death, though inevitable, often catches us by surprise; no matter how prepared we think we are. When a person dies and leave behind their physical body, we can’t help but wonder, what will happen next?

Carrying the deceased in a ‘bade’

In Bali, death brings a different meaning. Life does not just end with death. The rituals of funeral rites and cremation play an utmost importance in the stages of life. The Balinese believe that the soul will be freed to begin a new journey when death comes. The soul will be reborn into a future generation. And so, life continues on…

When a Balinese dies, the cremation for the deceased is a joyous one. The whole village will come together to prepare for the cremation. The cremation ritual is a ceremony which purifies and frees the soul from its earthly house and help it set forth to be incarnated. The body will be bathed and prepared as the priest will come and pray and bless the deceased. Meals are also prepared and offered to the deceased as usual to keep the person’s memory alive.

The elaborately decorative base of the cremation tower

The cremation ritual is a costly one. Most often when a family does not have the finances to proceed with the cremation ritual, the body will be buried first until they have saved enough for the event. Sometimes, they will also choose to do a group cremation. The size and elaborateness of the cremation ceremony reflects the wealth of the deceased’s family.

The most exciting part of the cremation ritual for a tourist to watch is the procession to the cremation ground. It resembles a community carnival, with marching gamelan bands and people in high spirits. If you have never seen nor understand the ways and culture of a Balinese funerals goings, you might not even guess that it’s actually a cremation march!

The sacred bull-shape sarcophagus

On the day of cremation, an elaborate cremation tower called ‘bade’ will be build. It is made with paper and soft wood. The remains of the deceased will be placed in it as the people will carry it to the cremation ground. Once there, the body/bones will then be placed in a bull-shaped sarcophagus. (Bulls are considered a sacred animal in the Balinese culture) After that, the burning of the tower and sarcophagus will act as a final cleansing. The ashes will be gathered and be cast into the sea in order for the soul to be released and go on to its next life.

The final cleansing for the spirit to be released

Though the cremation ritual is a tourist attraction itself, you will still be advised to cover up and dress appropriately if you want to be there to watch. I believe it will be an interesting and unforgettable experience to witness a Balinese funeral rites. Life is a cycle after all, isn’t it?

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3) Fresh seafood
No where else you can enjoy a full stretch of seafood café and restaurants along the seaside. Come to Jimbaran, a fishing village in Bali, and indulge yourself with freshly cooked seafood dishes. Lobsters, clams, oysters, squids, fish, prawns and crabs… You name it, you got it! Choose how you want your seafood to be cooked; steamed, deep fried, curry, cheese baked and even ‘tom yam’. Listen to the musical beach waves and feel the cooling breezy wind while delighting yourself with dishes of fresh seafood served on the table.

4) Babi Guling (a pork dish)
A plate of rice served with chunks of roasted suckling pig meat, crispy skin, minced intestines, vegetable and some specially made sauce. This must-try local delight is so popular among tourists as there is one stall located right next to a tourist hot spot – The Ubud Palace. Some travel buses even drop off their guests here for lunch before starting their tour in the afternoon. This dish is served in a big portion. So, if you are not a big eater, you may consider sharing with your travel buddies.

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Turtle Island
I have never know Bali has got a sanctuary to breed sea turtles. As someone who loves nature, this is actually a main attraction to me. I want to see and hold the turtles in my arms and embrace them with love. I also got to know that many species are being bred here with the attention of professionals. That’s good to know that they (the turtles, of course!) are in good care. I can’t wait to see them and have some pictures with those cute little sea creatures.

Dolphin Watching
Dolphins?!! Gosh, I really thought that I need to be in Australia to see dolphins! Well, in order to see those active swimming dolphins, we need to take a cruise ride to the deep ocean. I believe the dolphins would be more than happy to welcome us and dance for us in the sea as their welcoming act. Boy, really can’t wait to see these rare marine mammals in the nature. I must have my camera ready for them!

Uluwatu Temple
A temple built by the cliff above the ocean. The scene here is so amazing that it almost took everybody’s breath away whenever they see it. Well, to me, this place is special because I have never seen a temple built so near to the ocean before. What more, by a cliff! My friend told me there were a lot of monkeys around when they were there. Again, get ready your peanuts guys!

Ubud
This place, I heard, is absolutely an artistic place. There are batik paintings, wood carvings, stone engravings and other kinds of art (you name it!), can be found easily here. In other words, it’s the haven for artists and creative people to gather and show off their talents and masterpieces. Actually, I think Ubud itself is already an artwork of nature. Look at the picture below and you will know what I mean.

Tanah Lot Temple
Another temple built by the ocean. But this one, it is situated on top of a big piece of rock, by the Indian Ocean offshore. The special highlight here is that the temple would be surrounded by sea water by every sunset.

Spa
Spa! Spa! Spa! What a great way to pamper yourself! My friend told me spas here are at reasonable prices and said that you have never been to Bali if you have not tried out their spa treatments. I bet I would be the first one to indulge myself in their signature treatment here.

I have actually booked my tickets to Bali for my coming trip. How about yourself? If you have not done so, no worries! PYO Travel.com is the way to go…

BALI, HERE I COME!!!

P/S : Thanks to Ms Felicia for her beautiful pictures of Uluwatu Temple & Tanah Lot Temple…

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