Monday, March 18, 2013

Tabanan, Bali, Indonesia

After 5 nights in Ubud, we spent the next 2 at the Pan Pacific Nirwana which is a gorgeous 5 star resort on the southern coast.  The grounds at the resort are imaculate, the service is flawless, and the food is amazing, especially the breakfast.

The pools are beautifully designed, and bales (a Balinese cabana) are all throughout the resort by the pools and along the cliffs overlooking the beach to hang out in.  It really is quite a sight!  But the most special thing about the Pan Pacific is that it overlooks Tanah Lot, a rock-formed temple that sits offshore.  Tanah Lot is accessible when the tide is low, but during high tide, there is no way to get to it.  Sitting on the cliffs overlooking Tanah Lot and listening to the 8 ft plus waves made a very romantic sunset. 

After our first breakfast there, we decided that it would be a great time to walk over to the temple to explore since the tide was low.  We happened to walk upon what ended up being our favorite moment in Bali.  Each temple has a birthday celebration, and we just happened walk up to the birthday ceremony of Tanah Lot.  Everyone was dressed in their ceremony sarongs which are nicer than their every day sarongs, and they were parading up to the temple with offerings and the traditional Balinese umbrellas.  Holy men were giving blessings with holy water, and everyone walked up to the temple after taking off their shoes, gave offerings, prayed, and came back down with the gamelan playing in the background.  It was truly a magical experience to witness.

After that amazing morning, we spent the rest of our time at the resort just lounging in the bales, and Joshua spent a good amount of time on the pool slide.  I have never seen him so child-like, and I could not stop laughing.  He talked me into going down it a few times and would catch me at the end so I wouldn't go underwater because the current was so strong. 

We really had an amazing 7 nights in Bali.  I often teared up because I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the experience of such a beautiful culture.  My goal is to be as happy and loving as they are in Bali.












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