Have you ever thought about how do the local Balinese people earn besides tourism? Have you ever heard of the Celuk Village or Luwak Coffee: the world’s most expensive coffee? Is there any famous volcano in Bali? Don’t worry, as we will be taking you all to this beautiful part of Bali. We are as excited as you are….. Just be with us as we take you to a picturesque part of this island.
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……….
Let’s start with a common question……..
Table of Contents
1. What is so special about Central Bali?
Before we start anything. Just be informed that it was our third day in Bali.
We planned to explore Central Bali. This enchanting region was packed with awe-inspiring beauty and rich heritage, from ancient temples to lush rice terraces. Let us take all of you to this picturesque landscape and immerse yourselves in the Balinese Culture.
Now of course, you the next thing you want to know would be…………
2. How did we land in Bali?
We want to inform new readers landing on this post that we reached Bali two days back.
South Bali was done. You would love to read our previous blogs on Bali.
Let’s come to where we were. We got ready for the day tour, and while waiting for the car, we had breakfast in the hotel. It was a set course menu with sandwiches, fried rice, fruits, cupcakes, tea and coffee.
After the sumptuous breakfast, Deva, our guide, came to pick us up around eight o’clock, and we began our tour with the Elephant Cave Temple.
Wait, there was no real elephant though; you might want to know………
3. How was the Elephant Cave Temple?
It took us around 1.5 hours to reach the temple. The temple was also known as Goa Gajah Temple. It remained open throughout the week from 8 AM to 4:30 PM.
The entrance fee to the temple was around IDR 15,000 approximately. A proper dress code should be followed, covering the knee while entering the temple premises. You can also opt to borrow “Sarong” at the entrance.
The name ‘Elephant Cave Temple’ is due to its close proximity to the Elephant River. The architecture features both Buddhist and Hindu themes.
Visitors from nearby Ubud are drawn to this premises with mysterious caves, artefacts, and historic bathing waters surrounded by lush rice paddies and a garden. The cave has a giant entrance like a demonic mouth which feels like entering an underworld as we venture inside through the darkness.
Sure, you might want to know……….
4. What was there inside the temple?
As we entered through the dark, narrow passage, the cave ended in an intersection. The left path has a statue of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu deity, and the right passage has a small worship area with several stone structures honouring the trinity Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma.
Temple premises has beautiful surroundings of rice paddies, garden and stone steps leading to other exquisite settings. On getting down the stairs, a small waterfall awaits visitors.
It seems to be a scenic dreamland coming straight out of some movie. It was time for us to move to our next destination, so we hopped on our car again. It was around an hour’s drive from here, and we reached the famous Celuk village.
Have you ever heard of Celuk or Ubuk? Don’t worry….. We understand…….
5. What is there in the Celuk Village?
Bali Celuk village is a traditional village near Ubud, famous for its incredible gold and silver handicrafts. You can get yourself some beautiful jewellery/handicrafts. It was just amazing to see them prepare some live painting or print them. We loved spending over an hour there.
The next place on our list was Tirtaa Empul Holy Water Temple, and it was around 11:30 AM when we started from there.
What do you think about hearing the name of our next spot? Just think… Till we answer…..
6. What was so special about Tirta Empul Holy Water Temple?
Let us first tell you about the general perception of the temple.
It took us nearly one hour to reach the Holy Springs of Tirta Empul Temple. After getting down, we quickly took the tickets, which cost around 50,000 IDR per person. The place was considered sacred by the Balinese Hindu community. The holy springs in the temple were believed to have their own importance as it is said to have been created by God Indra and believed to purify those who bathe there.
One can spot people bathing in rows, which is quite crowded. We explored the lush green area & admired the architecture of the temple and its surrounding, and clicked some snaps.
The site offers some fascinating views one will ever see. We were hungry by that time as it was time for us to move for lunch with one of the best views in Bali.
You might be wondering……
7. What do you mean by having lunch with the best views in Bali?
Yes, you read it correctly; it was one of the best views in Bali. We were having lunch in front of the Kintamani volcano. Kintamani Volcano, or Mount Batur, is an active volcano.
Our driver cum guide took us to one of the nearby restaurants, where we quickly grabbed the best table to admire this scenic view. “Delicious lunch with the marvellous volcano view” aptly said. It’s a must-visit place.
We spent some time there after lunch. One can also opt for the Mount Batur trek to view one of the best sunrise, unfortunately we couldn’t plan due to our time constraint.
After our superb lunch, we headed towards our next destination, the Tegalalang Rice Terrace.
Don’t judge by seeing the name. We know, what is going on in your mind……….
8. What is there at the Tegalalang Rice Terrace?
Just don’t imagine it to be a normal rice terrace. Be informed that it was a UNESCO world heritage site.
Tegalalang Rice Terrace remains open every day from 06:00 AM to 7:00 PM. There was an entrance fee of 25,000 IDR per person. It was located in a valley with breathtaking views of the terraces and the lush surroundings.
We went down & crossed a small stream to get to rice fields on the other side. It was all green as far as your sight can reach. After enjoying the most picturesque spot of Bali, we wanted to try out the world–famous and most expensive Luwak coffee.
Hence, we moved on to the most awaited destination of the day: “Bali Swing and Luwak Coffee Plantation”—time for us to tell you all about the most expensive coffee of the world – Kopi Luwak. The entrance fee of the place was around 100,000 IDR per person.
Hmmm… Now you are curious to know…………
9. What is so special about Luwak Coffee?
The answer can be subjective and others might differ in their own opinions.
To be frank, Luwak Coffee: the world’s most expensive coffee, isn’t your typical cup of coffee. It is not taken straight from a coffee farm. Its expensive and distinctive nature results from how it is created.
The name Luwak has a story associated with it. It is after a cute little animal called Civet. We even spotted the Civet in the plantation area. These are usually found in tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They love eating fresh fruits and berries, especially coffee berries. They eat the berries and excrete them out.
The processed berries are harvested and used to make the popular Kopi Luwak. The processed beans are roasted and crushed, eventually reaching us in expensive packages.
We got a menu card and plenty of coffee flavours to try with. We relaxed here as we sipped the coffee and had a gorgeous green magnificent field view to cherish.
If anyone wishes to visit Bali, they can explore the various options available on their site. They provide affordable packages.
If you are planning to visit Australia, you can subscribe to their channel and get to know about their experiences. You will be able to plan on your own.
With that, our third-day experience came to an end. Yes, we don’t sign off without this question…….
10. What kind of help are we gonna provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will be giving you a glimpse of our journey and also helping you to plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Read about our Andaman and Nicobar blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and keep an eye out for the next destination story of Bali. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau