May 3, 2026
BALI, INDONESIA has so much to see - it's hard to pick where to start. All I had seen to date, was the Airport. So I figured one of the many Temples was a good start. Our fellow shipmates, had just been here 2 weeks ago for 4 days, when we were off in Raja Ampat and had lots of insight and advise. I found a driver's What's app contact info, through another resident and arranged a 10 am pick up. Delia, joined me and we decided the Hindu Temple, Tanah Lot on the west coast looked picturesque, set out on a rock from the coast.
What I didn't have a good insight on was the enormity of the traffic and how long it takes to get anywhere! OMG!!
It took us just under 2 hours to go 28 km or 17.4 miles! There were no accidents and very few traffic lights - just hundreds of motorbikes and cars going in every direction.
It seems like every inch of land in Bali is built out. A local told me, out of Hindu respect, nothing is built taller than a coconut tree, so all the buildings are just 1-2 stories to keep lower than the Temples. Adorned gates and statues are everywhere you look, on the ground, roofs and walls on the homes, businesses and along the roadsides .They are draped with flower and incense offerings, that appear to changed out and lit all day long. Driving along the roads, taking it all in, is sensory overload!
We walked along the top of the shoreline for great temple views and had some lunch at one of the overlook tables.
On the way back to the Port and the Ship I tried to capture some of the unique passing scenery.
