Life is easy kya karein

There is Taman Ayun temple which is surrounded by water on all sides and lot of greenery including lawns. We did not explore it completely as we did not want to miss the Tanah Lot sunset. Uluwatu is a temple on a cliff near the Indian ocean and of course a spectacular view. We have kept these two temples for our next visit to Bali. In the Monkey Forest, there are a lot of monkeys, the ones whom we call "Hanuman ji ka roop" ( form of Hanuman) in India. There is a deep gorge with a gushing stream. You can hear it and walk close to it. There are temples and holy springs within the forest. The force of the stream is immense. It is not a gentle meandering one. There is an art gallery inside. Some silly shop construction has happened on one entire boundary wall inside the forest. It is not pleasant to the eye. Central Ubud has a lot of construction going on. Beautiful houses being broken down to make multi storied houses with restaurants or a spa. The beauty of the town is being ...

When we travel on a vacation, we are in a good mood. Almost everyone we interact with is warm, friendly and helpful. At Tegal Sari in Ubud, there was a subtle difference. Adding to all these qualities, people were completely genuine. No perfunctory hotel talks by the staff. The hotel is very interestingly located in between paddy fields. The owner kept acquiring little strip of land between two paddy fields and built the hotel as and when he got the land. The hotel has two entrances...one is manned, has a parking, ponds with water lilies and you walk into the Reception area which is a hut like structure which opens into a paddy field. They have the temple or Padma opposite the Reception area. It is enclosed and has a gate...very rustic and moss covered.  Subtle music from a nearby restaurant is heard because of the quietness of the place. The pool has trees and paddy fields on both sides. It was raining on and off. We got to see the paddy workers sowing the saplings and the green...

Bali has been a dream destination for a long long time. We wanted to go for our honeymoon but the airfare seemed too high at that time.. We chose Langkawi instead and did not regret it. In the past whenever we have planned a vacation, Bali features in our short list. I always strike it down because I feel, if we are travelling so far, then we should spend enough time. I do not have a bucket list. As a bucket list , reminds me of the phrase 'kicked the bucket', which means someone died. . Have a list, but not a list of things to do before you die.  Ubud is calming, scenic and green. It is a religious place for the Balinese Hindus. All the big temples are surrounding the village. Ubud is on the hills and an hour and half drive from the Ngurah Rai Airport. Ngurah Rai is a National hero, a brave soldier who fought against the Dutch. A big statue of his is there in the airport area. Ubud is green coconut, paddy fields and healthy food. People of Ubud do not like to go to Kuta ...