Thursday 19 July 2018

#SummerInBali Day 5 : Gili Trawangan > Mount Lempuyang > Sanur : Jumping Through the Gates of Heaven


Today we'll be reuniting with our little Honda Scoopys when we're back in Bali!


But before that, let us enjoy the laid back vibes of this paradise just a little more..


Oh I'm definitely gonna miss Gili Trawangan.. the time spent here is just too short. The next time I visit, gonna make sure I have more time here to also explore Gili Air and Gili Meno.


Our ferry ride back to Padang Bai, Bali was scheduled at 10:30AM and we thought it would be late as usual, so we were planning to check out one last cafe for a morning coffee nearby at 10:25AM until I saw this familiar looking ferry docked and asked J, "eh is this our ferry?" 

Still slowly strolling, he was like "hmm... looks like it hor.."

"You think they just arrive or they about to leave?" 

"Hmm... I think they are leaving leh... OMG THEY ARE LEAVING"

Still in disbelief that our ferry was so on time, we waved our hands at the captain while running unglamourously over, carrying all our barang barang before hopping onboard as the last passengers.
Sibei paiseh hahaah.


After 2.5 hours on choppy waters, we're back at Padang Bai, Bali!

So stoned after the ferry ride, had this coconut juice to wake us before getting back on our bikes cuz we are going to be riding quite a distance today!


1:15PM

It's scorching hot now and I don't have my usual motorcycling gears with me but I'm still so excited about riding my way over 37KM to strike another one off my bucket-list!

pc: @smilewithjeryl
That is visiting The Gates of Heaven at Pura Lempuyang Temple.
I first came across a picture of it above on Instagram and was instantly captivated by it. Right there and then I knew I had to ride over here one day.


The road over was generally easy with the usual moderate city traffic, with it narrowing down to sharp turns and steep climbs when nearing the temple.


Temperatures started to dip just a little as we ascended up into the mountainous range, passing through vast padi fields which was really scenic.


As they say, it's not just the destination that counts, but the journey too! Taking a moment here to just soak in this relaxing atmosphere, casting all my cares aside.


We then continued on until we arrived at the entrance of Pura Lempuyang temple where we parked our bikes along the side of steep slopes, making sure our bike's gears were engaged and locked to prevent it from rolling down by any chance.

There were some rows of mama shops here selling mainly tidbits and snacks, so we decided to have a quick drink here to hydrate and that's where J found his favourite instant noodles.


No entrance fee is required into the temple, but the mama shop stall owner advised that everyone needs to be wearing a sarong to enter. If you do not have one, you could loan one from the shop for IDR 10,000.

Trying to look stylish here
From hereon, no vehicles are allowed to enter to it's a short steep walk up the slope to the temple.



One of Bali's oldest and most highly-regarded Hindu temples, Pura Lempuyang sits on the peak of Mount Lempuyang at 1,175m above sea level.


This was the really popular spot to take photos and you'd have to join a queue. The locals there are more than happy to snap a shot or two for you too, without any fee.

It was a rather cloudy day here but the views were still pretty spectacular and the sun was right smacked in the middle of these Gates of Heaven.


On a clear day, Mount Agung is visible from this point. But no one can predict the weather la, so we made the best out of our visit here by taking a lot of fun jump shots haha. This is just one out of a hundred shots we took LOL.


5:50PM

Done with the temple visit and as checked, it's a 2 hour + ride from here to Sanur, where we will be spending our last night in Bali at Sudalama Suites and Villa.

When riding overseas, it's recommended not to ride at night for safety reasons, especially in more rural areas because there are no street lamps, visibility is lower, bad guys or animals may come out etc etc. I always try to avoid night riding situations but I'm guilty of spending too much time at one place when riding around in the day, that sometimes I overrun into night. Just like now :p

There were a few moments where J and I lost each other, and his phone is with me (cuz I'm using it as GPS), but thankfully manage to reunite with each other without much time lost lol. If you've ridden in groups before especially without any comms, you'd know how easy it is sometimes to lose each other and to find each other can take even up to an hour.


8:21PM

After slightly over 2 hours of wheezing in and out of the erratic traffic of Bali with a few near-miss instances (LOL), we finally arrived safely at our hotel and checked into our beautiful garden suite.


Riding a motorcycle actually uses quite a bit of energy because you've got to be really focused when you're on the roads. Riding at night requires even more energy - That's why both of us are pretty tired from today's ride, I'm also too tired to snap anymore nice photos haha.


Starving as usual but not wanting to ride out anymore, we crossed the street and found Baby Monkeys restaurant just opposite our hotel.

Waiting for dinner to be served
Someone buy me a "Put Your Phone Down" shirt please so I can wear it now hahaha.

Balinese satay
Maggie Goreng

Wings and Fries
When we placed our orders, the waitress told us that none of the Balinese food here are served spicy because this place is popular among Americans/Europeans who doesn't take spicy too well.. and I was like, what.. noooooo. I told her we're from Singapore and hope the kitchen could make an exception by cooking up a spicy dish for us haha.


Thankfully, this Thai Green Curry was not too bad and I had my chilli fix!

After dinner, went back to the hotel, took a nice hot shower and slumped on the super comfy bed, smiling off to Dreamland, knowing I have ticked another off my bucket-list today!

Last day in Bali tomorrow!




[Singapore. Ubud, Kintamani, Mt. Batur, Gili Trawangan, Lombok, Pura Lempuyang, Sanur, Bali. Indonesia]
[Mileage Clocked: 411KM]
[Weather/Temperature: 26°C/Sunny]

Next stop: Uluwatu, Bali.