BALI
Entering the harbor you know right away you are somewhere special! There are statues and temples sticking out into the sky all around. The unmistakable beauty surrounds you in everyday life
We’ve decided to take a vacation from The ship for a coupe of days. We are docked here for three days,so our friends have made arrangements for us to stay at the Marriott Renaissance Nusa Dua Resort. We will Spend time swimming, sightseeing and sleeping in a bed that doesn’t rock and roll.
After checking in and getting familiar with the resort, we took the shuttle to a nearby shopping center.
The nice thing was it was all outdoors and beautifly green and lush
That’s a good thing because the temps were hot and the humidity was high. As we walked around the area we just melted. 
As the evening came,more people filled into the many restaurants and there was more activity. We shopped for a few items ( potato chips for my craving) and sat in one of the outside cafes and enjoyed a delightful dinner.All the stores had some type of temple either near the doorway or on the ground near the door. This one was quite colorful. Others were just small woven boxes filled with offerings. Our driver told us they are offerings for safety and success.
Returning to our room we watched the night life at the pool area from our lofty perch. The poolside bar changes color, all the pools glimmered with sparkle lights imbedded in the bottoms and overall it was a magical feeling.
Our next day was spent hiring a car and driver and visiting a couple of temples. Along the drive, I took pictures of anything that interested me. Here’s a few
Our first stop was the GWK Cultural Center (Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park) dedicated to the Hindu God Vishnu and his mount Garuda a mythical bird who was his devoted companion.
Greeting you upon entry
The view as we were driven up in our cart ( so glad we bought that ticket!)
The cultural center sits beneath the statue
Inside the center we are greeted by these 
along the walls are the story of how it was built, and a collection of sculptures
I cant tell you who they are as the signs were all in Indonesian
But they were beautiful and the pictures don’t do them justice.
Walking from the cultural center to the rest of the festival grounds. Throughout there are temples and statues celebrating the Hindu religion
Us in front of the statue of Garuda
Below is my favorite picture I think!
This statue is so large that it can be seen from all over the area. We noticed it while driving to our hotel from the ship about 12 km away.
It was a very wonderfully beautiful park. It is owned not by the city, but currently a realtor. It took ten years and many different owners to build. The ground was originally unused land that was difficult to build on. Now it is a multipurpose event center. Iron Maiden (the metal band) played the first concert there, while last year’s G20 global meeting was hosted here. We enjoyed our time here and even though there quite a few tourists here, it did not seem crowded or lose its peaceful nature.
The walkway to the seaside temple. We were warned to watch our glasses, hats nad phones. The grounds of this temple are filled with monkeys. In fact, it is often referred to as “the monkey temple” These monkeys have adapted well to humans being around and they are fast and nimble. They will grab your possessions and may or may not give them back for the treat of a fruit or something edible. We were told many stories of iPhones going lost as they seem to especially like them. Scientists have studied these groupings of monkeys and think they have learned the art of bartering and pass it down generational now. Anyway, armed and aware, we headed into the jungle to see this temple. Before entering we needed to put on the purple sarong and orange sash to pay respect and honor.
The view from one of the walk ways
These steps were long and hot to climb. I am getting older, i needed a few ret stops along the way. But the views were defiantly worth the effort!
In front of the temple gates. We were not allowed to enter as it is a sacred space.
Monkeys observing us. I think it was just too hot right then for them to interact with us.
A fountain/pond built for the monkeys
We enjoyed the temple but because of the heat and humidity we chose to skip the walking paths to other overlooks of the sea and instead had our driver return us to the hotel. About 4 hours of exploring in this heat is about all we can handle.
Greeting you upon entry
The view as we were driven up in our cart ( so glad we bought that ticket!)
The cultural center sits beneath the statue
Inside the center we are greeted by these 
along the walls are the story of how it was built, and a collection of sculptures
I cant tell you who they are as the signs were all in Indonesian 
But they were beautiful and the pictures don’t do them justice. 
Walking from the cultural center to the rest of the festival grounds. Throughout there are temples and statues celebrating the Hindu religion 
Us in front of the statue of Garuda
This statue is so large that it can be seen from all over the area. We noticed it while driving to our hotel from the ship about 12 km away.
It was a very wonderfully beautiful park. It is owned not by the city, but currently a realtor. It took ten years and many different owners to build. The ground was originally unused land that was difficult to build on. Now it is a multipurpose event center. Iron Maiden (the metal band) played the first concert there, while last year’s G20 global meeting was hosted here. Our next stop was a totally different temple atmosphere.
The Uluwatu Hindu Water Temple
The walkway to the seaside temple. We were warned to watch our glasses, hats nad phones. The grounds of this temple are filled with monkeys. In fact, it is often referred to as “the monkey temple” These monkeys have adapted well to humans being around and they are fast and nimble. They will grab your possessions and may or may not give them back for the treat of a fruit or something edible. We were told many stories of iPhones going lost as they seem to especially like them. Scientists have studied these groupings of monkeys and think they have learned the art of bartering and pass it down generational now. Anyway, armed and aware, we headed into the jungle to see this temple. Before entering we needed to put on the purple sarong and orange sash to pay respect and honor.
The view from one of the walk ways
These steps were long and hot to climb. I am getting older, i needed a few ret stops along the way. But the views were defiantly worth the effort!
In front of the temple gates. We were not allowed to enter as it is a sacred space.
Monkeys observing us. I think it was just too hot right then for them to interact with us.
A fountain/pond built for the monkeys
We enjoyed the temple but because of the heat and humidity we chose to skip the walking paths to other overlooks of the sea and instead had our driver return us to the hotel. About 4 hours of exploring in this heat is about all we can handle.Back at the hotel it was time for lunch.. thought a chili cheese dog sounded good… it was HUGE! No way could I eat a foot long hot dog!! The chili was excellent and the coke was refreshing. Then off to an afternoon of pool play, nap and then a late dinner.
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