Tanah Lot

I like to tan a lot.

Haha ok, this is true, but it's almost my attempt at a silly pun. Tanah Lot, two hours by moped to the northwest of where we were staying in Nusa Dua, was in my opinion the most beautiful site in Bali. It is a holy rock island temple, built ages ago and still sacred to the local priests who worship at the island today.

Ocha and I only stayed by the shore. You could cross over, it was low tide, but I don't know that we would have been allowed inside and around the small but cliff-faced island. We took a lot of pictures, the scenery was absolutely stunning. The water was so clear, and it glided up into the flat, intertidal areas with each incoming wave. There were shallow crevasses all over, as well as perfectly circular isolated pools. These pools were not yet subjected to the coming tides, so their clear waters were perfectly still, the sand nicely settled at the bottom. It was fun to just hop in these pools, or walk along inside the crevasses. You had to be wary of crabs though! They were everywhere. Luckily, the water was so clear I could always see them before coming too close.

We walked along the coast awhile. There was a steep cliff separating us from higher ground, and for some reason we were some of the only tourists who wandered from nearby the temple. There was a nice cushion of sand close to the cliff, and a ledge just at my fingertips if I also stood on a separate boulder. I wanted so bad to climb it! The problem- beneath the ledge the rock quickly curved back. I first tried climbing from upside down. Nope. I tried pull ups. Nope, that didn't work either. I tried jumping. Definitely a nope. Haha anyone who knows me, knows that jumping was surely a fail. I eventually walked way down the beach to climb up on a not so challenging part, and sat on a ledge that didn't protrude out so far. I later took back my camera from Ocha to find a long series of photos outlining my humorous struggles.

We walked further to some higher cliffs that we could walk out on and over the ocean. The strong waves burst upon the rocks, sending up a thrilling spray of salty sea water. It is a powerful, inspirational lookout point. I would have liked to just sit there until the sun set.

We instead walked back and to the opposite side of the temple. There was another cove area, where the rock cliff made a natural bride to another, smaller temple sitting high atop the stone. It was a beautiful sight, one that belongs on a post card. Funny thing is, that is actually how I found out about this place. I first bought its postcard. Far away in Kuta beach, I held up the card, saying to Ocha excitedly, "wow, can we go there?"

I could have spent all day at Tanah Lot.