We utilized our first day off from construction to relax and explore Canggu and the surrounding area. We visited the beautiful Batu Bolong Beach and several of us rented surfboards. With waves as high as 7 feet, the beach is great for surfing, but is pretty tough for beginners so we had varying degrees of success. Still, everyone was glad they had given it a try! We also got to simply enjoy the water and soak up the sun, which was a great way to relax and rejuvenate after a busy week of construction and excursions.
There was a lot to do within the city of Canggu as well. The options for eating and shopping seemed to be endless and we really enjoyed strolling through the city.
As daylight began to wane, we took a drive up to the Tanah Lot temple, which sits right on the waterfront. While we couldn’t enter the temple, the view of the temple, especially as the sun set over the water behind it, was absolutely breathtaking. We had a great time exploring the area around the temple where the low tide revealed many interesting rock formations and sea life.
On Sunday we left our villa early to start a full day of travel and excursions. First, we visited Uluwatu Temple on Bali’s southwestern tip. The ancient temple sits atop a high cliff, along which we enjoyed a leisurely stroll and took pictures overlooking the beautiful water below. The temple is notorious not only for its scenic location but also for its Macaque monkeys which are known to steal from tourists and barter for fruit. Surely enough, we witnessed an array of monkey shenanigans including two stolen pairs of sunglasses. Luckily, we kept all of our belongings safe!
Next, we went to the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, named after a 121 meter statue completed in 2018. The statue depicts a scene from Hindu mythology and is y’all enough that we could see it prominently in the horizon from the beach all the way in Canggu! The park also had other art and statues related to Hindu mythology and traditions that were very interesting to see and read about.
Before heading back to Green Lion, we stopped by an old abandoned theme park just outside of Denpasar. We learned that the park opened in 1997 but closed shortly after, leaving it abandoned now for over 20 years. It was cool to see how the surrounding jungle has taken over the park, which mixes with the deteriorating buildings to create and eerie ambience around the park.
EGL Family Abroad 