Selasa, 07 April 2009

Tanah Lot Temple

Tanah Lot means "Land in the Middle of the sea" in Balinese language. Located in Tabanan, about 20 km from Denpasar, the temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. The area comprises a wondrous mixture of natural beauty and sheer human effort. Here lies an idyllic white sand beach with crashing waves, complemented by a small yet majestic temple. This temple, known as Pura Tanah Lot, juts out to sea on a rocky background. Tanah Lot attracts throngs of both locals and tourists daily. Most come here longing to catch a glimpse of the romantic Tanah Lot sunsets, a regular occurrence during the dry season (April to November).

Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of the 15th century priest Nirartha. During his travels along the south coast he saw the rock-island's beautiful setting and rested there. Some fishermen saw him, and bought him gifts. Nirartha then spent the night on the little island. Later he spoke to the fishermen and told them to build a shrine on the rock for he felt it to be a holy place to worship the Balinese sea gods.

The Tanah Lot temple was built and has been a part of Balinese mythology for centuries. The temple is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each of the sea temples were established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast.

At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. As well as one giant snake which also protects the temple, which was created from Nirartha's ’s scarf when he established the island.

Sanur Beach

Sanur is one of Bali's biggest traditional villages but it's also one of the most established tourist areas. Sanur was Bali's first beach resort but still retains its Balinese character and old style village ambiance. On the southeastern side of Bali, Sanur beach is easily reachable from Denpasar, about a 5 to 10 minute drive. Sanur is an excellent site to watch the sun rises, as we jog along the white sandy beach. Being one of the first resorts developed in Bali, Sanur maintains its traditions. Only a stone thrown away from the beach, ancient temples stand as solemn as they have been in centuries past. Palm-lined beach, facing the Indian Ocean towards the east, Sanur is an excellent place to see the sun rise in the morning. "Bali is the morning of the world", it is the right sentence for Bali if we has visited Sanur. Offshore reefs protect the beach against the waves, and make it popular for windsurfing, boating, and other water sports. It is one of the first areas where one can find good hotels, restaurants, shops, and other touris.


Kuta Beach

Kuta in addition to being the sunset Site Number One, with its daily spectacular sunsets, it is also the centre of night life activities in Southern Bali and a shopping mecca, with its lines of shops, boutiques, and galleries. Restaurants line up the streets as well as the Bachfront, hotels, ranging from a small, inexpensive homestay to a luxurious resort, will ready accomodate you.
Once a lonely little village on the road from Denpasar to Bukit Peninsula, Kuta is now the tourist Mecca of Bali, popular mainly among the young and adventurous. Kuta beach is one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourist. Coconut trees line the sand beach as far as the eyes can see towards the north stopped by the runway of Denpasar's airport far in the west. The sunset in Kuta is most breathtaking. On the south, the beach is fenced by the airport's runway, which gives the visitors a breathtaking landing experience. Kuta Beach bustles with tourists' vendors and locals. It's the most popular beach in Bali and the island's number one party zone. The beach stretches as far north as the eyes can see. As short walk away north, the waves will invite to surfing. Rapid development and an influx of visitors haven't kept the surfers away and Kuta still remains one of Bali's best surfing beaches and a great place to enjoy a beach lifestyle.

The beach of Kuta is one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourist. On the south, the beach is fenced by the airport’s runway, which gives you a breathtaking landing experience. The beach stretches as far north as the eyes can see. As short walk away north, waves will invite you to test your surfing.

Kuta is very short drive away from the airport, and transportation is readily available to take you from and to Kuta to and from anywhere else in Bali.