April 2024
One of our first excursions was Tirta Empul, a Hindu water temple dating to around 960 AD and known for its sacred spring waters. The temple remains an important place of worship for Balinese Hindus and attracts visitors from around the world.
The temple itself was beautiful, but it was also extremely crowded. Visitors filled the grounds and the wait to enter the purification pools stretched well over an hour. While it was interesting to experience such an important cultural site, the sheer number of people made it difficult to appreciate the peaceful atmosphere the temple is known for.
Before entering the purification pools, we changed into traditional sarongs provided by the temple, as street clothes are not permitted in the holy waters. Throughout the temple grounds, small offerings could be found carefully placed around shrines and gathering areas. We learned that the offerings represent the relationship between God, humanity, and the environment, reflecting a philosophy that remains deeply embedded in Balinese culture.
One of the most interesting parts of the temple was seeing the spring itself. Crystal-clear water bubbled directly from the ground before flowing into the purification pools. The entire temple exists because of this natural water source.
The purification ritual itself looked straightforward enough.
While everyone around me seemed to move gracefully and calmly from fountain to fountain, I spent part of the experience feeling like I was unsuccessfully attempting to waterboard myself.
After making our way through the purification pools, our group stopped for a photo within the temple grounds. Dressed in brightly colored sarongs and still wet from the spring-fed waters, it felt like a fitting way to remember an experience that was equal parts cultural tradition, sacred ritual, and navigating large crowds.
Later we visited Gunung Kawi, a temple complex dating to the 11th century. Reaching the site requires descending a long staircase into a river valley surrounded by dense vegetation where we saw local farmers tending to their crops.
The most striking feature is a series of enormous shrines carved directly into the cliff face, some standing nearly 23 feet tall. These monuments are believed to honor King Anak Wungsu and members of the Balinese royal family. Across the river, additional shrines are thought to have been dedicated to his wives or concubines. Whether every attribution is historically accurate is still debated, but the scale of the carvings is impressive, especially considering they were cut directly into solid rock nearly a thousand years ago.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for was the level of detail found throughout Balinese architecture. Gates, walls, shrines, and statues were covered in elaborate carvings. Stone guardians, mythological figures, and protective spirits appeared throughout the temple grounds, many softened by layers of moss and tropical growth.
One detail I found particularly interesting was learning about Bali’s long trading history. Some of the gold used in temple decoration historically came from Borneo, a reminder that these islands were connected through trade networks long before modern tourism existed.
That afternoon we set out along the Campuhan Ridge Walk, one of Ubud’s most popular trails. The path winds through rolling hills, tropical vegetation, and rice fields just outside town.
Like much of Bali, the weather had its own plans. During our lunch stop, a tropical downpour swept across the landscape, turning distant views into a curtain of rain within minutes. But once the rain cleared, we had beautiful views of the lush rice fields.
Our next destination was a small restaurant hidden among the rice fields, where we settled in with fresh juices and snacks while overlooking the paddies below.
On the hike back, the setting sun reflected off the water-filled rice paddies, creating pink and purple reflections across the landscape. It was one of those moments where everyone seemed to stop talking for a few minutes and simply take in the view.
After a few days in Ubud, what stayed with me most wasn’t any single temple or landmark.
It was the way everything seemed connected.
Temples appeared behind ordinary storefronts. Offerings sat beside businesses opening for the day. Ancient stone carvings collected moss while fresh flowers were carefully placed nearby. Rice fields, shrines, markets, homes, and businesses all existed side by side.
Ubud wasn’t a place where you visited the culture. The culture was already there, woven into everything around you.
