While I hoped to wake up to see animals in front of our room, we got up
in our huge room in Ruman Lewih with the sky overcast. However, we got to see
the beach (dull because of the sky).
We quickly packed and called the reception
to check if we can go back to the lodge for the last opportunity of viewing the
big cat (breakfast at the Tsavo Lion restaurant with a glimpse of the king of
the jungle right outside the area). However, our bad luck still continues as we
were informed that the electricity is still not back at the lodge and we need
to wait for further updates. Around 9 AM, they informed us that the power has
been restored and we can go back to the hotel for breakfast and freshening up.
Though Ari was unwilling, I jumped at the opportunity so that we can at least
have a glimpse of the lions from the restaurant during breakfast. We quickly
packed and then took the lodge shuttle cab to head back. We went straight to
the Tsavo Lion restaurant for breakfast. This is another example of an african themed restaurant and the decor really is beautiful.
The guys told us that the power is still not stable due to which the electrical fence are not working. Hence, they are unable to release the lions. Instead we
sat next to the meerkat enclosure and had English breakfast with sausages,
bacon and eggs. While we didn't get to see the lions, watching the meerkats reminded me of movies like Madagascar and Life of Pi. The way they sat and keep watching the surroundings is really interesting to see.
After breakfast we took a shower and got ready when the driver called
to inform that he is already at the main entrance. During checkout, we decided
to take a last look and to our joy, the lions were back. There were 3 lionesses resting on a stone wall right
outside the restaurant wall. 2 were sleeping, however, one was sitting. Due to
the hot sun, they were at the shade rather than walking around, however, for us
it was definitely something is better than nothing and in Ari’s language “all
the hassles of moving from there to here was not a complete waste”. We managed
to click some pictures with them.
After that we bid goodbye to Mara lodge and
met our driver Putra at the entrance gate. This time we drove in a Toyota
Avanza (not available in India). First, we went to Central Kuta Money exchange
to convert $500 @ 16,850 / USD. Post that, we decided to take a short detour to the Kuta beach for a quick
glimpse. The beach is beautiful with white sand and blue waters. There were a lot of foreign tourists either soaking the sun, taking a bath or enjoying water sports. The sand was so hot that it became impossible to step on it without
our shoes. However, we still decided to spend some time sipping cool drinks and enjoying the view.
From Kuta, we started to GWK Cultural Center. On the way, we had
lunch with local Balinese cuisine (special pork thali – crispy pork skin,
grilled pork, roasted pork, port stew, etc.).
We reached GWK around 3 pm. We
had to walk slightly up to see 2 huge statues of Vishnu and Garuda. A 3rd
statue is under construction now and we were told, it will be bigger than the
existing ones. All along the way, artistes were playing a local musical
instrument called gambang.
We had Balinese coffee and tea and purchased couple
of souvenirs from the curio shop. We left GWK around 4.15pm to go to the
Uluwatu Temple which is on a cliff. The temple is famous for the sunset and the
Kecak dance that happens there. While our driver got us tickets for the dance,
we took a walk around the temple which is beautifully made at the top of a
cliff. The sunset view is pretty amazing and though the sky was overcast, I managed to click some pictures.
Eventually, we took a seat at the amphitheater for the performance. The
sky was slightly overcast and hence, we did not have a very good view of the
sunset. The kecak dance was enjoyable and we tried to record most of it on the
tab. It’s based on the story of Ramayana – Marich luring Rama out dressed as a
golden deer, Ravana kidnapping Sita, Garuda putting up a fight and then finally
Hanuman setting Lanka on fire. The show was for 1 hour and the auditorium was
packed with audience from all over the world. It was quiet enjoyable and everyone had fun.
Post the performance, the cab returned
to Grand Mirage Hotel & Thalasso Spa at Nusa Dua. Since there was a bathtub
in the room, I soaked myself for 15 min and then we eventually went for dinner.
I enjoyed my dinner with grilled barramundi. After dinner, we returned to the
room, did a little internet surfing before going off to sleep.
One more point to note was when we spoke to Panji for tomorrow’s plan,
he vehemently opposed the idea of going to Besakih temple due to the unruly
behavior of the local people there. That left us pretty confused as Besakih is
the mother temple in Bali and very beautiful.
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