Bali - A vacation to remember!! Day 2

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 3^rd 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.