[The following post is from the archives of my In Search Of Incredible blog, originally published on 27 September 2017]
Day 3: 27 April 2017, Thursday
After the high of yesterday’s exploits (literally 3,031m high), it was time to experience some lows (literally) today, as we would be snorkelling in the Bali Sea off the beach at Candidasa, located on the eastern part of the island. After having breakfast served to us in our villas, we set off from Seminyak at 9:15am and arrived at Candidasa at 11:23am.
It was a very fine day for snorkelling. After receiving our fins and snorkels, we hopped onto a small boat and headed out to sea, where we moored among a cluster of small rocky outcrops. I had snorkelled before but I must say it isn’t my strongest suit. From past experience, I had difficulties breathing through the tube and making the necessary adjustments to breathe through the mouth instead of through the nose. It just felt counter-intuitive, and water always entered the tube somehow. So I approached snorkelling with some reservations.
After gearing up, we lowered ourselves into the water one by one. The place where we started snorkeling initially was quite shallow and the water was relatively clear. The corals were plentiful but they were not of the colourful varieties that you see at the Great Barrier Reef or on promotional materials. You probably have to dive deeper elsewhere to see those types of beautiful corals.
As for the fish, they were present but they were mostly quite small in size and limited to the same few varieties. We did see angelfish and royal blue tang (more commonly known as “Dory” as depicted in Pixar’s Finding Nemo film), but I cannot recognise the other species as I am not a fish or marine life expert.
To my surprise, I managed to snorkel better this time round and I could control my breathing through my mouth. However, once in a while, after I got into the rhythm of the breathing, I would be lulled into a false sense of security and suddenly just mess up. Water would enter the tube and I would panic, and I struggled quickly to rise to the surface to gasp for air. After this happened a few times, I realised that the key was really to remain calm and not to panic. Trust the tube and don’t think too much about the breathing; just let it happen naturally and subconsciously and you will be fine.
After snorkeling for about 40 minutes, I got a little tired and started to feel a bit dizzy. We had drifted to a deeper area and the waves there were stronger. I decided to go up the boat to rest while the others continued to snorkel. I think if snorkel vests were provided, it would have been easier to stay afloat and we wouldn’t have expended so much energy to tread water, especially in the choppier waters.
While I was back on the boat, our guide appeared with a medium-sized sea turtle out of nowhere and handed it over to the others to take turns carrying it. It was a delightful moment, yet I was also thinking about the turtle. I wonder if it felt traumatised after being scooped out of the ocean and being manhandled by strange human beings? Of course, the guide eventually released the turtle back into the sea, but I wonder if the brief disruption caused any harm to the animal in any way?
At about 1pm, we stopped snorkelling and headed back to the shore to wash up. We left Candidasa at 1:30pm and consumed our packed lunch in the van en route to our next destination – Tegenungan Waterfall, arriving at 2:45pm. Tegenungan Waterfall is located about 10km from Ubud and 30km from Seminyak. From what other travelers have written on the Internet, it is supposed to be a largely untouched and natural waterfall set amid lush jungle, something like a hidden paradise, so I was quite excited about visiting it.
From the carpark, we walked past a row of shops and eateries before having our first glimpse of the waterfall in the distance. It was indeed nestled among the trees and looked pretty stunning from afar. However, the presence of all the shops and tourists at the entrance area seemed to indicate a whiff of commercialism, which wasn’t a good sign. We then descended a long flight of stairs to get to the bottom, and followed the river to reach the base of the waterfall. We were all still aching from yesterday’s trek so we walked down the steps gingerly.
As we approached the waterfall, it became clear that it wasn’t as untouched or raw as what I imagined it to be. Some enterprising locals had set up beach umbrellas and sun beds on the riverbank near the base of the waterfall, renting them out for a fee. Sure, there were only a few of those but it still tainted the image of the place. The area was quite crowded and a few tourists took to the water for a dip. The nice part was that you could go right up to the base of the waterfall and experience having a massive curtain of water fall on your head.
Before we arrived, we had harboured thoughts of taking a dip, but after seeing the place and all the crowds here, we didn’t feel enticed to enter the water somehow. The waterfall itself isn’t very tall but it is still quite pretty. However, it was more of the general feeling of the place that didn’t pull me into it. It was unlike my past encounters at Diyaluma Falls in Sri Lanka or the majestic waterfalls in Iceland, which really projected a special feeling of affinity and cast an unforgettable spell on me.
For Tegenungan Waterfall, it’s hard to keep it pristine and untouched because Bali is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. Sooner or later, all the “hidden gems” will be explored and changed irrevocably as commercialism sets in. On one hand, it’s good for the locals because they now get to reap the benefits of tourism and possibly improve their lives with the extra income. But on the other hand, at what cost to the environment? It’s a constant struggle that I face as I travel more around the world.
At 4:35pm, we left Tegenungan Waterfall for our last destination for the day – Tanah Lot Temple. The word “Tanah” means “land” and “Lot” means “sea”, so Tanah Lot literally means the land in the sea. It is located on the south-western coast of Bali, making it a prime location for viewing the sunset. As for the temple itself, Tanah Lot Temple is perched on a large offshore rock and it appears to be floating in the sea during high tide. It is perhaps Bali’s most photographed temple and its most iconic landmark.
Despite the obvious commercialism factor, I was actually looking forward to visiting Tanah Lot. The drive took quite a while and we only arrived just before 6pm. As the skies were already starting to darken, we jumped out of our van and headed towards the temple area quickly. Unsurprisingly, there were hordes of tourists around, as they were all gathered here to photograph the famed sunset, just like us.
The first thing we encountered was a giant stone arch jutting out to sea with a temple perched upon it. That is not Tanah Lot, but Pura Batu Bolong. “Pura” means “temple”, “Batu” means “rock” and “Bolong” means “hole”, so the name literally means a temple on a rock with a hole. Very apt description. Set against the evening sky, it was a beautiful and picturesque sight.
We followed the crowds and continued to walk along the coastline, and eventually reached Tanah Lot Temple soon after. It was low tide so the temple was not “floating” in the sea today. We walked down to the sea level and got up close with the temple. At the base of the rocky island, many crevices had formed due to erosion. Apparently, venomous sea snakes reside in these crevices and legend has it that the snakes help to protect the temple.
It was a little cloudy today so we didn’t experience a perfect sunset, but it was still quite pretty and worth the trip there. By 6:40pm, the sun had almost fully set and the crowds dispersed quickly. On our way back to the van, we stopped for some snacks – a fruit rojak, durians, and grilled corn.
The drive back to Seminyak took 50 minutes and we were famished by the time we reached The Holy Crab restaurant at 8pm. Like Shell Out in Malaysia and Crab in Da Bag in Singapore, The Holy Crab serves Lousiana-style seafood in a special spicy Cajun sauce. The overriding concept is that you use your hands to feast instead of using forks and spoons. Don’t worry about the mess and getting your clothes stained because disposable bibs are provided. The novelty lies in the fact that the seafood is not served on plates, but rather, a large sheet of paper is spread across the table and the entire table then becomes a giant serving dish. It is especially fun to see the staff pour out the seafood from plastic bags onto the table.
As there were five of us, we ordered a King Crab package for 4, and added some other items like steamed vegetables, another 500g of shrimps, a shrimp roll and drinks. The total bill came up to Rp 1,735,008 (S$184.60), or around S$37 per person. It wasn’t cheap but it was so yummy.
After dinner, we didn’t attempt to go anywhere else because we were tired from all the travelling we had done today. We only visited three places (Candidasa, Tegenungan Waterfall and Tanah Lot Temple) but we spent close to six hours on the roads inside the van, as we traversed across the island to the northeast, to the southwest and then back to Seminyak in the south. Traffic is also heavy near the city area, especially during the peak morning and evening period, so it all adds up. After a long day, it was time to rest for one final night before flying back home tomorrow!