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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Sacred Monkey Forest was located near our hotel in Ubud, so we stopped to visit the nature reserve and Hindu temple complex. The macaque monkeys roam freely and are protected because the reserve\u00a0is sacred.<\/p>\n
We were on our way to the northern coast of Bali to the village of Lovina located on the Java Sea. The distance isn’t far in miles, but takes several hours due to the narrow mountainous roads. \u00a0I watched fields of rice, corn, and other vegetables pass outside my bus window. The dense tropical forests were full of trees and plants which were unfamiliar to me.<\/p>\n Jumena broke up the long trip with a stop at a fruit stand along the road which was brimming with every imaginable tropical fruit: mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas, salak (also called snake fruit), jack fruit, durian, oranges, coconut, melons, mangosteen, rambutan, soursop, and others which I didn’t get a chance to try.<\/p>\n The terrain became more mountainous and we learned\u00a0that the region is recognized for cooler temperatures due to\u00a0higher\u00a0altitudes\u00a0and\u00a0the possibility of growing different\u00a0varieties of crops.<\/p>\n Our next stop was the beautiful Ulun Danu Bratan Temple, located on Lake Bratan. \u00a0The temple was built in 1663 for people to give offerings to the Balinese water, lake, and river goddess Dewi Danu. Lake Bratan is important as\u00a0a main source of irrigation in central Bali. The grounds were beautiful and peaceful despite many tourists.<\/p>\n Of course, the light was wrong and the season was not right and there were too many people, so I couldn’t take the perfect photo of the temple! However, I tried. Classic pictures have been\u00a0taken during the ‘rainy’ season when the temple is flooded and access\u00a0is only by boat.<\/p>\n We had a tasty Chinese lunch overlooking the lake then we continued\u00a0driving north. Everyone seems to own motorbikes like the one pictured below carrying an entire family.<\/p>\n The bus parked again and we hiked down along a narrow paved path along lush green vegetation, to see Gitgit Waterfalls.<\/p>\n Youngsters swam in the pool or cooled off under the falling waters. It was very peaceful and an idyllic setting. Close by was our destination\u00a0of the Lovina Bali Resort. We checked in and I explored the property as the sun set\u00a0across the black lava beach.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n