Our final full day in Bali was a little more relaxed than the previous few days. Again, we opted to have a sleepy morning, enjoying the buffet breakfast at the hotel. I actually cannot remember what else we did, possibly walking around the shops and having an easy time.
In the afternoon, we went to Uluwatu Temple. Again, the trip began around 3.30 pm. The route to the temple was chockfull of cars, buses and vans; tourists heading to the temple like us. The highlight of the temple was the Kechak Dance, taking place at 6 pm, the price of which is inclusive in the entry ticket.
The temple itself was amazing! Set on the cliff edge, overlooking the sea, the view was amazing! However, we rushed through the experience because we needed to get down to the amphitheatre for the Kechak Dance, which was going to start at 6 pm (sunset).
Even though we sat down around 5.40 pm, the amphitheatre was already super packed! As the minutes ticked by, it got more and more crowded, to the point that people were asked to sit on the floor where the dancers were to perform.
Soon enough though, the performance began. I have to say that the Kechak Dance was the highlight of the trip. With the sea and cliffs on my right, and the performance right in front of me, I found everything so mesmerising.
The dancers, a troop of men, created a percussive rhythm with the word “Kechak”. They came thundering in and sat down in front of a pedestal-like structure, on which fires were lit, while they created the a cappella rhythm that was almost hypnotic, together with hand gestures and “dance movements”.
The dance this evening was based on the Ramayana, basically how Hanuman saved Sita from Ravanna. Interestingly, this was what we were learning about (in a very yoga philosophy way) in Rishikesh at about exactly the same time last year! Coincidence, no?
Anyway, the dance was just mesmerising, especially how they interpreted the tale with their unique Balinese culture. Hanuman was cute and humorous, and the performances of all the players, including the Kechak male chorus, was fascinating and definitely the highlight of the trip for me! I highly recommend this experience to anyone visiting Bali, if you haven’t experienced it before.
So the show ended and we rushed to get our photo taken with Hanuman and remaining cast, then headed to the exit where our friends were waiting for us. The crowd was phenomenal so be sure you are in constant contact with your friends, or you might find it very difficult to locate each other at the exit!
We had to plough through traffic again before our final stop: Krisna’s Souvenir Emporium. We had dinner across the road from Krisna, and I have to admit, I was really tired. The dinner was good and affordable, and then we headed across the street to get down to some shopping.
Krisna has everything that Bali has to offer, in terms of souvenirs. Apparently, the prices are also affordable. However, there were not many things in the way of souvenirs that I wanted or needed. I got some stuff for my family and a t-shirt for myself. Then it was off to the hotel, which was another long journey, due to the traffic in Kuta itself. What should have been a 15 min drive, ended up almost one hour and 45 mins.
The next day, we woke up bright and early, and basically spent the morning at the airport waiting for our flight. Then it was the flight, and home. So it wasn’t really a day in Bali, as such.
Overall, I enjoyed my time in Bali. The next time I go though, I would know what to plan for and when not to go (August is high season!). How did you like Bali? Tell me your experiences in the comments below!