My perfect day in Bali

Koi fish

Today started with enjoying the view of the ocean from my bathroom. I love my gigantic balcony overlooking the beach. This was followed by an excellent breakfast at the Hilton buffet. Then at 10:45 my driver Pratama picked me up and drove me 2.5 hours to Tirta Gangga, where they have beautiful ponds with koi and other fish you can feed. Outside dozens of vendors are selling bags of fish food. You toss some pellets into the water and instantly fish come over to vie for the pieces. Some of the koi were huge, the biggest I’ve ever seen. They also have one pond with these octagon steps you can walk around the pool on, which Is what drew me to this place. I had fun walking along the path, feeding the fish, and occasionally having to ease around people going the opposite direction.

Pond at Tirta Gangga

Fish coming to me for food

Feeding the koi fish

Walking the stones at the Tirta Gangga pond

After that we drove to the Gates of Heaven at Lempuyang Temple. On the way were beautiful landscapes of rice paddies and spices.

Fields in Bali

gates of heaven actual

We parked at the Temple parking lot and took the shuttle bus up to the Temple entrance area where I paid the entrance fee. My driver did not have to pay for either the shuttle or entrance fee, which was helpful as I had him take countless pictures of me in various poses to figure out which might be good for the gates of heaven photo. In case you are unaware (as I was before I arrived) the Gates of Heaven are a popular instagram photo spot where you have Mount Agung in the background. The photographers (who work for tips) at the area use a black tile to reflect the sky on your cell phone and it looks like there is a pool in front of the gates, pretty cool if inaccurate. They give you a number when you buy your entrance ticket and they take the pictures in order by your number, very efficient.

gates of heaven pose 1

gates of heaven pose 2

Back side of Gates of Heaven

Usually there is a 2-3 hour waiting period so I figured with Covid this would be a perfect time to go. There were only 10 people ahead of me so I had roughly 30 minutes to try different poses for my 90 seconds of photo shoot time. We also crossed through the gates to the stairs on the backside where you can take pictures without the wait from below the gate. You don’t get the same background, but it’s still pretty and there are usually 60 second intervals between shoots where you have a blank gate or you can position yourself to block the people taking official pictures in the gate. I made the mistake of using my own shoulder scarf instead of the one they loan you when you pay your entrance fee. Mine was a lightweight sorong so much too big until my guide suggested I fold it in fourths. It was cloudy and was raining when we first arrived, so Mount Agung was not visible, but I was happy to see some pretty clouds.

selfie with lady

After my photo shoot we walked up to the actual temple and took a few more pictures. In many ways, the stairs to the temple are more impressive than the gates. From the top of the stairs you can also get nice shots of the gates in the distance. On the way up, a lady was taking a picture of her friend so I moved over to give her room but she was actually trying to take a selfie with me! I got one with her also.

Temple opposite the gates

Looking down on gates from temple entrance

Me and my driver Adi

Congee with egg and cruller

Then we headed back towards the airport though there was Saturday afternoon traffic so it took 2.5 hours to get to this restaurant where they are known for excellent rice porridge. The place is called Warung Laota Tuban, recommended by my driver who also works as a chef sometimes so he knows his food. We ordered a bowl of porridge with chicken, which is big enough for two people to share. We added Chinese fritters (like donuts but not sweet) and a couple of boiled eggs. It was extraordinarily good and with drinks was only about $7. The fritters were cut into small pieces and soaked into the porridge really well.

chinese cruellers and Congee

Me and my massuesse Desy

My final enjoyment of the day was one last massage with my massuese Desy at Lovers Massage. My whole body (back, shoulders, arms, legs, feet) felt great afterwards and I love how they give me delicious sweet ginger tea afterwards. The only issue is that I end up being a bit oily and need to take a shower after, but the rainfall shower at the Hilton with hot and cold water is a far cry from my Raja Ampat shower so no problems there. One quick Grab motorbike ride and I was back at the Hilton Bali relaxing for the rest of the night.

Sweet ginger tea after massage

My balcony at Bali Hilton