Bali Tour Series E: Tanah Lot, Coffee Plantation and some Hot Spring Bath

We actually went to the Tanah Lot on the first day of our travel. It was the last itinerary on our first day as we were told that it is best to visit this place towards the afternoon since the sunset view here is quite outstanding. 
Tanah Lot is perhaps one of the busiest tourist spot in Bali. Of all the places we went into, this is where we found a lot of tourists taking pictures, and even locals were present, enjoying the view. Also, rarely you will find a tour package that Tanah Lot isn't in it. ;) 

view of the other side of the Tanah Lot area

Banjar Hot Springs! I saw this in a photo when i was searching through a lot of places where we can go and enjoy in Bali. This place came up as a must visit because of the natural healing property of the spring water. It was not crowded when we were there, we even got ourselves one Naga(stone carved mythical dragon) each. To take a dip, you just need to be in your swimming attire, take a quick shower and enjoy. The water looked a bit murky in the other side, actually, It sure is color green, probably because of the sulfur and some natural soil settling . 

What is good about the place is that it was situated in the middle of a jungle. It is said that people with rheumatic arthritis will surely benefit from swimming in this pool of volcanic origin. 

Coffee Plantation - We did not think much of this, but since all my companions are coffee drinkers, they were actually looking forward to it. =) I thought it was just a tour on a portion in their plantation. It was really very educational too. You can see a few of the plants they have, some dried herbs, some coffee plants and how they roast the coffee... 

Fresh Coffee

Dried herbs for tourists to see. 

In the plantation, we were given a free tour of how they process their coffees, we also asked about lemurs and the Luwak coffee. They have willingly told us how they get to make Luwak coffee. Well we were a bit excited to try this expensive coffee as well, but it does not come with the free taste. :D It was an additional 50,000 Rupiah. But we did try it just to see if it was really that good. To my taste, and to my companions, it was actually not as aromatic, not as good as i have probably expected from a very expensive coffee. It also got a sour taste to it. It could be attributed, more or less to the "digestive"enzymes and some processes it went through the stomach of the lemur. :P 

This is how the coffee taken in by Lermur looked like. It realy is a bunch of sh*t. :P 

Coffee Roasting: Smells really wonderful! 

The Free Taste Guide ;)

 We were seated to a table for our group (of six) and was given a set of free teas and coffees for a free taste. Each of the coffee and tea with free taste that they have for us were described to us as well, how to use, and how each tea can help us with our health. 

The Plantation's activity area where all guests try out their free coffee and tea.

What can we say about the free taste? Here's a slight comment. 
Coffee Mocha - it was like your other coffee mocha, i guess it was a bit different here because it really smelled fresh. 
Lemon Grass Tea - very refreshing!
Mangosteen Tea - really great, I bought 3 boxes of this ready to drink tea mix. 
Ginger Tea - It is just like any other ginger ale i have tried. The ginger taste is not very strong though. 
Cocoa - nothing great, not much to rave about.
Coconut Coffee - this is a bit too sweet. the coconut smell in this coffee is very distinct. 
Bali Coffee - A bit different, from the usual ready to drink mix i have tried, but for its kind it is much better. of course for the price, it is not recommended. 

Bali Tour Series D: Besakih Temple and Ubud Monkey Forest

Besakih Temple: This is the biggest temple in Bali. Located at the slope of Mt. Agung. This place is very high and can get very cold towards the end of the afternoon. You can see fog and feel the coldness in your skin if you are not prepared. 

Common statues you will find inside the temple premises

The Temple is huge, it was after all the largest temple in Bali; to this day it is still being used for ceremonies, even if it is also a tourist spot. Outside, there are a small road that leads to the temple entrance. a free tour guide will accompany you inside the temple and will explain and give information about it; you and your companions will be asked to give donation as well after you register how many of you went inside the temple. =) 

The view from the top of the temple

Mini Temple (pagoda) inside Besakih Temple

Ubud Monkey Forrest: I was a little hesitant about this, because i am a bit scared of the primates because I have had a bit of a bad experience with them. Upon arrival in Ubud, Monkey Forrest Area, you can already see a lot of monkeys walking around the parking lot and was just minding their own business. 

We have a baby with us during the tour, she was just a year old, actually and she was so fearless in walking around the premises and just chasing the monkey and trying to touch them. They (monkeys) are very used to the tourists and would go near you if you have a banana with you (It is also sold inside the premises). 

A Family we chanced upon taking a rest in one of the statues inside the forest area

 Spending no less than an hour here, it was quite an experience too, seeing the monkeys and their families, they are just really cute and are fun to watch especially when they try to wrestle with tourists who hides banana in their pockets.  Also, the monkeys are clean! I haven't encountered one that smells bad! Not one tourist who has had one jumped into them (even on top of their head) complained about foul smell whatsoever.