Part V - Ulu Watu Temple photos

One day I felt like doing a little non-surf related sightseeing so I hopped on my sweet motorcycle and hit the road.

My killer motorcycle complete with surf racks (only $3 a day to rent - you buy gas in liquor bottles from people on the side of the road) at the turnoff from the main road to the Bingin area. The first day I got it I rode it around on some empty dirt roads to get the hang of it. I crashed into a bush, much to the delight of a toothless old man looking on from a roadside shack.

Unlike the rest of Indonesia, which is mostly Muslim, Bali is about 90% Hindu so there are temples all over of the place. One of the most important temples on the island is the Ulu Watu sea temple, which is about a mile down the coast from the surf spot of the same name.

The oldest parts of the temple were originally built in the 1300's, though I'm sure it's been rebuilt over the years. The temple is still used in religious ceremonies and some parts of it, like the enclosed area in this picture, are totally off-limits to non-Hindus.

But I would be lying if I made it seem like I came to see the architecture. The real attractions for me, and most tourists, is the breathtaking scenery and the hundreds of crazy monkeys that rule the temple.

Only Hindus and monkeys are allowed on the other side of this wall.

The monkeys were everywhere you looked, climbing all over the place.

The monkeys are very smart. They steal sunglasses, cameras, water bottles, and any other shiny object you are careless enough to let them get their hands on. They literally sneak up behind people and reach in their pockets. They run away if you approach them, but they're really good at sneaking up from behind. I even saw a money drinking like a person out of a water bottle. Here's an assortment of monkeys:

I'm so close to the monkey here that you can see me in the reflection in his eye.

And here's some scenery photos. The cliffs are near vertical straight into the ocean pretty much everywhere in the temple area. That pointy tower thing in the next photo is about 30 feet tall, so I'd estimate the cliffs at over 300 feet.

These waves are at least 25 feet on the face (keep in mind how tall the cliffs are for scale), they were awesome to watch.

A set marching on in from the Indian Ocean. There is no land in this direction until you hit Antarctica - a very long fetch!

Looking up the coast in the direction of the Ulu Watu surf spot, though even the Temples area of the surf spot is far out of sight around the corner.

Above and below: More big waves pounding the cliffs below the temple.

Go on to Part VI - The Boat Trip