Goa Gajah "Elephant Cave' was a spiritual place of prayer with bathing pools, fountains, rock wall carvings, and a lower meditation area. Descend a few hundred steps to this quiet sanctuary. Many people were meditating and doing yoga.

Mount Batur last erupted in 2000. You can see the path of the lava and little villages that either survived or relocated on the active volcano. Lake Batur is the widest, deep crater lake, on the island.

Gunung Kwai Sebatu temple was quiet and tranquil. Most tourists went to Gunung Kwai, a larger temple in the Valley of the Kings. We wanted to be able to wander around a temple without the pressures of crowds and hawkers. This was a lovely site with loads of animals, birds and fish. A bathing pool was open to the general public. In the evening, there was to be a huge celebration. We would have liked to come for that!

Tirta Empul - A sacred spring feeds this temple its holy water for priests and bathing. A dip or drink of its sacred water meant health and good fortune. Both locals and tourists were climbing in the pools and performing the water ritual. Some locals were even filling up several jugs with the water.