Let me start off by stating that Bali was NOT on my bucket list of places to visit – but my two good friends whom I travel with often saw a great deal on flights to Bali and being a flexible traveler, I saw the value and said “yes”.  None of us had ever been to Indonesia before, and only a few people I know had, so we had a lot of research to do.  Once the flights were purchased, we got to work on finding a place to stay.  Usually, we travel for 2-3 weeks at a time and only stay in one place for a few days – this was the first time that we stayed in the same place for 9 nights and took day trips.  Four single people went on this trip and we found an amazing place to accommodate our 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom needs at Villa D’Carik, Sayan, Ubud.  I have to start this as my #1 Picturesque Place because it’s a beautiful Villa set in the rice fields just outside of the town of Ubud and it’s where we started.  It included our own private pool, living room and dining room areas and kitchen – someone came to cook breakfast for us daily.  Having severe jet lag, I was up “early” on our first morning at the Villa and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the sunrise over the rice fields and the mountains in the distance – and this was only Day 1 – sunsets were also amazing – sub coffee for a cocktail. :)  Ketut with “Happy Bali Tours” really enhanced our experience with this area.  I found him to be truly happy and so excited to share his love and knowledge about his country!  With his help, we visited some beautiful and memorable places.

I choose Tanah Lot  “Land in the Sea” on the Bali Sea as #2.  This Balinese temple dates back to the 16th century and was built to worship the Sea God.  It’s a tranquil and beautiful area, not to be missed.  We had dinner and cocktails at a restaurant perched above the temple on a deck while watching the sunset – perfect ending to our day.

I chose Ulun Danau Beratan, The Floating Temple as #3.  It was built in 1633 and is located on the shores of Lake Bratan in the mountains near Bedugul.  The gardens and walkways leading up to this point are picturesque as well.  We had lunch at a restaurant with lakeside views just behind the temple.

The famous Tagallalang Rice Terrace has to be on my list as #4.  Making use of the land for agriculture and just a beautiful and peaceful setting. If you feel adventurous, you can pay a small amount for a swing that glides out over the rice terraces, for better views.

The Pura Tirta Empul or Holy Water Temple is #5 on my list for picturesque places not to be missed.  This Hindu Balinese water temple is located near the town of Tampaksiring and is famous for the holy spring water.  Hindus go to this temple for ritual purification and that is only a small portion of this compound.  Over the 10 days in Bali we saw many other memorable places, such as the Ubud Monkey Forest, The Taman Ayun Temple, Paon Bali Cooking class, visited Cantik coffee plantation, the Gitgit Waterfall and experienced a colorful religious festival only held once a year at the Besakih Temple – but I just wanted to start with highlighting five of my faves.  If you haven’t been to Bali – GO – you’ll love the people, the culture, the food, and the history – I can’t wait to go back!  I have many more beautiful photos on my Instagram account @mk.hervol