One of my favorite travel partners is Christian, who is also one of my very best friends. We visited Bali, Indonesia together for a quick weekend in April 2011. Because we were there for only a short time, we hired a car & driver to spend an entire day showing us all the important sights. The temples were magnificent; each offered its own uniqueness and charm. One thing to note is to plan your outfit ahead of time. Knees must be covered for men and women when entering the temples; if you wear shorts or a skirt, be prepared to don a sari-type skirt they'll provide you. My favourite stops from the all-day tour are highlighted below.

My absolute favorite temple of the day was the first we visited. Pura Luhur Ulu Watu temple built in the 11th century. After paying about US$2 entry fee, we were wrapped in sarongs in order to enter the temple (legs must be covered) and were guided by a wonderful if shrewd 80-year old woman with a stick. The stick's purpose? To fend off grey monkeys. There were so many and they were aggressive. Christian and I heeded all the warnings and removed our hats, sunglasses, earrings and the like. Others did not, and as a result their hats, flip flops and sunglasses were quickly snatched by those little troublemakers. Rescuers were in place (elderly men in brightly colored sarongs); they gave fresh fruit to the monkeys in exchange for the stolen goods and all was well in the world. The temple itself was breathtaking; it is perched high high high atop a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. I definitely took a few moments to breathe in the beauty and fresh salt air.

Next was the Tegalalang rice terraces in Ubud. We had quite a long drive to get there but WOW. We stopped outside and saw only some small shops. However, once we peered over the side we saw the most amazing rice fields, manicured and tiered on the side of a volcano. Magnificent.

Pura Taman Ayun (the Water Temple) has 3 worship areas, each surrounded by its own moat with lily pads abound. It reminded me of the house in the movie Great Expectations with Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke. It was once where the Royal Family worshiped; after the family lost its royal hold, the temples were not kept up. It was also hit by an earthquake in 1917 and they are still slowly rebuilding it to its original state. Yep, you heard me.

Purah Tanah Lot is a beautiful temple built atop rocks jutting out into the Indian Ocean. We made it here for sunset with every other Balinese tourist. Despite the crowds, wow was it a treat. We were blessed by holy water and luckily avoided the holy snake....a huge boa constrictor. We jumped our way over rocks and sand to get to the temple, but decided we were tired and skipped the fire dance. No photos of this one. It was dark and we decided to experience the moment and not capture it.