We bartered hard for a decent priced taxi ride down south to explore the southern tip of Bali. This included a quick stop at GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana - directly translated to eagle, God, chair) Cultural Park.
There a huge partially constructed sculpture set in an expansive limestone quarry is expected to stand 150m tall once completed - higher than the Statue of Liberty, with a wingspan of 64m.
'Made from more than 4000 tons of copper and brass, the statue is picturing Lord Wisnu, as the source of wisdom, riding on the back of the mythical bird Garuda as the manifestation of conscience toward Amerta, the perennial goodness.'
We started climbing in altitude (the first hills we'd encountered in Bali) and were rewarded with beautiful views from Kuta across to Nusa Dua (east coast to west coast) - a surprisingly narrow stretch of land.
Unsure where to start our exploring we asked to be dropped off at Suluban beach where steep stone cliffs drop off into impressive surf with cafes and surf board shops hanging precariously on the edge.
We walked for most of the day in the scorching heat with our full packs, wandering from village to village looking for a good place to stay. The road lead us to Ulu Watu Temple where we donned purple sarongs to enter and view the intricate hand masonry framed by blue seas, huge cliffs and blossoming pink Bougainville. Oh, and more of those cheeky macaques!! A banana worked well to distract a large male who had stolen a kid's shoe.
At last we found our way to Pandang Padang, to a surfers tree top bungalow perched perfectly above the water. A long steep pathway and impossible stairs down the cliff to reach it from the road, but only a few steps to reach the secluded beach below where we lay in rows sunning ourselves alongside other tourists. The sunsets proved even more stunning than promised.
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