Before leaving Bali, we decided to visit Tanah Lot Temple, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations with more than 9,000 visitors daily. Tanah Lot is still an active pilgrimage site, and there were thousands of people bringing offerings and praying at the temple. It is also one of the best locations for photographing sunsets with its great foregrounds.

As a closing note. During the past two months in Bali, we noted a significant increase in the number of tourists. When we first arrived, we were the first visitors allowed to visit without a mandated quarantine for Covid. Two months later, the tourists have returned. Roads are jammed around downtown Ubud and downtown Denpensar. We see a huge increase in the number of motorbikes ridden by foreigners on the streets. Restaurants are reopening. In fact, we attended a “rebirth” of a French restaurant on its Grand Reopening after two years of being shut down. The increase in the number of foreign visitors are mostly Australians, followed by Europeans. The number of domestic visitors from Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan has also increased, though Americans are still rare here.

Here are some images of Tanah Lot at sunset. There are two great foregrounds – the temple itself and the rock with hole in it.

We also wanted to thank Murni for making our month-long stay at the bungalow at Murni’s House in Ubud so enjoyable. We loved sitting out on the terrace every morning and having breakfast delivered by her perpetually smiling staff. Walking the path down to our bungalow was a joy, with beautiful statues and calming fountains lining the paths. Murni makes a point of personally greeting her guests, invited us to dinner and shared the story of her success creating the first restaurant in Ubud in the early 1970s, then building the hotel and spa. She has an eye for beauty, and all the rooms are filled with antiques and the grounds are immaculate.