Bali 2.0 III: Down South

On the third day in Bali, we had mass at St. Francis Xavier Church in Kuta. Although it was in town, we had to leave early to avoid the morning rush hour. From the outside, the church looked simple- a white structure, flanked by two low towers. Rather than the usual grotto with Our Lady of Lourdes, SFX Kuta had a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the presence of four angels. The main church has a beautifully carved wooden tabernacle at the foot of the crucifix. Behind the altar is a mural of angels fashioned to the likeness Balinese celestial beings.

After mass, we traveled to the Mandala Complex which is home to multiple houses of worship. On a single row, there's a Hindu temple, Buddhist temple, Protestant church, and lastly a Catholic church. The church was christened Our Lady of All Nations Church. Just a quick visit really, but the parish priest did come out to greet us. 

Moved on to our lunch place which was Nyonya's Secret for some Indonesian Peranakan Cuisine. Kind of shocked that there would be such a restaurant in Bali. Pretty nice restaurant with a giant Baju Kebaya hanging from the wall. In terms of the food that we were served, I found it more Chinese than Peranakan.

Next up was some mandatory local product shopping. Right beside the restaurant was 70 degrees Fahrenheit Koffie, a place that was purpose-built to lighten the pockets of tourists by the busloads. We were given a short introduction of the coffee that they were selling before being ushered into a room for sampling. The usual modus operandi. Some did buy the peaberry (a mutated coffee bean), and Kopi Luwak, so that allowed the rest of us to camwhore around the premises.

Gereja Katolik Santo Silvester at Pecatu was next. I don't think I've ever heard of of a St Sylvester Church in Malaysia. Impressed with beautifully carved hardwood lectern and pulpit.

At around 3 PM, we arrived at Uluwatu Temple. Before entering, we had to tie a senteng or shawl around our waist. The action signifies a desire to limit negative thoughts when entering holy places. Took a bit of a climb, but the view of the cliffs was quite breathtaking. Would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so blazing hot. And of course we had to follow the guides closely and hang on to our stuff in case of run-ins with the infamous monkeys there. Was very careful with my phone, and I didn't even want to risk my expensive multifocals. The guides were ever-vigilant and were equipped with slingshots for use during confrontations.

Another attraction in the area was Pantai Pandawa. It was a long stretch of beach fitted with stalls where one could sit down and sip on a coconut. Mum and I actually went down to dip our feet, and the Indian Ocean nearly claimed my Crocs. Luckily a couple kids in a kayak saved the day, and I bruised my shin on the rocks in the whole chaos. The waves were strong and unpredictable.

A typical activity in Kuta is to enjoy a seafood dinner on the beach while enjoying the sunset. New Moon Cafe Seafood had a pretty nice setup really. The sun set with the sound of waves crashing violently against the beach. Sometimes a little too violent. The meal consisted of grilled fish, clams, calamari, prawns, and some kangkung. Towards the end of  the evening, we were entertained by a traditional dance performance.