Lake Bratan

Our next stop was Lake Bratan. Ketut dropped us off at a spot with some warungs selling local food, but they all looked closed or were just opening. We walked a little way down the road and found a buffet restaurant that was open. Bad mistake. The food was forgettable and while we were eating several buses disgorged their tourists onto the restaurant. It got loud in there very quickly.

After lunch, we went to the famous temple on the shores of Bratan. This is probably one of the most instagrammed places in Bali, showing the pagodas set against the lake. Sadly, reality didn’t live up to Instagram. The complex was schizophrenic... it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. The instagram-famous pagodas were there, but the grounds were like a wannabe theme park without the rides. There were animal statues all over, the trash bins were in the shape of giant fruit, there was a place to take pictures with animals. There was a functioning temple that was off limits, and we witnessed a procession from that temple. It was as if this place couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. Worst of all, there were lots of tourists and the typical temple dress code was not enforced, so there were lots of knees, thighs, and shoulders on display. The whole place just had an odd vibe. Regardless, the lake scenery was amazing, and the procession was fantastic random encounter.

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