A special experience changed my mind about Bali

Sydney Morning Herald

08-07-2025

I've been a reluctant visitor to Bali's overcrowded south recently, and now inland Ubud is cited as the next destination getting spoiled. I'm determined to do it the right way, and immerse myself in the Balinese culture and spirituality particularly associated with this inland town.
So I'm checking into the recently opened Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, a discreet distance north of Ubud near the village of Banjar Puhu, where kids still play on the road and flip-flopping women walk with offerings on their heads to the local temple.
Next morning, instead of doing nothing by the swimming pool, I take one of the resort's local tours to Mengening Temple for a different kind of water immersion. We drive through villages where time seems to stand still, and the faces of gods and demons look out of wood-carving shops.
The roads get narrower. We slip into a valley where, beneath giant trees, a sacred spring gushes. Mengening Temple's pavilions are mossy, and its grinning statues sprout ferns. White and yellow flags stir in the humid breeze.
My guide Suryadi leads me through a water purification ritual. First, we leave an offering basket on the altar: coconut, banana, duck egg, sweets, rice, and incense sticks that will carry our prayers up to the gods in their trails of smoke.
We pray with flowers wedged between our thumbs, then tuck them behind our ears. We give thanks for our life. Then we immerse ourselves in the pond, where six waterspouts purge us of evil influences.
The spouts of an adjacent pond are said to attract positive energy. As we leave, we feed carp with the leftovers from our offerings as a symbol of harmony with nature. They plop and gulp in contentment.
I'm not a Hindu, or even religious, but these rituals are timeless for a reason. I feel relaxed. It's a privilege to be offered divine blessings, and to glimpse into Balinese culture and religion, not far over the horizon from the cacophony of downtown Ubud.