Don & Kully's World Cruise on Viking Neptune

Today marks the halfway point of our journey, hard to believe we’ve already reached this point on this incredible voyage. We hope and expect the second half of the cruise will be as amazing as the first half has been.

Today was our first of three days in Bali. Renowned for lush beauty and magnificent seaside vistas, Bali has long attracted travelers in search of ultimate beauty. The island’s rich Hindu culture has forever held that gods live in all natural things -from mountains to streams to pebbles on the beach – lending the island a peaceful air. Everywhere we look on the island we are reminded of the deep Hindu faith through the many temples and shrines ranging from grand public temples to small shrines in virtually every home’s yard.

We sailed into the port of Benoa just before lunch, so we got a great view of some of the local beaches and watercraft as we entered the port.

This afternoon we took one of Viking’s optional excursions, “Ubud Discovery and Rice Terraces. We met our guide outside the cruise terminal and boarded a comfortable bus and began the 90-minute drive to Tegallalang to visit the iconic rice terraces that are maintained through a unique system of cooperative water management called “subak.”

Suback involves elaborate engineering and shared labor that is integral to the agricultural and spiritual traditions of the community. Water is brought to the top terraces through a system of canals where it is released into the top terrace and as the terraces fill water flows down to the terraces below. A system of gates allows the farmers to control the flow of water ensuring the appropriate amount of water is available throughout the growing cycle. The rice terraces are on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage sites.

From there we went to the city of Ubud a quiet cultural center famous for its local art and handcrafts. We started with a visit to the Puri Lukisan Museum home to early artwork from the surrounding area. The museum is nestled in a beautiful traditional garden filled with beautiful fountains, sculptures and plants.

From there we took a short walk to the Ubud Palace home to the Ubud Royal Family.

We ended the day with a visit to the old Ubud market which is filled with vendors along narrow streets.

What an amazing way to begin our three days in Bali!