Bali - Temple Visits

The island of Bali is blanketed with temples and one could spend days attempting to visit all of them.  Many tourists hire a driver to help them locate the different temples and most drivers are quite knowledgeable, doubling as a tour guide.  Although the temples themselves are not very big in size, the grounds surrounding the temples are filled with beautiful, lush gardens and pools with walking paths inviting one to wondering around and spend some time here.  Below are pictures from some of the temples that we visited during our time on the island.  (I apologize in advance for not knowing the names of all the temples and for my limited knowledge on their history and significance.)

Temple #1 - Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, built to ward off evil spirits.

Temple #2 -  (Sorry, don't remember the name of this temple.)

Temple #3 - Gunung Kawi

Hidden away from the busy road...
     down a long path that crosses over babbling brooks and cuts through terraced rice fields...

           is this beautiful temple with carvings in the walls that are several stories high.

My personal favorite!

Temple #4 - Tirta Empul
This temple is popular for its spiritual baths.  Hindu Balinese come to this temple for its holy water and many place offerings near the baths.  At the entrance to this temple, we came across a procession of people carrying baskets of fruits, vegetables and breads.  I'm not sure what the procession was for but the people appeared to be in good spirits and on their way to a great party!

Temple #5 - (Sorry again, I don't remember the name of this temple either.)