Osaka, Japan (Day 6: Shitennoji Temple, Osaka Castle, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and more)

Just like Day 4, today is another day of guided touring but in Osaka. Our first stop was Shitennoji Temple. It is said that this is the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan built around 593. 

Shitennoji Temple

We were only able to enter the outer temple grounds. Apparently, another place to visit is the Gokuraku-jodo Garden which is located inside the grounds. I only discovered this inner temple area as I'm writing this post.

Entering the Osaka Castle grounds

From Shitennoji Temple, we went to our last historical stop - the Osaka Castle. Walking towards the Osaka Castle was a very nice experience. You will pass by a moat to enter the grounds. On the opposite side, you can enjoy the scenery of lush gardens.

Spring is in the air

Once you enter the complex, you can already see the castle from afar. I was excited every step we walked closer to it.

Osaka Castle

Make your way inside the castle and get to the top floor. From there, you can view the rest of Osaka.

Osaka Castle

View from the top

Token of my visit

Lunch was already nearing so we had to go already. 

Osaka Castle

For our lunch, we headed to the port area. We had buffet lunch in one of the buildings there. Food was just right but the view was killer!

Port area in Osaka

During the afternoon, we went to Umeda Sky Building. This officially marks the last stop of our guided tour. 

Umeda Sky Building

We went straight to the Floating Garden located 173 meters above. It was so cold when we reached the open area.

View from the Floating Garden

View from the Floating Garden

They even have love locks on the top floor.

Love locks

Another souvenir token for me!

Token of my visit

Though our guided trip has already ended, our driver was nice enough to drop us to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Only 4 of us went out of our group of 15. If there are only two things I can do on a trip, it would be temple touring and aquariums.

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

The place is huge spanning several floors. The variety of marine animals alone is worth the visit. The highlight of the visit however, is the large tank that features an actual whale shark. I believe this was my very first time to see one in real life.

Whale shark

I also enjoyed their jellyfish tanks. 

Jellyfish

Jellyfish

Jellyfish

There's also a semi-open area where you can  see seals and other marine animals. They can see you as well!

Seal

After our aquarium tour, we headed back to Umeda for dinner. I think I've eaten tempura at least once a day during this trip. 

Dinner time

The young ones decided to head out after dinner. We found an area with drinking places about 15-20 minutes away from our hotel. Our first stop was drinks at a classic whiskey bar.

Whiskey bar

After a few glasses of good 18-21 year old whiskies, we went to another bar that serves yakitori.

Kawa (chicken skin)

Niniku (garlic)

I order some niniku (garlic) and kawa (chicken skin) to go along with my beer.

We had some beer and yakitori here

This wraps our 6th day here in Osaka. Kampai!

Osaka, Japan (Day 7 & 8: Ichiran Ramen, Yakiniku Icho)

- Just Another Wanderer

Bali, Indonesia (Part VI: Uluwatu, Jimbaran)

More Bintang for me

Our 4th day is our last full day in Bali. This time, we are moving to another place again so we first checked-out from Brown Feather. Before heading to Legian, we grabbed some quick lunch at Wah Wah Burger. Their food is quite expensive but good.

Wah Wah Burger

After our quick lunch, we headed down to check-in at our last place - Ossotel. More about this place in my last post about our Bali trip.

Ossotel Hotel

Before heading out, we decided to check the Legian Beach area. The beach is similar to Seminyak Beach with the difference of having light-brown sand here. I prefer this beach better than the one in Seminyak. Beach bumming and water activities are more prevalent around this area.

Legian Beach

After, we headed straight to our last destination - Uluwatu Temple. It took us awhile to get to this area but it was worth it!

Stone cliffs at Uluwatu Temple

Stone cliffs at Uluwatu Temple

Uluwatu Temple is situated along a cliff which required walking. There's one area there without a concrete trail. It was nice to just relax and catch the sunset while you hear the waves crash along the cliffs.

Couple at Uluwatu Temple

Since we were running out of time, we did not wait for the Kecak Fire Dance. Heard some good reviews about it so you may want wait for the show.

Uluwatu Temple

For our last dinner (and sunset view), we headed to Jimbaran for a seafood feast. This area is well-known for their seafood restaurants. You can choose your own seafood and have it cooked the way you like. As the area suggests, it is a touristy spot so the prices can become expensive.

Sundown at Jimbaran

Despite the deep hole in my pocket, the food was great and the view was really nice! We were also fortunate to get a table nearest to the shore so our sunset view was unobstructed.

Dinner at Jimbaran

We then headed back to the Kuta/Legian area to do some last minute shopping. This was the only time we went to the more commercialized district. Probably something you can do as well (if you're into shopping) when you visit Bali.

Some well-known international brands in Kuta area

I did not want to sleep when we returned back to Ossotel since it was our last day already. I even drank some of the Bintang I bought to busy and keep myself awake. But fatigue took over and I slept the last few hours before we departed.

Ngurah Rai International Airport

This caps off our wonderful Bali trip. Before we decided to go here, I knew Bali did not have the best temples. I also knew Bali did not have the best white-sand beaches. Neither did I surf nor trek mountains (yet). But everyone who has been here really enjoyed and loved this place. So we took their word for it...

A heart-shape buried in the ground

From Ubud to whatever it is beyond to the more hip scene along the Seminyak area; and finally, the wonderful beaches down south.  Bali has this magical vibe that we easily fell in-love with. One must experience Bali as a whole to fully understand this place. Whatever floats your boat, Bali will be ready for you!

Wait, there's still Part VII for those who are interested to stay in Legian.

- Just Another Wanderer

Bali, Indonesia (Part III: Monkey Forest, Ulun Danu, Tanah Lot)

Our second day is again, temple day! The plan is to finish Ubud and the upper parts as we are moving south afterwards. We first headed to Monkey Forest since it was near the resort.

Monkey Forest

Monkey Forest

As the name suggests, there were lots of monkeys around the area. For those who have not been warned, avoid bringing headgear and sunglasses. Tourists usually fall prey to monkeys grabbing those accessories.

Spot the real monkey

Morning prayers

Since the area was long, it was always good to see fellow visitors walk-by. We sometimes get scared of the larger monkeys as they seem aggressive at times. We tried to stay on the main pathways.

Curious monkey

We wanted to walk around Ubud since it's regarded as the "artsy" part of Bali. There were lots of small shops and boutique stores around the Monkey Forest area. Instead, we just headed straight to the Ubud Market since we did not have the time.

Ubud Market

Here, you can buy your typical souvenirs to bring home. Like any other market, don't forget to bargain your hearts out to get a good deal! I was able to buy a few Bintang t-shirts, some shot glasses and an ashtray (that everyone in Bali seem to have with the same design). We also found a tourist shop that sells postcards. It has always been our thing to write postcards to each other when we travel. Something to look forward a few months after we return from our trips. (Unfortunately, we never received any of the postcards we sent)

Ulun Danu Temple

Our next stop took us up north to visit the Ulun Danu Temple along Beratan Lake. This temple is one of the must-sees according to a lot of travel reviews. There were lots of people taking pictures within the lake temple so it was hard to capture a good shot.

Ulun Danu Temple

Fishermen in Beratan Lake

Alas, I was lucky enough to take one last shot of the temple. There was no one around for a moment.

Ulun Danu Temple

As the sun was about set, we headed south for our last stop - Tanah Lot. I was really looking forward to seeing this place. We rushed towards the entrance as you had to go through several gift shops before reaching the temple.

Watching the sunset at Tanah Lot

We made it just in time! The sunset was great!

Tanah Lot

I have seen photos with a much better angle of Tanah Lot. We did not have the time to plan it so we just went straight to the far right of the temple. Maybe, we should go back again.

Tanah Lot

At this point, we were already so exhausted from two days of temple touring. By sun down, the tide was already getting high so we decided to head to Batu Belig to check-in at our next place - Brown Feather!

Brown Feather Bed & Breakfast

I was hoping that this place would look like the photos we saw when we were searching for places to stay near Seminyak. Very affordable and the location is near places like Metis, Potato Head Beach Club and Ku De Ta. This was indeed a hidden gem! More about this lovely bed and breakfast in my next post.

Brown Feather Bed & Breakfast

It was already getting late but we still had to find a place for dinner. Luckily, there's a nearby Naughty Nuri around the block. It took us around 15-20 minutes of walking down the main road to get there at night.

Naughty Nuri in Batu Belig

Naughty Nuri is famous for their ribs. Since the place was jam-packed, we stayed in a large square table with other guests.

Their famous ribs with some Bintang beer

Good food and some nice temples for Day 2! Head to Part IV: Brown Feather Bed & Breakfast.

- Just Another Wanderer