Picture This!

(11/4/2012)

Bisnis.com has conducted a survey of a wide range of books on Bali, websites and the social media in compiling a list of the ten most photographed locations on the island.

The ten places selected as Bali’s most photographed locales are:

• Kuta Beach with its long arched sandy beach almost always filled with tourist visitors, both foreign and domestic.
• Kuta Beach at Sunset – Kuta got mentioned twice by the Bisnis.com survey, warranting a second mention as one of the favorite place to photograph a Balinese sunset.
• Tanah Lot, Tabanan – home to Bali’s sacred and iconic Pura Luhur Tanah Lot. The temple is “picture perfect” set a few meters off shore sitting atop a small rock island.
• Garuda Wisnu Kecana Cultural Park – located just south of Bali’s airport, the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Park (GWK) sits on the highest point of the Ungasan peninsula affording a 360-degree view to two oceans. Under construction on an on and off basis for many years, the plan is for the final erection of a statue of the Lord Wisnu sitting upon the shoulders of a mystical Garuda Bird. When completed, the GWK monument will rival in height landmarks in many of the world’s leading cities.
• Lake Beratan, Bedugul, Tabanan – “Danau Beratan” looks as if it were a floating Balinese temple on its volcanic lake home. 
• Kintamani, Bangli – recently accorded UNESCO Geopark status, the community built on the edge of a caldera at Kintamani offer views of the Batur volcano and Lake Batur.
• Pura Besakih, Karangasem – The undisputed “mother temple” of Bali, Pura Besakih is a large complex of temple buildings sitting on the slopes of sacred Mount Agung. 
• Taman Ayun, Mengwi, Badung – Surrounded by a moat, the Taman Ayung Temple is connected to Bali’s traditional subak irrigation system that feeds its reflecting pools. Set on a large expanse of land the multi-tiered roofs of the temple are a favorite subject for visiting photographers.
• The Rice Terraces of Jatiluwih, Tabanan – Recently names a UNESCO Heritage site, the rice terraces of West Bali are the manifestation of Bali’s ancient Subak irrigation system. The verdant rice terraces have been in place and filling the island’s rice bowl for at least a thousand years.
• Bajra Sandhi, Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat Bali, Denpasar – The Monument of the People’s Struggle Park in Bali’s capital of Denpasar was built in the 1990s. The center point of a large park used every day by recreating Denpasar residents, the monument at the center of the Park also houses a museum depicting the Indonesian struggle for independence.