Whenever I travel, I come across sights or destinations that aren’t planned but become highlights of the trip. I’ve stumbled across numerous temples and shrines around Asia that weren’t on tourist maps. 
While driving around Bali, headed toward Tegalalang, I told the driver to stop along the roadside so I could take a picture of a temple — Pura Desa Batuan in Ubud. As it was still early, we decided to park and take a tour. On our walk through the temple, we ran into the driver’s brother-in-law, whom I met on my first night in Bali while wandering the streets outside the hotel.
The temple itself is exquisite. The stone work and statues around Pura Desa Batuan are beautiful — the bright early sun made some angles difficult for photos, but it was still enjoyable to wander through and admire it.
Seeing all the tourists at this small temple prepared me for the tranquility and lack of tourists at our next stop at Gunung Kawi in Tegalalang.
What other unplanned sights, filled with coincidences, are out there?
