Asia 2008 / 2009

Route:
Ubud – Kintamani – Batur – Danau Batur (Batur Lake) – Toya Bungkah – Songan – Bangli – Ubud

Following the street from Ubud to the north, I reached Kintamani and Batur above the Danau Batur (Batur Lake). The Danau Batur is a Vulcan lake and the biggest lake on Bali. The water of this lake is important for the agriculture, especially for the rice plantations, in a wide area around the lake.

The lake is part of the Gunung Batur Vulcan. It is still active and the last eruption was in 1994.

The region around the Gunung Batur

Bali has a countless number of temples and in Batur is one of the most important temples of Bali: The Pura Penataran Agung Batur. The relevance is based on the importance of the water of the Danau Batur for the people on Bali and the religion legend about the origin of the Vulcan (it has been created by the god Shiva).

Pura Ulum Danu

After taking lunch in Batur in a local restaurant (fresh and tasty fish from the Danau Batur), I continued the tour and drove down to the Danau Batur and along it.

Landscape around the Danau Batur

The landscape near the lake is shaped by the eruptions of the Gunung Batur.

Landscape around the Danau Batur

Landscape around the Gunung Batur

Landscape around the Danau Batur

In Toya Bungkah, a small village at the Danau Batur, is a hot spring (Air Panas), which is used by the local people for bathing.

At the end of the lake I reached the small village Songan.

Landscape around the Danau Batur

I made a break at a shop beside the temple Pura Ulun Danu. It doesn’t need much time on Bali to get in contact with local people – especially in regions with less tourism. So I got know a local priest, a teacher of the local school and other people from the village. They invited me to stay the night in Songan and to join a ceremony in the temple at the following day (on the way to Songan I met already people, which prepared things for the ceremony).

At this evening I talked with some local people, took a bath in the hot springs and saw a music performance with Rindik instruments (a Balinese traditional instrument).

Balinese playing Rindik

I stayed the night at the house of the teacher. Early in the morning (6 am) of the following day I went with the cousin of the teacher to a hill of the Gunung Batur to see the sunrise.

Landscape around the Danau Batur in the morning

On the way to a hill near Songan

During this season the day starts typically with fog and therefore the sunrise wasn’t visible properly. Nevertheless, I had a wonderful panorama view with the Danau Batur on the one side and the Gunung Batur on the other side before the fog came up.

Landscape around the Danau Batur

Landscape around the Danau Batur.

Landscape around the Batur lake.

After enjoying a Balinese coffee at a shop on the hill, we went down to the valley.

A small shop in the hills of Gunung Batur

From Songan we drove with the motorbike to Bangli with amazing views on the landscape in the morning sun.

Bangli is a bigger town next to the Batur area. At this morning there started a cock fighting event. In Bali most of the activities have a religion background too. The same applies to the cock fighting: It is a social and a gambler event and has a religion background (it is scheduled at the day before a holy temple ceremony).
Cock fighting is the gamblers paradise, but a very cruel event. The cocks get a knife at the paw and at least one cock dies during one fight between two cocks. After presenting the two rivals and before starting the fight, the audience bet loud crying on the one or the other cock.

Cock fighting event in Bangli

Gambler at a cock fighting event

Gambler in Bangli

During my guide enjoyed the gamble, I used the time outside the arena and looked around the market there. I was there the only foreigner under hundreds of Balinese.

I used the opportunity of the marked and bought traditional Balinese wear for me.

Me and some Balinese in traditional wear

The traditional Balinese wear suddenly changed my status: I wasn’t the tourist anymore, but a Balinese. I visited the Pura Kehen in Bangli afterward and was respected as Balinese from the local people there.

Pura Kehen

After the cock fighting my guide went back to Songan and me to Ubud. I haven’t joined the ceremony. But there are a lot of ceremonies in March and I will have the opportunity to join one at another places.

I had two very interesting days behind me with a lot of impressions and joined one day of the life of the Balinese.

written by

Voyager on March 3, 2009 from Baturaja, Indonesia

from the travel blog: Asia 2008 / 2009

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Route:
Tampaksiring – Undisan – Besakih - Semarapura – Goa Lawah – Tenganan – Candi Dasa – Semarapura – Klungkung – Ubud

Bali Tour 2

This tour started from Ubud to the north. First stop was in Tampaksiring.

Around this village are several important temples of Bali.
The Pura Tirta Empul was built around several holy springs.

Pura Tirta Empul (Tampaksiring)

Local people bathing in the holy water of the Pura Tirta Empul

Close to this temple is the Pura Mengening , which is also built around a holy spring. This temple is not on the list of the main tourist routes, but for my opinion much nicer than the other one.

Pura Mengening

There are several types of temples on Bali. Each family has a family temple, which is usually located on the ground of the family. Every town has as well a temple. There are temples for special tasks, e.g. temples for cremation ceremonies. And special locations (like the holy springs) have temples … and so on.

An example for a special temple is the Pura Dalem Sidan (Cremation temple in Sidan):

Pura Dalem Sidan

Another example is the Pura Manik Bingin in Undisan, which illustrates, that there are a lot of different styles and architectures. But the inner structure of all temples follows a common, but very complex set of rules.

Pura Manik Bingin in Undisan

The next station was Besakih, the place of the Pura Besakih, the mother temple and the most important temple of Bali. There is not only the Pura Besakih, but a lot of other temples around.

Pura Besakih

This night I stayed in Semarapura, a bigger town in the south/east of Bali. Semarapura has only a few interesting points for tourists, which are normally part of day tours. Therefore normally no foreigners stay at night there and I was an attraction for the local people at the nightly market in the centre of Semarapura.

Semarapura at night

At the next morning I visited the historical places of Semarapura:
The Taman Gili (Park with little island), which contains reconstructed buildings of Bale Kerta Gosa (court hall), Bale Kambang (swimming pavilion) and Pemedal Agung.

Taman Gili

Taman Gili and Bale Kambang

Kerta Gosa

Pemedal Agung

From Semarapura I went to the south cost of Bali and my first station there was Goa Lawah.

Goa Lawah was the first place, where I saw the – for the beaches at the south and east side of Bali typical - black sand beaches. These are not really places for enjoying in comparison to the beautiful beaches of Thailand and Malaysia. But the landscape of Bali is shaped by several eruptions of the volcanoes and it is the characteristic of Bail. (But there are a few places with white sand beaches in the south of Bali).

Black sand beach in Goa Lawah

In this region some Balinese extract salt from the sea water. But this is very time consuming and not lucrative.

Salt extraction in Goa Lawah

The name ‘Goa Lawah’ means ‘Bat Cave’ and refers to the Pura Goa Lawah there. This temple is built around a cave with thousands of bats.

Bat cave at Pura Goa Lawah

Pura Goa Lawah

I made a lunch break near Goa Lawah und learned, that also Geckos like rice.

Gecko Feeding

Next station was the small village Tenganan, which is famous for the handicraft products and the aboriginal way of living there.

Tenganan

After Tenganan I drove along the coast to Candi Dasa and back to Semarapura, where I stayed the night.

At the morning of the next day I met some Balinese, which I got know at the day before. I’ve gained insight the Balinese living. One family produce richly ornamented silver vessels for the temple ceremonies. Another family collects wayang puppets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayang) and organizes performances.

Later I went back to Ubud.

Finally some photos with the amazing landscapes I saw during this tour:

a travel blog by Voyager

Reconciliation with Bali

Ubud, Indonesia

A rainy day in Ubud

Ubud, Indonesia

One day with Balinese around the Gunung Batur (Bali Tour 1)

Baturaja, Indonesia

Bali Tour 2

Tampaksiring, Indonesia

Ceremony at Pura Desa Padangtegal (Ubud)

Ubud, Indonesia