August
23, Thursday & August 24, Friday
Batubulan = Batik processing all done by hand: making the design; transferring it on white material (unless it is a “stamp” process); covering designs with wax (bees wax) on both sides; filling designs with ornaments and small dots; covering areas for a second, third or fourth colour; dyeing the first colour; scraping off wax on some areas to apply second colour (ditto for third and fourth); putting material in boiling water to remove all wax; dyeing again with dot applications; washing material thoroughly and letting in dry in the shade. Traditional colours are usually blue, brown and light yellow.
And they weave as well, using the same batik patterns
Celuk, where there are a number of silver and gold making jewelry establishments. We did not stop.
Batuan, where there are a many, many, many stores selling paintings (some are actually schools) and where there are also stone cutting areas.
Some of the drawings/paintings are extremely intricate and detailed.
I had to keep reminding myself that I did not have a house anymore to hang paintings in. I was good, I did not buy any, though I was really tempted.
We passed a lot of temples on the way, but I just snapped photos as we drove by. They seem to use more colour in their stones.
and they use the Naga serpent as well.
And they dress up their "god" monuments.
We stopped in Mas, where they specialize in wood carving,
and they stain the sculptures with shoe polish (same as in India and Africa)
They had a variety of huge pieces and small pieces and various styles.
The road we followed was built up between villages. This was about the most greenery we saw until we passed Ubud and continued north.
I was amazed by all the beautiful pieces along the roads. Now those would be amazing table tops.
and there was glass wear also in other towns
We continued on to two historical temple sites: from Ubud we headed south east to Goa Gajah, a Buddhist temple near Bedulu. You enter the site through some market stalls that have been set up.
Some toddlers playing while their mothers tend shop nearby
The sacred bathing pool
The entrance to the Elephant Cave
“The centerpiece here is a cave dating back to the 11th century the entrance of which is an ornately carved demon's mouth. Inside are some fragmentary lingam and yoni (phallus and vagina) statues, as well as a statue of Ganesha. Statues stand guard around pools near the entrance. A number of the relics here strongly indicate that the site has a Buddhist as well as Hindu past. Despite its great antiquity some parts of the Goa Gajah complex were not excavated until the 1950s. Tentatively nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site”.“At the façade of the cave is a relief of various menacing creatures and demons carved right into the rock at the cave entrance. The primary figure was once thought to be an elephant, hence the nickname Elephant Cave. The site is mentioned in the Javanese poem Desawarnana written in 1365.”
Inside the cave are temple offerings and nothing else.
Going through a second set of gates and looking back towards the entrance to the cave
Going down the staircases into the "sacred" gully
A spring under the rocks, source of the "sacred" water
and a "sacred" tree. How do I know it is sacred? Because it has been dressed as a "god". But check out the root system that is completely exposed due to erosion.
Did you get the part about all those staircases? I know……, it means I WILL HAVE TO CLIMB ALL OF THEM to get back up to the car ! But it was worth it
Back up the stairs and to the main temple building (check out the construction) where mean were weaving mats from palm fronds
And continuing back up the top staircase, looking back down at the sacred pool.
and out the gates again to find my driver.
From there I make my way down, down, down a long series of staircases until I reach the bottom.
Passed an irrigation canal only 1/3 rd of the way down, where women were washing dishes, their clothes, and themselves.
Looking straight down from the path to terraced rice paddies in the valley below
And the pathway had tourist merchandise stalls part way down the mountain
Tourists shared the paths with locals who were making their way down to the temple site.
and more rice paddies about half way down.
more stairs, but this looks like an official "gate" so I must almost be there.
Yep, just rounded the doorway and I can see a bridge across the stream.
From there it is a short climb (relatively speaking) to the main temples of Pura Tirta Empul. “The main attraction here is a long rectangular pool carved of stone, filled with koi and fed by the sacred spring via 12 fountains. Worshippers first make an offering at the temple, then climb into the main pool to bathe and pray.” Tirta Empul means crystal clear stream and it is purported to have curative powers: heals the body and purifies the mind. There was no one bathing while I was there and I don’t tend to “drink the water” except if it comes out of a bottle and is properly sealed.
My first glimpse at the sacred shrines, carved into the rock face
They are on both sides of the stream
This must be the "sacred" pool. A nice gentleman offered to take my picture and I did the same for him. You meet such nice people when you travel.
The main temple site was beautifully dressed
and you could take your shoes off to go into the caves. Thanks but no thanks! I'm not taking off my shoes anymore.
The ladies were busy preparing "offerings" that you could purchase and leave at the various shrines on the site.
It really looked like a small village, except that there were no houses to live in.
Back to the original side of the stream to check out the shrines on that side
with a great view back over to the other side. Because we are in a gully, of narrow valley, and there is a stream, everything is green, green, green. And the air is fresh as well.
And then it’s time to climb back up ! According to my photos, it took me 10 minutes to come down (and that includes the multiple stops to take pictures) and 15 minutes to climb back up; not bad at all considering the heat, humidity and that the fact that this was my second climbing site today!
Up
Stop to look at the wooden carvings and catch my breath
up
up
up
Amazing views, must stop to take pictures.... and catch my breath.
And I'm back to the entrance gates ! BREATHE !
When I got back to the car I was EXHAUSTED. Time to return to Kuta; no more walking around for me today. Although Mt Agung (highest point on Bali at 3,142 meter high, stratovolcano which killed 1500 people in 1963 when it last erupted) was not far away, it was a cloudy day and I did not get to see it in the distance.
A colourful rooster strutting his stuff on the sidewalk
On the narrow back roads of Bali. A bicycle tour would have been nice !
and the rice fields of Bali
intersperced with yet more temples
Finally, the Bali from the tourist books
A small irrigation canal with it's water guard
and a hotel complex in the middle of the rice paddies
My driver asked if I wanted to stop for lunch as we drove through Ubud (crowded tourist trap) but I was so tired, hot and humid from that last climb that all I wanted to do was get back to the hotel to shower and change. Plus, I was paying this guy by the hour !
Back near the city we passed this interesting looking structure. I tried to find what it was on the internet but could not find anything. Beautiful sculptures adorning the walls.
And the driver got stopped by the police for making an illegal turn; bakshish at work in Bali. But it allowed me to take this picture of an elaborate wooden sculpture in a shop. Don't know where you would put it, it must be 6 feet across, but it is beautiful.
After now having seen more than half of the island, I can’t
say I was impressed. It really is a
“tourist” destination and it is crowded.
Apart from the beaches here, as a tourist I preferred the island of Java,
despite the traffic situation on both islands. I did not get to see the
northern or eastern coast of Bali however, so maybe these areas are nicer and
less “busy”.
I hired a car and driver for an excursion north into the
central part of the island for the day.
We drove through a series of towns that just blended into each other
with hardly any countryside in between.
From Kuta to Denpasar to Samur and then on to:
Batubulan = Batik processing all done by hand: making the design; transferring it on white material (unless it is a “stamp” process); covering designs with wax (bees wax) on both sides; filling designs with ornaments and small dots; covering areas for a second, third or fourth colour; dyeing the first colour; scraping off wax on some areas to apply second colour (ditto for third and fourth); putting material in boiling water to remove all wax; dyeing again with dot applications; washing material thoroughly and letting in dry in the shade. Traditional colours are usually blue, brown and light yellow.
And they weave as well, using the same batik patterns
Celuk, where there are a number of silver and gold making jewelry establishments. We did not stop.
Batuan, where there are a many, many, many stores selling paintings (some are actually schools) and where there are also stone cutting areas.
Some of the drawings/paintings are extremely intricate and detailed.
I had to keep reminding myself that I did not have a house anymore to hang paintings in. I was good, I did not buy any, though I was really tempted.
We passed a lot of temples on the way, but I just snapped photos as we drove by. They seem to use more colour in their stones.
and they use the Naga serpent as well.
And they dress up their "god" monuments.
We stopped in Mas, where they specialize in wood carving,
and they stain the sculptures with shoe polish (same as in India and Africa)
They had a variety of huge pieces and small pieces and various styles.
The road we followed was built up between villages. This was about the most greenery we saw until we passed Ubud and continued north.
I was amazed by all the beautiful pieces along the roads. Now those would be amazing table tops.
and there was glass wear also in other towns
We continued on to two historical temple sites: from Ubud we headed south east to Goa Gajah, a Buddhist temple near Bedulu. You enter the site through some market stalls that have been set up.
Some toddlers playing while their mothers tend shop nearby
The sacred bathing pool
The entrance to the Elephant Cave
“The centerpiece here is a cave dating back to the 11th century the entrance of which is an ornately carved demon's mouth. Inside are some fragmentary lingam and yoni (phallus and vagina) statues, as well as a statue of Ganesha. Statues stand guard around pools near the entrance. A number of the relics here strongly indicate that the site has a Buddhist as well as Hindu past. Despite its great antiquity some parts of the Goa Gajah complex were not excavated until the 1950s. Tentatively nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site”.“At the façade of the cave is a relief of various menacing creatures and demons carved right into the rock at the cave entrance. The primary figure was once thought to be an elephant, hence the nickname Elephant Cave. The site is mentioned in the Javanese poem Desawarnana written in 1365.”
Inside the cave are temple offerings and nothing else.
Then you continue on, down another long series of
staircases into a gully, a sacred site that is beautifully maintained as a
park, with a few more small temples scattered about.
A spring under the rocks, source of the "sacred" water
and a "sacred" tree. How do I know it is sacred? Because it has been dressed as a "god". But check out the root system that is completely exposed due to erosion.
Did you get the part about all those staircases? I know……, it means I WILL HAVE TO CLIMB ALL OF THEM to get back up to the car ! But it was worth it
Back up the stairs and to the main temple building (check out the construction) where mean were weaving mats from palm fronds
And continuing back up the top staircase, looking back down at the sacred pool.
and out the gates again to find my driver.
We continued north again toward Tampaksiring village to
visit “Pura Tirta Empul Temple” or sometimes simply called “Tampak Siring
Temple”, a sacred Hindu site built in 926 AD. My driver for the day points me in the right
direction and I walk down a long street to get to the main “upper” gate. Underline UPPER !
Passed an irrigation canal only 1/3 rd of the way down, where women were washing dishes, their clothes, and themselves.
Looking straight down from the path to terraced rice paddies in the valley below
And the pathway had tourist merchandise stalls part way down the mountain
Tourists shared the paths with locals who were making their way down to the temple site.
and more rice paddies about half way down.
more stairs, but this looks like an official "gate" so I must almost be there.
Yep, just rounded the doorway and I can see a bridge across the stream.
From there it is a short climb (relatively speaking) to the main temples of Pura Tirta Empul. “The main attraction here is a long rectangular pool carved of stone, filled with koi and fed by the sacred spring via 12 fountains. Worshippers first make an offering at the temple, then climb into the main pool to bathe and pray.” Tirta Empul means crystal clear stream and it is purported to have curative powers: heals the body and purifies the mind. There was no one bathing while I was there and I don’t tend to “drink the water” except if it comes out of a bottle and is properly sealed.
My first glimpse at the sacred shrines, carved into the rock face
They are on both sides of the stream
This must be the "sacred" pool. A nice gentleman offered to take my picture and I did the same for him. You meet such nice people when you travel.
The main temple site was beautifully dressed
and you could take your shoes off to go into the caves. Thanks but no thanks! I'm not taking off my shoes anymore.
The ladies were busy preparing "offerings" that you could purchase and leave at the various shrines on the site.
It really looked like a small village, except that there were no houses to live in.
with a great view back over to the other side. Because we are in a gully, of narrow valley, and there is a stream, everything is green, green, green. And the air is fresh as well.
And then it’s time to climb back up ! According to my photos, it took me 10 minutes to come down (and that includes the multiple stops to take pictures) and 15 minutes to climb back up; not bad at all considering the heat, humidity and that the fact that this was my second climbing site today!
Up
Stop to look at the wooden carvings and catch my breath
up
up
up
Amazing views, must stop to take pictures.... and catch my breath.
And I'm back to the entrance gates ! BREATHE !
When I got back to the car I was EXHAUSTED. Time to return to Kuta; no more walking around for me today. Although Mt Agung (highest point on Bali at 3,142 meter high, stratovolcano which killed 1500 people in 1963 when it last erupted) was not far away, it was a cloudy day and I did not get to see it in the distance.
My driver, Nata, took me off the main roads and onto
small secondary roads on our drive back toward Ubud, so I finally got to see a
bit of green countryside. Now this was the Bali I had heard of and seen
pictures of.
On the narrow back roads of Bali. A bicycle tour would have been nice !
and the rice fields of Bali
intersperced with yet more temples
Finally, the Bali from the tourist books
A small irrigation canal with it's water guard
and a hotel complex in the middle of the rice paddies
My driver asked if I wanted to stop for lunch as we drove through Ubud (crowded tourist trap) but I was so tired, hot and humid from that last climb that all I wanted to do was get back to the hotel to shower and change. Plus, I was paying this guy by the hour !
Back near the city we passed this interesting looking structure. I tried to find what it was on the internet but could not find anything. Beautiful sculptures adorning the walls.
I skipped the Botanic Gardens, the Museums, the Water
Palace and the markets in Ubud. I had
really had enough touring and just wanted to rest. And no, I did not go to Padang Bay either (site
in “Eat, Pray, Love”). beautiful Kuta
beach was all I needed.
On day 11 of my stay in Bali I realized that my watch was
1 hour late. There was a one hour time
change between Java and Bali and I did not know. Now THAT’s a sign that I’ve definitely kicked
back and relaxed, but it is a good thing that my driver advised me of the time
change because I might have missed my flight out on Saturday. So what day is it today anyway? Oh, it’s Thursday already. Only two days more to relax before I leave
late on Saturday night (11 pm) for my flight to Darwin, Australia.
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