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So here we are, another new place to explore! I only had a week here to explore this beautiful Island so I had to limit the places I could see (you can't do it all!) Bali is an Indonesian island lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces, and has a mainly Hindu cultural following.
My first stop in Bali was Ubud, well known for it's culture; dance shows and many artists painting in the typical Balinese style. It's a good place to explore the surrounding areas easily too. My first morning (after a little rain shower) I headed to the Monkey Forest Sanctuary which was just a short walk from my accommodation. It's a lovely forested area with many temples and, as you guessed from the name, many monkeys reside here. The monkeys are called Balinese macaques, also known as long-tail macaques and are quite lively!! Whilst wandering around the forest I met a Balinese guy called Sunny who started following me around and telling me things about the place and offering to take pictures of me. I was a bit wary at first in case he was
after some money for his 'guide' services but he seemed friendly enough. After walking around for a little while I bumped into a German guy called Ingo who had been on my bus from Kuta the previous day. After conversing for a while, Sunny offered to show the two of us around and take us on a walk around Campuhan which is a hilly area to the west of Ubud. We both agreed that a 'local' guide would show us far more than we could discover ourselves and I felt a little less wary being with a fellow 'farang' (Thai word for European foreigner!).
So the three of us headed on a back track (with amazing views over rice paddy fields) to the end of the main street where we would start our ascent to the hilly ridge path up to Campuhan - the place where 2 rivers meet. Almost straight away the views were amazing, rice fields all around and a view right over Ubud and the surrrounding areas. Walking along a high ridge with 2 rivers either side, Sunny told us that we would do a circular route taking us across one of the rivers. Little did
we know that this would actually involve walking down an EXTREMELY steep and (at times) dangerous valley hill down to the river below...and I had flip flops on. So picture the scene, the flip flops ended up coming off as they were pretty much useless, I'm precariously walking, (actually a better word is hiking!) with the much needed help of Sunny, down a muddy, wet slippery hill (it had rained overnight) in amoungst trees and little waterfalls (thinking to myself I'm glad my mum can't see me now, at the same time wanting to turn back). I slipped about 3 times and even Sunny was helping Ingo out at one point and they both slipped on top of one another! I was shaking like a leaf but thought I had no option but to continue on, and Sunny kept reassuring us that the terrain was better on the other side going up. Eventually we got down to the river and crossed a little makeshift bridge and then I relaxed a little and took in the scenery which was beautiful and as we headed up the hill the other side it was much easier!! Looking back now I can most certainly
laugh about the situation but at the time I was quite worried!! When we got to the top I managed to wash my legs, feet, hands and flip flops, everything that had aided my descent and stopped me slipping!! More rice fields greeted us on the other side of the valley and also an organic cafe, located in the middle of nowhere, in a field where all the produce is grown to supply the food. The cafe was a much needed rest and re-fueling stop and the views were an added bonus. I really felt like we had seen the local Balinese life and accomplished something that I would not have achieved on my own and on the way back, we made friends with a local Balinese man who was carrying a huge sack on his head. Everywhere you go in Bali, you see the locals carrying things on their heads!!
That evening I went to my first dance performance of my visit, it was actually a full moon and therefore there was a special performance at the ARMA museum of a Cak Rina dance. This is a type of Kecak dance, a form of Balinese music drama, originated
in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, it is performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "chak-achak-achak-achak" and throwing up their arms! Most performances involve fire and this one was no exception...not only were there little boys on stage brandishing fire torches, they actually had what can only be described as a 'fireball football' that they were kicking around (barefoot) to one another. It was truly amazing to watch - interesting as you would never see anything like this back home due to health and safety rules and regs - at one point the ball was accidently kicked out towards the watching audience!!
The next day, Sunny offered to take me to show me some more sights in the area that would involve riding on his motorbike (don't worry mum, I wore a helmet!!) Our first stop was to view some traditional terraced rice fields. Rice is the main crop grown in Indonesia, so Bali is home to vast stretches of rice paddies. (The word "paddy" comes from the Malayam word for "rice." ) The terraced fields are obviously more
spectacular as stepped contours cascading down the sides of the hills, but must be harder for them to work on! They really are spectacular to view and you can see why they are a tourist 'attraction.' After this we made our way to the Holy Springs of Tirta Empul in Tampaksaring. It is here that the Balinese come from all over the island on pilgrimages to bathe in the holy springs and thus cleanse themselves spiritually. A legend tells the story about how the God Indra created the spring in Tirta Empul. His army had been poisoned by the demon king Mayadanava, and Indra made a hole in the Earth in order to tap "amerta", the healing water which brought life back to his soldiers. Water is considered to be so important on Bali that it is used in almost all ceremonies and rituals. The Balinese religion is often called Agama Tirta; "The Religion of the Holy Water". The water in Pura Tirta Empul is especially holy, as all water used for cremations on Bali are taken from here and believed to have magical healing powers! It was so interesting observing the locals bathing in the fountains of water, each
of the 'fountains' has a different meaning e.g. wealth, long life, love, health, and they move along to bathe in each one (missing out the 'death' one which is used only for the cremations) In the temple grounds there are also many locals dressed in ceremonial attire carrying offerings and receiving blessings. The offerings are extremely beautiful and elaborate food displays, so tempting you could just grab a cake or two!! They pile them up on a circular bowl, like a piece of art and then carry them to the temple on their heads....not sure what happens to all this amazing food at the end of the day?!!
Anyway, the next stop was a coffee plantation. There are many coffee plantations in Bali and the Balinese coffee is well known. We wandered around and saw the processes that are involved and then we got to try some of their produce. As well as coffee, the plantation produced different kinds of tea and cocoa so it was nice to try a bit of each...and this leads you to the shop where you buy some!
The next stop and the highlight of the day was the trip to see Mount
Agung and Mount Batur. The highest point is Mount Agung at 3,142 m (10,308 feet) high, an active volcano that last erupted in March 1963. Mountains cover Bali's centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Mount Batur (1,717 m) is also still active, an eruption 30,000 years was one of the largest known volcanic events on Earth. The viewpoint we went to gave views of both these amazing volcanoes and Lake Batur in between. We also went and ate in a restaurant near the viewpoint and looked out over the panoramic landscape. Sunny's 'guide' services were repaid with me getting him his lunch, which he seemed really pleased with and was a cheap outing for me!
That evening I went to a dance performance at the Ubud Palace which was the spectacular 'Legong' dance and 'Ramayana' with women and men dressed in traditional, elaborate costumes. This was really spectacular and something that you tradiationally associate Bali with. The next day I chilled out by the pool at my hotel and did some shopping in the local market. Although I didn't buy any, sarongs and wicker goods are big in Bali, mostly handmade in the villages,
and they look good all laid out next to one another in the rows and rows of stalls.
My last evening in Ubud was spent at another dance performance, the Kecak fire and Trance show, very much like the performance on my first evening with 100 or so men sitting round a fire chanting and moving their arms around. I really enjoyed these performances, a little insight into Balinese tradition. Ubud was a great 'cultural' place to visit and I'm glad I met Sunny to show me some sights in the surrounding areas.
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Abbie
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Missing You
Hello Rachel I miss you and wish that you were here. I wish you could come to cypsella with us again. Lots of love Abbie xxxxxxxxxxx