Ulu Watu or Canguu?

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Ulu Watu

Ulu Watu, a famous surfing area on the southwest tip of Bali, is an area we heard about upon arrival as a “must see” for its big waves. On the map of Bali, the Ulu Watu Temple is a prominent tourist land mark. So, yesterday being Sunday, we decided to leave out computers behind and go tramping in Ulu Watu, about an hours ride from Canguu.

We stopped near the airport to take photos of Bali's most famous sculpture. I'm posting pictures here, which tell a far more accurate story than mere words. It's by far the largest, most impressive and stunning sculpture I've ever seen. It's at least 100' in length and probably 30' high depicting a mythological fight between the brothers Rama and Arjuna, lead by 6 wild looking horses and a fire breathing dragon decorated carriage. Arjuna is leading the carriage with his whip in hand driver, with elaborate spear in hand, all muscles tight and anatomically perfect. Rama is standing on two of his rearing horses, readying his own warrior spear, muscles rippling for fight, looking more like a thunderbolt booming down from the heavens. The brothers expressions are fierce and intent on the other, with large Balinese fiery eyes that make you gasp.
The horses are as magnificent as the warriors, veins popping on wildly snorting heads, hair flying, nostrils flaring, hooves galloping high in the air. Oh, its just takes your breath away.

If you arrive in Bali during the day or in the evening when they're lit up, ask your taxi driver to stop so you can see the best of Bali's art upon arrival. If you arrive in the night, make a special trip just to take this extraordinary art in, the airport is not that far from Kuta, just minutes.

Not far down the byway is the turn off to Ulu Watu. Years ago Ulu Watu was a quaint fishing village, a quiet getaway from the busyness of Kuta. But now Ulu Watu is under a stampede of development of resorts and villas, so the narrow roads are packed with dump truck convoys, barreling up and down the main street, dropping limestone and major dust as they go. Some dump trucks actually attempt to cover their loads so they don't continually drop on motorcyclists, but not many. And the ones that do cover up, leaves gaps at the back where crap drops off the end into your eyes and skin continually.

Driving in Bali under the best conditions is still nuts, pot holes everywhere, dogs and people in the street with other motorcyclists madly passing you in every direction. Some wear helmets, most don't, including the mother with her three small children on the back, all hanging on like they were born on a bike. And all this while driving on the left!

So having to contend with dirty dump truck convoys is not fun. And by the looks of the construction in the area, this isn't going to end soon.

So, we managed to get to the end of all this mess; Ulu Watu Temple. We chose to head further down the road to the watch the surf and have a bite. As soon as we parked, an old Ebu tried to scam us for 5000 rupiah for parking, which we flatly refused, knowing the going rate for parking a bike is 1000. She muttered away herself as she took the $1000 bill, probably saying something like “I prefer the newly arrived tourist, they'd pay 5000 without asking”.

Then we saw about 200' of stairs we needed to descend to the top of the cliffs where the surfers eat and hang out till they hit the waves down on the beach below. This was fine, but I knew the climb back up, in the Bali afternoon heat, was going to be tough. But hey, we're tough, so on we went. The Warung (restaurant) area was your typical Bali warung line up, we picked the closest one since I was hot and hungry.
Had a delicious fruit shake, could feel the sugar raising in my blood, my brain starting to balance from the journey here.
I noticed the aging Shapers (surf board builders extraordinaire) sitting together at the far end of the warungs, kids running around and one Balinese women who looked like she could be the mother of some of the kids. Seeing a Bule with a Balinese wife is more common than not. Rarely do you see an aging Bule male with an aging Bule female.
We started to hear a child screaming, a sad piercing scream that was as riveting as it was disturbing. That was only the beginning. A tired looking Shaper carried this upset boy around the area, obviously distraught as he yelled for everyone to hear; “Your mommas gone to heaven, get over it!”, in a loud, non-loving tone. This only made the kid scream more. So one of the more compassionate and brave Ebus (old woman) stepped and took the kid, which made him stop crying, he seemed to far prefer being her arms than his. The old Ebu said something to the irate Shaper, making him stomp around the table like a bull readying to take down the red cape, he yelled at her and grabbed the now screeching child out of her arms and stomped off him while his little legs kicked and protested. The old Ebu was obviously upset that the child was not getting the comforting he needed.
Everyone in the area, including us, was sending him daggers of disgust. The Balinese women in the area were visibly upset as his boorish behavior.
Seeing the man, whom I assume was the boys father, finally comfort the boy as he walked around with him in his arms, I decided I wouldn't step in, especially after seeing how he treated the old Ebu.
This left a bad feeling in us. These Shapers have owned this cliff side beach for years and maybe their energy was youthful, fun and contributing at one time, but not anymore. Maybe they're having stressful times. Dunno. Just know their energy is ruining the whole experience of being there. And that was before I had to walk back up those stairs in the Bali heat, muggy and stifling.

I pray these old surfer/shapers get the help they need to feel joy in their community in Ulu Watu.

Ulu Watu Temple

Ulu Watu Temple is similar to Tanah Lot Temple, beautiful to see from the cliffs but disappointing to visit. At both temples you'll find “priests” ready to take your money, hand out sarongs to wear out of respect, then send you in a direction where you're quickly stopped by a “Do not enter, worship area only” sign. They don't tell you that you basically can't see anything because its all restricted. But they'll have no problem taking your money first, while puffing away on a cigarette.

You'll have to contend with the Temple Monkeys, which can be vicious. They aren't such cute monkeys when they bare their teeth and hiss at you. We learned about evil monkeys while in Thailand. They'll take all your jewelry and accessories right off your body. And don't even think of leaving your backpack on the ground, they'll instantly cart it off to some tree to tear it apart.
We thought we were safe as we exited the area on our way when a huge monkey took a running leap off the stairs towards Harreson, jumped on his back, reached around and ripped his glasses off his face, before either of us had a second to comprehend his thievery. He ran up a tree and started gnawing on his glasses like they were candy, chewed off the end and started on the lens when a kid threw some peanuts to distract him. He threw the glasses down on the ground and hissed at us as we retrieved them...what a punk!
Harreson now walks around with crooked glasses since the pick-pocketing monkey ruined them. I really don't like monkeys!
So we're now sworn off Bali temples entirely. They're just a fat tourist trap.

If you're new to Bali and not sure which beach to surf, I'd take Canguu over Ulu Watu any day. It's sweeter, safer and available. Great waves and sunsets! And the surfers are amiable. Even the local Balinese surfers, notorious for being territorial, share the waters with the tourists. The food is better at Canguu too!
Canguu has many Villas, some cost a fortune, some are dirt cheap. We're staying at the “Taman Dayu Villa” in Echo Beach, on Padang Linjong. Email [e-mail] or phone [phone]
Taman Dayu is no 5 star hotel, but they do have decent kitchens, bedroom, bath and pool and its close to the beach. We pay about $10.00 US a day, but that's the price in the off season, with a 3 month commitment.

A nicer Canguu Villa, managed by an Englishman, rents the entire 3 or 4 bedroom Villa is Kubu Pratiwi, ph [phone] or email; [e-mail]

You can eat on the beach at the pricey but nice Beach House (Check out Echo Beach on Sunday evenings, where The Beach House features a live band and fresh BBQ.) OR eat right next store at the affordable and sweet Dian Cafe. They treat surfers like family here and you can always catch a Bahasa-English lesson from Wayan, the owner. Their Chicken Curry Soup is excellent!

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Photos

Ulu Watu Temple Monkeys
Cute but nasty!

Canguu Sunset
Besides the great waves, Canggu displays awesome sunsets almost nightly.