Bali Things to Do Tips by kenyneo Top 5 Page for this destination

Barong dance (1)

Its a dance where you see good mystical creatures ( Barong ) fighting ...the evil monster ( Rangda )
its accompanied by a group of musicians playing traditional intruments ...balinese lady dancers mesmerising the audience with their delicate hand gestures and expressive eyes movement ....

Even though the dance is good for those who enjoy cultural performance , it is somewhat spoilt by the inclusion of a short comedy show ( with a funny guy / clown ) to cheer up the audience . well thats the onlything that dissapointed me ....

Its arund Rp 50,000 or RM 23.00 or USD 6.00...a little expensive though ...for a dance performance in Indonesia !

Address: JL. By PASS Ngurah Rai

Directions: Denpasar

Phone: 724050

the Cak Cak cak Dance

WHAT iTS ALL About

This is the most arresting dance drama Bali has to offer. Kecak is the name of the male chorus in the sanghyang and this dance extends the role of that chorus to a Ramayana-story presentation in which the number of men is increased to about 150. They provide such striking accompaniment that what the chorus does is much more remarkable than what is done by the solo dancer who come in and portray such Ramayana characters as Prince Rama the Demon King Rahwana, the Garuda bird and Hanuman the monkey general.

The "Monkey Dance" is what Kecak is usually billed as in tourist programmers. All it has to do with monkeys is that, near the end, half the chorus becomes Hanuman's jabbering monkey army and the other half represent the enemy demons.

memorable experience

one of the most memorable thing in my life happened when I was sitting there, with my sister and mother . I was watching the dance and suddenly my sister told me ...mum is crying ...before i said anything ... ...she said dont worry ..she is just happy that her babies have grown up and she is very proud of us and happy that we brought her here ( well , isnt nice if you can bring your parents to some cool places ? even sometimes they said they dont like it , in actual , it meant a lot to them ..it does ...)

Address: At the Uluwatu temple , against the sunset

Directions: Some other temple also provide these shows , just ask any hotel reception

Other Contact: Rp 35,000 or USD4.30

the Cak Cak cak dance (2)

strangely ..mots heroic characters are played by women ...just like this one ...

Its a soul moving performance and one with lots of action too ...the best place to watch Kecak dance would be here in Uluwatu , high on the cliff with the sunset as backdrop

other place do offer such performance too ..but not as cool

Alas Kedaton ...draculas

when you visit the Monkey forest , you are bound to chance upon its other inhabitants ...the are mostly sleeping when I quietly took some pics of them ...

have to becareful else some of their droppings will land on your head and on the ground you have to take care of those monkey stuff ( dont ever wear anything glittering or fancy there ) monkeys love branded stuff , so think twice when you try to hang your Oakley on your head or show off your Versace ...( I keep my DKNY sunglasses in my pouch :-) clever me )

yo may see flying squirrel too ...but I didnt get to see them ...

if you see too many of them ...just call Van Helsing ya

Kuta Beach

Well I personally think that Kuta Beach is too commerciallised and too many people plus the street touts ...so if you want a peaceful beach to stroll I heard Legian or Sanur is better ....

when I was there in the evening , the beach looked so crowded ..so lively ( who says tourist are shying away from Bali ??? ) and filled with rubbish ( initially I thought this beach is such ) but I was suprised when I saw VT dragon_tml's Kuta Beach pic ..its so clean and beautiful - difference being she was there in the morning

I didnt meet that much street tout either , just one or two and when you say no , they just go away ( unlike my experience during Kintamani tour )

Tanah Lot Temple

Tanah Lot is located in the Tabanan district southwest on Bali, only a short way from Kuta and Denpasar.

LEGEND

According to legends it was built in the 16th century by the Javanese priest Sanghyang Nirantha. The local ruler Bendesa Beraben became jealous when his followers joined the newcomer, and ordered him to leave. Nirantha then used his magical powers to move the cliff that Tanah Lot was built upon out into the sea (Tanah Lot means something like "sea temple of the earth"). He also transformed his scarf to the holy snakes that still today is said to guard the temple. Beraben later converted to Nirantha's Hindu religion

MY JOURNEY

Most of the tour will bring you here in the evening , well due to its spectacular sunset view. The temple is constructed on a so called huge lava rock. And there are lots of black and white stripes poisonous sea snakes living beneath teh temple. No tourist is allowed to enter, just like any other temple in Bali. Devotees can only access during celebration and when the tide is low.

WATCH-OUT
Sea snakes are extremely poisonous, those found near Tanah Lot I believe is called Sea Krait , with frightening black and white stripes. Its is the only sea snake that comes up to the land to lay eggs.

for more info on sea snake click here Sea snakes

Some locals caught the seasnakes and display and claim them to be Holy Snakes for monetary gain. Locals doesnt belief these snakes are holy , so why should we ?

Mount Agung ( Supreme Mountain )

The Holy Mountain

This sacred mountain is to the Balinese what Olympus was to the ancient Greeks-the Cosmic Mountain. The Balinese, who consider this volcano "the Navel of the World," always sleep with their heads toward Agung. The mystical Balinese believe the mountain was raised by the gods as advantage point to view the unceasing pageant of life below.

the FACTS

Mount Agung is highest mountain in Bali island with height 3.142 M from sea level This mount located in district of Rendang Kab.Karangasem - Bali. Mount Agung is volcano with strato type, this volcano have very big cauldron and deeply which sometimes release aqueous vapour and smoke. From Besakih temple this mount look with sharp-pointed trapeze of perfection

Climbing

Climbing to this top of the mountain can start from three climbing places, that is
- From south ,strait pass Sangkan Kuasa
- From southeast , Budakeling passing Nangka
- From Southwest Besakih temple. ( most common route )

You have to report to the police station at Besakih Temple before climbing, and if you wanna guided tour by a ranger its about Rp400,000. ( wow )

Respect for the Mountain

Please do not bring any beef or any food that contains beef , or climbing gear which is made of cow leather ( cow is a holy to the Hindu religion ) , it is said the women on menstraution are not encourage to climb this mountain

Ulun Danu temple

LOCATION

Batur temple or commonly called Ulun Danu
Temple is situated at 900 meters above sea level of Kalanganyar, Batur village, Kintamani District on the eastern side of the main road leading to Denpasar or Singaraja Via Bangli.

The temple faced west ward where mount Batur and remains of its solidified black laves serve as backdrop and lake Batur stretches far down the slope, enchased the beauty to nature around the temple.

HISTORY

Ulun danu means the "head of the lake," and the original site of this temple was at the lake's northeastern corner - the "holiest" quarter, associated with the vitality of the sun as it approaches its zenith. Violent eruptions of the volcano in 1917 buried much of the area and took the lives of nearly a thousand people. Another serious eruption in 1926 forced the decision to rebuild the temple at its present site, high up on the rim of the crater

TEMPLEs , GODs and GODDESSes
Ida Batari Dewi Ulun Danu is the goddess of the lake.Pura Penataran Agung Batur is the principal temple, with five main courtyards. The dominant shrines are the merus an 11 tiered one for the lake goddess and three 9tiered ones for the gods of Mt Batur, Mt Agung, and Ida Batara Dalem Baturenggong, the deified king of Gelgel who is said to have ruled from 1460 to 1550. The Chinese-looking shrine to the northwest, with brightly painted statues, is for Ida Ratu Ayu Subandar, the patron saint of commerce. Another important shrine is the 3-tiered meru to Ida Ratu Ayu Kentel Gumi, who protects crops from disease.

MY JOURNEY

This temple sits quietly on the lake Bratan , offers spectacular view irrespective of the time of the day...even more mystical during the morning before the sunrise. Talk a walk around the lake ..its really peaceful ...but also dont miss its beautiful garden ...

See my Ulun Danu travelogue for MORE pics !

( Included in most of the Tanah Lot - Bedugul tour )

Mount Batur ..an active volcano..up close .%c

The volcano

When this 1,717-meter volcano is erupting, it glows red at night and bellows, throwing out rocks and showers of volcanic debris. This happens fairly regularly. The black patches and streams are cooled lava ...

the history

Batur erupted in 1917, destroying 65,000 homes, 2,500 temples, and 1,372 people. Its last major eruption was in 1926, when the village below was covered in lava. In 1959 a crack in the lakebed emitted poisonous gases, coloring the water green and killing all the fish. In 1963 during the Gunung Agung catastrophe, when lava spilled down Batur's southeastern flank. The lava flows from those eruptions can still be seen beside the lake. In August 1994, one of Batur's lower peaks began belching smoke and debris. In Kedisan you could hear the mountain rumble, and from any vantage point the volcano glowed red. Climbers were prohibited from ascending the peak and people complained of throat ailments and coughing Batur belched NO3 and sulphuric acid up to 450 times a day.

The natives

The natives of the G. Batur region look different from those of the coasts; darker, shorter, more wiry bodies, pinched faces, direct gazes.

strange practice

The people of a village called Trunyan ( best known Bali Aga village ) prefer exposing their dead in the open air rather than cremating them. After complicated rituals, body is first wrapped in white cloth, then placed in a shallow pit, protected from scavengers by a triangular bamboo fence and roof. Those who have committed suicide or who have died of horrible disfiguring diseases are buried. Curiously, there is no stench of decomposing flesh?because, it is said the bodies are placed near a taru menyan tree, which smells of incense...there is a guided tour there ,,but why pay to see corpse, maggots...yucks !

Take sunscreen and water to prevent sunburn and heatstroke if you are climbing coz the price of water increases when they know you are thirsty !!!

Danau ( Lake ) Batur - Bali's largest lake

Lake Batur is Bali's largest lake, wrapping around the cone of the island's third tallest volcano. This place offers spectacular views of mountain ,lake and mystical temples

the lake

The crescent-shaped crater lake of Batur, 1,031 meters above sea level, is seven and a half km long, with a maximum width of two and a half km, and a depth of between 65 and 70 meters. The western side is barren lava rock while the eastern side is lined with trees. The average height of the huge outer rim is around 1,300 meters. Though there are no suface river outlets, the waters of the lake feed underground rivers which emerge as holy springs in the southern part of the island

where ?

Getting to the volcano is pretty easy, there's one main road from Gianyar through Bangli that goes all the way to top. Once at the village of Kintamani (which is a toll entrance of a few thousand Rupiah -- about 50 US cents), the road runs along the edge of the tall volcanic cliffs around the south and west sector. .

The villages

The village of Batur was formerly sited in the Batur crater until a violent eruption of the volcano in 1917 and again in 1926. The village was relocated to the crater rim and the surviving shrine was placed in the new temple Pura Ulun Danu. This temple is of considerable importance and is one of Bali's nine directional temples.

Eight villages huddle along its shores

to know more about each village check out this link villages of Batur/Kintamani

when to go

The rainy season was a tough time to visit Batur, ( but when I was there it was actually cloudy and drizzling ..hehe) as the fog was everpresent and thick, but watching the weather patterns was fascinating. Because Batur was in fact an active volcano, there are hot springs nearby that caused clouds to form rapidly around the tip of the cone.