Sunday, September 16, 2007

BALI - FROM NORTH TO EAST

WATER AND TEMPLES - SEPTEMBER 2005


"BANANA PLANT - According to Wikipedia, «because of their size and structure, banana plants are often mistaken for trees». Bananas, which are grown in 132 countries around the world, provide you with Vitamins A, B6, C, potassium, and of course Banana Republic(s)"


"GIT GIT WATERFALL in North Bali - 10 km south of Singaraja, the former administrative centre of the islands during the years of the Dutch power up to 1953 - is a more than 30m waterfall that pours into a pool. About 700 meters from the main road, the path will show, further to the banana plants and the bamboos, many stalls with merchants trying to load you with souvenirs from all over Indonesia. You'd better take a swim..."


"LOVINA - We stayed at a hotel in Lovina, took a swim in the pool, and early morning were ready to start discovering the Island"


"KINTAMANI ROAD - On the way to Lake Batur"


"LAKE BATUR, at the feet of Mount Batur and Mount Abang, is the widest lake in Bali. Mount Batur is a small volcano, set in the heart of a huge crater, with the large crescent-shaped Batur Lake surrounded by the high walls of the crater rim, around it. The volcano had a great eruption in 1917, which claimed thousands of lives and destroyed hundreds of temples, and is still active today"


"GUNUNG AGUNG, with 3142m, is the highest mountain in Bali and where the spirits of ancestors are believed to dwell. The stratovolcano - seen on the right hand side of the picture - last erupted in 1963-64 and is also still active today. In the morning, the clouds from the west still left the mountain visible. You may try the nice walk up the hill"

***

BANGLI


"PURA KEHEN, just to the north of the town, was the state temple of the Bangli Kingdom, and occupies the site of an earlier temple which dates back to the 9th century. It is set on a number of levels against the background of a hill forest. A 38 steps stair leads to the meru-shaped gate between rows of statues"


"GATE - Overlooking the gate is the threatening head of Kala, guardian of the netherworld"


"A ELEVEN-TIERED MERU dominates the temple"


"COURTYARD AND SARONG - Almost all of the structures in the temple complex are open bales - raised platforms, open on all sides, with a thatched roof for shade and shelter from rain. No shorts! Men are supposed to wear a sarong to enter the temple... (Ladies a sari! Thanks Cuckoo)"



"FANTASTIC STONE WORK"

***

BESAKIH


"PURA BESAKIH, usually referred to as the «Mother Temple» of Hinduism in Bali, with its 35 shrines and halls, is the largest of the island's thousands of Hindu temples. In 1963 Gunung Agung, covered here by the afternoon dark clouds, erupted and destroyed several nearby villages but Besakih was untouched"


"HALL - Besakih is, like most Balinese temples, not a closed building but an open-air temple, full of courtyards with altars and shrines devoted to a number of gods. Besakih is dedicated largely to Siva worship. At the beginning of the 11th Century Besakih became the state temple and it has remained the State temple ever since"



"OFFERS - Balinese are said to worship one god, Brahman, who manifests himself in various personalities. They believe that the gods visit a temple on certain dates when festivals are held to honour the gods. Besakih stands highest in the ranking of temples. It is said to be the only classless, casteless temple on the island"



"WINGS - Of all the temples on Bali six are supremely holy: Pura Besakih, Pura Lempuyang Luhur, Pura Gua Lawah, Pura Batukaru, Pura Pusering Jagat, and Pura Uluwatu"

***

PURA GOA LAWAH


"BATS - The Bat Cave Temple, as its name suggests, houses a holy cave that begins at the foot of rocky cliff and is said to extend all the way to the base of Mount Agung. Inside, where it is forbidden to enter, there are thousands of fruit bats"

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, this is another great post of Bali with some really AWESOME pics and your beautiful description!
Have a great Sunday!

Anonymous said...

It must be wonderful there, the landscape and the old buildings, the different culture. (Glad you and your wife had nothing to do with the fire in Greece. and I'm looking forward to your photos from there.)

Dsole said...

Hi there!!
I've seen your comment today. And now I realized how much time i was out of blogging! Few minutes ago I've started to write my last post. i haven't finished it yet, but i have to give up on Madrid Dp even it's really sad for me because I've enjoyed a lot but I don't have time to make it on the right way.
But I think I'll continue with my other blog, posting photos of my non-so-exciting trips like yours, and I'll try to keep in touch with this amazing community of bloggers around the world! :)

What a great set of Bali pics, my friend. I thought it was a nice place, but it's like it's more than this! The monkeys are adorable, I think they have a lot of souvenirs too uh? hehehe
Anyway, have a great time, have a great trips and keep on sharing! ;)

Sunkyoung said...

You two look so comfortable with wrap skirts on you.

Z said...

Welcome back! I'm happy to hear that your Greek vacation went well and that the fires didn't affect you directly.

Your photos make me want to visit Indonesia. One of these days... :-)

z in Villigen

Ming the Merciless said...

I love the temple photos. They are absolutely gorgeous.

So how did you like wearing a sarong? Was it cooler than wear a pair of shorts? :-)

Did the bat cave smell of guano?

I have never been to Bali but a lot of my friends have.

Neva said...

Glad you are back and are ok from the Greek fires.....I love the sarongs on you both! What a hoot!

Anonymous said...

There is always so much fascinating scenery and information on your page. It's taken me a while to get here -- haven't had much free time lately.

Thanks for your visit to my blog, too.
Zanabel
Olympia Daily Photo

Peter said...

I expected of course Greece, but Bali is certainly also fine for me!

Wonderful shots and a lot of info! Of course I preferred the sarong photos!

Shionge said...

Isn't this a paradise GMG? I love all your shots and the last time when I stayed there I was in HOliday Inn right next to the beaches :D

Did you get to see the sunset as well?

Thank you for your lovely comments at my blog :D

JO said...

You have a facinating and beautiful blog going here... I will come back and see more. We love to travel as well but haven't seen near what you have...keep exploring! :)

Thanks for comments on RO and JO...

Aditi said...

ohh this was a pleasure to read... it gave a new insight into the place and i am definitely moving it up in my wishlist...the pictures were beautiful

Ash said...

Wonderful photos and write-up!

leo said...

o yes-the sarong, i remembered having to wear one when entering uluwatu. your pix are gorgeous! thanx for your visit n comment.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

Bali is lush!!!! its so green..that's such a pleasure for city dwellers like moi....

and no wearing shorts in temple was funny.....makes me wonder what do they do back at home in India of tourists turn up in shorts to temples....i dont think i 've ever seen any in sarongs!!!

Anonymous said...

you lucky devil!

Lara said...

welcome back, hope to see more great photos this season too! have a great autumn!

Anonymous said...

Templos y bananas, que original combinacion.

Lynette said...

Enjoyed your post very much. As for the holy cave, I would not have to have been forbidden to enter--the bats would have scared me enough to keep me out.

lyliane six said...

Je reviens faire un tour sur les blogs et particulièrement sur celui qui me fait rêver et me donne l'envie de voyager encore plus, car ma vie est déjà bien entamée et je n'aurai jamais le temps, même en cent ans, de tout voir hélas!!

RUTH said...

Wonderful photos. My son's grilfriend had a "world tour" for 9 months and visited Bali. What a beautiful land.

Anonymous said...

Kalyan,
Thanks. Of course, Bali helps...

April,
Thanks for your concern. I’m a bit late on posts, but as I’ve been in Greece in 2006, there will be some Greek pictures posted sometime in the future.

Dsole,
Loved to read your thoughts and see your last post in Madrid DP. Left a comment on Momentos and updated my link to your blog. You’ll be around and I’ll keep visiting whenever I’ve a momento to do it… And one day, I’ll get back to Madrid; maybe this autumn the works will be finished...

Sunkyoung,
It’s not that uncomfortable actually!

Z,
It’s a wonderful holiday destination; the only thing that is causing some concern to get back is that scientists are talking about a major earthquake to strike Indonesia in the very near future. Who knows?

Ming,
The shorts were below; the sarong was needed to enter the temples… The smell in the bat cave was not a French fragrance...

Neva,
Thanks. The sarongs were an exciting experience to get into the temples...

Zanabel,
Thanks. It seems time is running fast for almost everybody!

Peter,
Greece will arrive; one day...

Shionge,
Thanks. Paradise is actually how they name it… I saw sunset, but in the north, not at Tanah Lot.

JO,
Thanks. It has been a while since we started travelling around, but still there is so much to see. It’s not such a small world!

Aditi,
Great decision to move it up on your wish list!

Ash,
Thanks.

Leo,
You’re right about the sarong...

Moi,
Maybe Bali is special, even for the sarongs!

Piika,
Come on; you’ve also have been travelling a lot...

Lara,
Lynete,
Thanks.

Poly,
Glad to see you back here.

Lyliane,
On ne pourra pas tout voir, mais, comme le disait Jorge Amado, l’écrivain brésilien, il faut toujours tenter...
Un très grand merci! Les fleurs en plus sont vraiment magnifiques! ;))

Ruth,
9 months world tour? I’ve already made some round the world trips, but the most I managed to take was just around four weeks, and that was a long time ago. Other incarnation...

Cuckoo said...

In India also we have certain temples where no one can enter wearing stitched clothes, so sarong & sari are the best.


Loved the pictures.

Sigma said...

Seeing Bali through your lens, I am finding it a very charming place. With the greenery, and such a beautiful blue color of the sky and the sea :-)
The temples are exquisite, with fantastic stone sculpture. But with the wings and multiple tiers, they are very different from most hindu temples in India. Though, if you see temples in India - you will find that they are very different in north and south of the country!!
And interesting customs ... different temples will have their own set of rules!!

Anonymous said...

Cuckoo,
Thanks for being precise. Of course, I should have mentioned sari and sarong! I'm going to correct the post.

Sigma,
Glad that you found Bali interesting through my lens. I actually think it deserves the trip...
As far as temples, I can't compare with India - yet... :( - but I heard that at least some may be quite different!