Meanwhile, we had a relaxing morning starting with .....
Potato wedges, omelette, deep-fried fish fillet, fried kway teow, fried rice, mustard greens, papaya, banana cake and a cup of coffee ....
After breakfast, we hanged out at the rooftop pool ....
The small pool looked enticing ...
Beautiful frangipani ... the locals call it Bunga Jepun ....
Pink frangipani is so beautiful too!
Frangipani is Bali’s signature flower. It is often used in offerings, religious ceremonies, or decorations.
We loaded our luggage into the van and headed out. Our first stop was Jatiluwih. Entrance was IDR40,000 per pax with an addition of IDR5,000 for parking.
Jatiluwih, perched on the side of Mount Batukaru in central Bali, was breathtaking. It is a UNESCO Heritage site. In Bali, there was this element of "Subak". It was a complex traditional agriculture system combining spiritual practices, irrigation technology, and social organisation in which Jatiluwih is a part of - is really special and has outstanding universal value to humanity.
Wow! Breathtaking view of rice terraces ....
Rice farmers are organised into Subaks, or irrigation organisations, made up of farmers whose fields are fed by the same water source. Each subak covers a few dozen hectares of farmland and sustains several hundred people.
The farmers of the Subak meet once a month to discuss how the water should be evenly distributed among the fields. If the irrigation channel is damaged, the co-operative will repair it together. This technique is well-preserved, remaining almost unchanged for 11 centuries.
Absolutely beautiful!
We took the shortest route down the valley at 1.47 km ....
There were many of these little shades along the route .... each holding one or two cows; they were probably used to work the field ....
We couldn't take our eyes off the scenery
So lush! So green!
Love the terraces!
Some villagers working on their fields ...
It took us a bit more than an hour on the trail .... as we stopped often for photographs. Our driver suggested that we have lunch here .... and he brought us to Waroeng Wayan where we could eat and admire the scenic view of the rice terraces. We thought the name "Wayan" was common in Bali. Our driver himself was Wayan Astika. Heh. Well, in fact, he told us that "Wayan" was the name given to the first born in the family.
Waroeng Wayan at Jatiluwih offered very good hospitality ... the waitresses came to greet us as soon as we stepped out of the car .... they were polite and asked where we were from and even asked our names. Food here was nice too. We totally enjoyed what we had ordered ...
Waroeng Wayan at Jatiluwih offered very good hospitality ... the waitresses came to greet us as soon as we stepped out of the car .... they were polite and asked where we were from and even asked our names. Food here was nice too. We totally enjoyed what we had ordered ...
We loved this dish - the vegetables were crunchy and slightly tangy, the sambal was spicy and piquant ... and of course, the freshly-cooked rice was yummy.
Homegrown papaya from the tree outside the restaurant ...
After lunch, it was an hour's drive to another UNESCO World Heritage Site - Pura Taman Ayun. This was the Royal Temple of the Mengwi Empire. It is located near the village of Mengwi, about 8km southwest of Ubud. Taman Ayun means "beautiful garden", so it is probably regarded as one of the most attractive temples of Bali. Entrance fee was IDR20,000 per pax.
According to the website, Wonderful Bali (https://www.wonderfulbali.com/taman-ayun-temple/), Pura Taman Ayun was built in 1634 by the Raja of Mengwi, I Gusti Agung Putu. It was a family temple where ancestors of the Raja Dynasty of Mengwi and other important gods of other temples were honoured.
A water feature as we entered the temple ground ...
Wonderful Bali wrote that this was a square pond with a fountain exactly in its center. This fountain has nine water jets, four of which are positioned according the cardinal points, another four according the sub-cardinal points and the ninth in the center, symbolizing the Dewa Nawa Sanga, the nine main gods of Balinese Hinduism.
Walking towards the temple
Another candi bentar gives access to the more elevated courtyard of the temple, where one will find a wall ....
Entrance into the inner sanctuary or the jaba jero
Beyond the walls are the most holy courtyard of the temple in which the most important shrines are located
Beyond the walls are the most holy courtyard of the temple in which the most important shrines are located
Another shot of the entrance
So there was a pathway at the side .... and we could walk round the santuary using this pathway ....
A glimpse of the inner sanctuary from the pathway ...
The structures inside the inner sanctuary
These are known as Meru pagodas ...
There are five, seven, nine and eleven tiered merus.
There are five, seven, nine and eleven tiered merus.
The Royal Water temple of Pura Taman Ayun, the largest and most architecturally distinguished regional water temple, exemplifying the fullest expansion of the subak system under the largest Balinese kingdom of the 19th century.
A barong on display
Next, we went to the NEKA Art Museum at Ubud which was opened in 1982 and is named after a Balinese teacher Suteja Neka who collected paintings as a means of artistic documentation. Nowadays the museum has a great selection of works from many famous Balinese artists and expats who have lived here and influenced local artists. Entrance was IDR75,000 per pax.
I wasn't sure why J had this included in the itinerary .... she did not seem to be overly excited about art and wasn't really enthusiastically looking at the displays. We did not have a lot of time to spare here because we wanted to make it in time for our 6.30 p.m. Kecak dance performance at Batu Bulan Village ....
But the short time that I spent here, I found the art gallery to be well-organised. Different buildings displayed different styles of art ... from Classical Balinese to Balinese Contemporary Art ....
Entrance
A classical Balinese piece
There was a short description of the work .... which was really helpful
One of the galleries
After going through the few galleries, I think I found a liking to the gallery that held Indonesian Contemporary Art - where the paintings there told the story of ordinary people .... quite interesting ...
There was an impressive Keris Chamber here as well ....
The art gallery seemed a bit dated and dusty .... but the art pieces were invaluable.
Finally, we went to watch the Kecak Dance at Batu Bulan Village, at this place called Obyek Wisata Budaya Sahadewa. The company was said to be established since 1972, second only to the one at Uluwatu Temple.
It had to be performed in the dark to fully appreciate the effect of the fire. Tickets sold at IDR100,000 per pax. Again, a summary sheet of the story was provided. It depicts the story of Rama and Sita - how Rama set out to save his wife Sita from the clutches of the demon king ...
The highlight was no doubt at the end ....
The man danced on the fire ... Wayan Astika said it took some "magic" for him to be able to do that.
After the show, we checked into Narada House at Ubud - a homestay. 2 nights only cost IDR974,000.
Our room ....
Big room for 3, there was a single bed at the side; clean and comfortable. Only that it was at Level 2, and we had to lug our bags up the stairs.
We walked along the street to find food to eat .... and settled at a small shop named HJ Healthy Juice - a family run shop, along Jalan Gootama. I was very hungry by then ....
Fresh coconut, IDR15,000
Not sweet, unfortunately, but it had a lot of water ...
And food took a long time to arrive .... the young boy manning the shop told us that his mother did the cooking, aided by his sister.
Gado-gado, IDR18,00
Mie goreng, IDR25,000
I ate the fried rice, IDR25,000
It was yummy because there were lots of fresh and sweet vegetables incorporated into the dish. Satisfying, really.
It was yummy because there were lots of fresh and sweet vegetables incorporated into the dish. Satisfying, really.
Stomachs full, we headed back to the room to rest ....
No comments:
Post a Comment