The family temple
It's out of bounds, but from the gate, we could see the multiple shrines within the temple
For the Balinese, each day begins with prayer ....
I'd wandered for the past few days what a Balinese house was like .... and staying in a homestay provided me the opportunity to see for myself, the Balinese way of life. Their houses comprise of a huge compound with multiple buildings .... 1 for the kitchen, 1 for the living, 1 for the room, etc. 3 brothers live in this compound, in separate buildings ... and together, they run 3 homestays - Narada, Arjuna 1 and 2.
Some statues around the small garden
A statue of Buddha
Breakfast
We ordered our breakfast the night before, and just after 8.00 a.m., it was served at the balcony just outside our room .....
Banana pancake for my friends .... there was sliced banana filling inside the pancake ...
I wanted toast and eggs ....
All breakfast served with fresh fruits, coffee or juice
Arjuna Lane is off Monkey Forest Road, and has many homestays
This location was central, and provided easy access on foot to main street
This location was central, and provided easy access on foot to main street
We wandered to Ubud Palace whose garden compound was under renovation at the moment. Tourists could only sightsee around the garden anyway ...
Inside the compound of Ubud Palace ....
We also visited the Ubud Market again .....
If you are their first customer, they will offer you their "morning price" for "good luck". For me, the morning prices were still ridiculous .... I saw an 18-year-old vendor selling one of those round woven sling purses to an Australian lady for IDR300,000. I thought it was really pricey. At the same stall, I enquired about a set of wooden fork and spoon - and the young lad quoted me IDR200,000. That was cutthroat.
It also annoyed me that the vendors liked to ask, "How much you want?" but refused to sell it to you when you quoted the price that you want to buy the things at. The vendors really weren't that desperate to sell their wares to you if you quoted too low a price .... because they will be other foreigners who would be willing to buy them at a much higher price.
I was very excited about Ubud Market when I read about it before my trip ... but the experience here was actually disappointing for me.
It also annoyed me that the vendors liked to ask, "How much you want?" but refused to sell it to you when you quoted the price that you want to buy the things at. The vendors really weren't that desperate to sell their wares to you if you quoted too low a price .... because they will be other foreigners who would be willing to buy them at a much higher price.
I was very excited about Ubud Market when I read about it before my trip ... but the experience here was actually disappointing for me.
At 10.00 a.m., we headed to Goa Gajah, which was about 2km southeast of Ubud. Entrance fee was IDR15,000 per pax. It was necessary to wear a sarong before entering the site ...
The bathing pool, excavated in the 1950s ....
Two square bathing pools with waterspouts held by six female figures. Just above the bathing pool, wrapped in a black and white checked cloth is a seriously huge and tall tree!
Another shot
Goa Gajah is carved into a rock face and you enter through the cavernous mouth of a demon.
Goa Gajah probably dates to the 11th century; The cave was rediscovered by Dutch archaeologists in 1923
Inside the small T-shaped cave ....
A statue of Ganesha
The Lingam, phallic symbols of the Hindu god Shiva
It was hot and stuffy inside the small cave ..... and we exited to take a walk at the gardens around here ....
That huge tree that amazed me .... devoid of any leaves at the moment ...
A small waterfall
There were 2 Buddha shrines hidden here ....
And an old caretaker took my friend round the rocks to see them; she said they looked like broken pieces of rocks .... heh ..... I did not venture down there ...
The view of the garden at Goa Gajah
Our next stop was Tegenungan Waterfall .... entrance was another IDR15,000 per pax.
Tegenungan Waterfall was filled with bathers!
As you entered the area from the entrance, you could hear the sound of rushing water ... and very quickly, you would be able to see the waterfall from here .... There were 2 platforms here and you could actually take photos of the waterfall from here.
It was a hot, hot day and walking under the sun wasn't really fun, so my friends were reluctant to go near the waters ... after all, they'd seen all they wanted to see of the waterfall from the top. I persisted .... and so we walked down a set of steps .... cemented, not too steep, not too difficult to walk. It was just hot, that's all.
It was a hot, hot day and walking under the sun wasn't really fun, so my friends were reluctant to go near the waters ... after all, they'd seen all they wanted to see of the waterfall from the top. I persisted .... and so we walked down a set of steps .... cemented, not too steep, not too difficult to walk. It was just hot, that's all.
Getting nearer ...
We spent a bit of time near the waters, taking photographs ... and just revelling in the atmosphere. Then we got back up ....
165 steps to the top
After Tegenungan, Wayan Astika brought us to eat pork ribs at Iiga Warung. There were 2 outlets in Bali, both very popular among tourists. Our driver, Wayan Astika told us that they cooked at least 100kg of meat daily ...
J ordered the grilled chicken as she did not eat pork ....
Mie Goreng with Pork Ribs, IDR79,000
Nasi goreng with pork ribs, IDR 79,000
Whilst there was nothing special about the rice, the pork was yummy - smoky, soft and well-flavoured with American-style bbq sauce ....
This places charges an additional 16% for service and sales tax.
After lunch, we went to Gunung Kawi at Tampaksiring. This is part of the Subak Landscape of Pakerisan Watershed, so it was a gazetted Unesco World Heritage site. Entrance was IDR15,000. Again, sarong was compulsory.
The trail was harder to navigate .... it involved a lot of steps up and down , purportedly more than 270 steps ...
Going downward ....
But luckily, there were souvenir stalls lining the path .... so we walked slowly while browsing the stalls.
View of rice terraces along the way ...
Soon, we reached the shrines ...
11th century shrines or funerary monuments cut into the cliff face
This is Bali's Valley of the Kings, one of the oldest and largest ancient monuments here.
Crossing the Pakerisan River to find more shrines on the other side
5 shrines here, dedicated to King Udayana and his family
There were supposed to be 10 shrines here at Gunung Kawi. The last shrine was smaller and located at a more remote area. I was not sure which one was the 10th shrine and I was not sure whether I saw it.
At the temple, we see many women preparing for a religious ceremony ....
A deep-fried dough for religious offering ....
The ladies told us that they would eat this after the ceremony was over.
Slowly, we made our way back to our car. Phew. I was tired. But there was another temple to visit.
The last place we visited was the Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple - part of the Unesco World Heritage site. Entrance was at IDR15,000. This was another water temple, purportedly to be the most tranquil and beautiful .... but luckily, it was more accessible compared to the previous attraction we went to.
A water garden complete with a large pool containing golden carp.
At its centrepiece is the figure of Saraswathi, the goddess of wisdom - she is often associated with arts, education and learning.
Going into the inner courtyard
A intricately carved statuette
Some parts of the inner courtyard are under renovation as well .... we saw master craftsmen carving onto the shrines here .....
The holy spring
Again, water was so clear and again, we saw little black birds swooping down the surface .....
The bathing pool
There was a huge jam back at Ubud Central. Our car could hardly move at all. After 20 minutes, we got out of the car and proceeded on foot. Of course, we manouvered Ubud Market again, and then exited into Jalan Karna, looking for bargains .... the stalls were closing already at this time ....
We walked past a coffee shop ..... and the irresistible aroma stopped us in our tracks. We went in and bought ourselves a cuppa ....
Organic Balinese Arabica, IDR15,000
Strong and aromatic coffee, the milk was diluted though.
Lovely to drink when hot ....
Aromatic coffee available here
We walked from Jalan Karna, turned right into Jalan Dewisita and then turned right again into Monkey Forest Road .... and that brought us back to our homestay. We rested a while .... before we went out in search for food ..... We walked along Jalan Raya Ubud but nothing seemed appealing. We decided to go back to HJ Healthy Juices. When we reached there however, we found the tiny restaurant to be fully occupied ... no one was eating yet and that meant we had to wait long ....
So walked back to Arjuna Lane .... and randomly picked a place to eat - Arimas Warung, just next to New Ubud Bed and Breakfast.
J had fried rice
Gado-gado, IDR25,000
Hmn .... I think this was an Anglicised version for the peanut sauce was tasteless. I mixed in some sweet soy sauce and chilli sauce into my salad before it was edible ....
Hmn .... I think this was an Anglicised version for the peanut sauce was tasteless. I mixed in some sweet soy sauce and chilli sauce into my salad before it was edible ....
Dinner done, we went back to our room to rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment