Gianyar is the name of the city 18kms NE of Kuta. It is the capital of the district of Gianyar and a great place to shop for textiles. When arriving in Gianyar from the direction of Denpasar you will see the huge white statue of Arjuna in a 3-horse chariot. Indonesia goes in for these large statues at intersections, a left over from the Sukarno days. You will also see textile shops and endek weaving factories on the right side. In fact there are over 50 factories here. A couple of the best factories are Bakti and Cap Cili located on Jl. Ciung Wenara.
Sarongs can be bought here cheaply and you can bargain, especially when buying in bulk. Much of the cloth sold here is from Java, the same as you will find at the Bali Aga village of Tenganan. Endek cloth is made here and uses silk and cotton. Endek is weft ikat, where the warp threads are left plain and the weft threads are dyed.
Every time I meet someone from Gianyar and ask them what is special about the town they say babi guling (suckling pig), a favourite all over but apparently the Gianyar folks have got it down.
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G’Day Nick,
Great regency to explore. For those interested in temples, there is a classic Pura Dalem just to the north of Gianyar.
As you just enter Gianyar town, there is a side road to the left. Head up that small road for a few kilometres. On this really sharp bend you will see a temple on your right-hand side. It has a lot of history and some excellent carvings. Especially the Kul-kul drum tower.
Dear Nick,
We have just returned from Bali and thought I would feedback on the “Visa Card Specials” you mentioned on your website. We tried to use our visa card on three separate occasions to obtain the discounts advertised in the visa specials book. Not one of the retailers advertised would honour the specials despite showing them the book. Amex was offering a similar programme and despite some problems with the mathematical calculations all the retailers honoured the discounts.
Kate( Western Australia. Bali visitor 27/5 to 6/6/05)
Dear Nick,
We have just returned from Bali and thought I would feedback on the “Visa Card Specials” you mentioned on your website. We tried to use our visa card on three separate occasions to obtain the discounts advertised in the visa specials book. Not one of the retailers advertised would honour the specials despite showing them the book. Amex was offering a similar programme and despite some problems with the mathematical calculations all the retailers honoured the discounts.
Kate( Western Australia. Bali visitor 27/5 to 6/6/05)
Kate,
Thank you for your information. I hope your time in Bali was enjoyable.
I am actually surprised that they vendors seemed to like Amex over Visa. Usually its the other way around due to the processing time.
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