Today I got the inspiration to get in touch with the cultural side of Bali.
Too Many hotel reviews, surf reports and meetings with idiots can blur the vision so I set off towards a temple north of Ubud called Pura Gunung Kawi.
To get to this temple I rode round the back of Denpasar on the Bypass road and up north before reaching Sanur. The ride is about 2 hours altogether if there is traffic and I stopped in Tegalalang for a pot of Bali coffee to keep me jacked. Tegalaling is a long strip of art shops overlooking a very scenic valley. While there I observed an American couple with their young Balinese driver eating lunch. I was interested to see how he would collect his 40% of their bill from the restaurant and after some maneuvering I finally gathered that it was being passed to him during their shopping spree in the ceramic art shop underneath the restaurant. To get to Tegallalang I rode to Ubud, down Jl. Raya Ubud and took the first left after the main temple which led me through a wonderfully scenic set of rice field views and small villages. Those guys Walter Spies and Arie Smit had the right idea, the Ubud area is special and is a perfect place for an artist to gather data and be inspired by daily life activities.
The temple at Pura Gunung Kawi is located off of the main road going north-south just east of Ubud.
Swinging down the winding hill I passed Ni Wayan Ngambet who was coming back from a ceremony. I took her photo and she invited me to check out her shop which was being manned by her husband. They asked for her photo but I explained that without email I couldn’t get it to them.
Looking across the street from their shop I could see the temple at Pura Gunung Kawi. The site is great, perfectly captured in a curve of the road. The layout of the temple was expansive and the rim is dotted with sarong vendors. A voice called out to me and I ended up buying a large Aqua (water) from Wayan, the cutest little water seller I’ve ever met. It was funny because she asked for 5,000rp. I told her in Indonesian that Circle K charges 2,500rp and 5,000rp was ‘mahal sekali’. I got the large water for 3,000rp at the same time as a French tourist next to me was paying 3,000rp for a small.
Entrance fee to the temple was 4,100rp which included sarong and sash rental. The temple was very elegant and features many small water ponds, each in its own enclosure. The main area is decorated in the yellow and white cloth that designates a holy place.
While I was there a cockfight was in progress. Cockfighting is permitted because Balinese Agama Hindi religion calls for blood to be shed for ceremonies and this qualifies. The old men lingered to enjoy the peaceful afternoon after the participants had left.
Pura Gunung Kawi is separate from Gunung Kawi which is a short way away. I rode to that location to view the ancient candi or tombs.
I will be detailing both places in a guide article airing shortly.
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G’Day Nick,
Yeah it’s great place alright. Actually it is fantastic early in the morning before visitors arrive.
Nice fotos mate. I look forward to the guide article.
Hey Tracey,
I reckon Gede will look like the guy on the left!
Nick,
The pic of the valley north of ubad.. I have many funny stories to tell ya about that place.
Back in bali soon..
Cheers Mick
I like the pic of the old men, I wonder if that’s what Gede will look like?????