Chapter 7
Day 9
We woke up in a beautiful sunny day. The birds were chirping outside of our window and we could barely hear the traffic from the far road. Nobody was talking or making noise in the hotels grounds. It was a nice relaxing start of a day.
Just after breakfast Yum Yum came to take us. Today we had problems with him since the beginning. We bargained, but in the end he asked a very high price. We bargained hard but we didn’t get much discount. Perhaps he was irritated because if we were Japanese, he could gain three-four times that money too. So, he started to be a true asshole, if possible, way worst than the previous day. Of course, we started to behave in the same way too. It was obvious that the next day we’d take another driver.
Just after breakfast Yum Yum came to take us. Today we had problems with him since the beginning. We bargained, but in the end he asked a very high price. We bargained hard but we didn’t get much discount. Perhaps he was irritated because if we were Japanese, he could gain three-four times that money too. So, he started to be a true asshole, if possible, way worst than the previous day. Of course, we started to behave in the same way too. It was obvious that the next day we’d take another driver.
Gunung Kawi
The first place that we visited that day was the Gunung Kawi, which is a Temple complex into a small valley (perhaps is more appropriate calling it a “gorge”). All around the temple there is a very nice landscape of rice paddies and palm trees.
All the way down to the Temple was a long procession of people bringing offerings. Women were very beautiful with their coloured dresses and bowls containing fruits and flowers in balance on their heads.
The Gunung Kawi is a XI Centutry Temple Complex. The oldest and main part is made of 10 rock-cut memorials. Each of these candi (it means “Temple” in Bhasa Indonesia) are imitation of real temples. According to the ancient legends, these candi were carved in the rock by the fingernails of the mighty Kebo Iwa.
According to the scholars the candis in the eastern bank of the gorge are probably dedicated to King Udayana, Queen Mahendradatta and their sons: Airlangga, Anak Wungsu and Marakata. The candis on the western bank are still covered by mystery. There are already several theories upon who had the monuments dedicated, but still no certainty. The most plausible theory is that, probably, these candies are dedicated at the King's concubines and a royal minister.
That day there were local ceremonies and it was really interesting to look at the Balinese people attending at them. It was amazing, this place had such beautiful colours, there was such a nice incense smell, and Balinese people had such beautiful smiles! This was the place where we felt better the Balinese spirituality.
Then, started to come more and more tourists, mainly from Asia. We checked the time and we discovered that we were late of over half hour at the appointment with Yum Yum!
He complained us of being so late, but he didn’t know of what late we’re capable of yet! So, we just answered that next time we’d be more careful at the time, and we went to the next place.
All the way down to the Temple was a long procession of people bringing offerings. Women were very beautiful with their coloured dresses and bowls containing fruits and flowers in balance on their heads.
The Gunung Kawi is a XI Centutry Temple Complex. The oldest and main part is made of 10 rock-cut memorials. Each of these candi (it means “Temple” in Bhasa Indonesia) are imitation of real temples. According to the ancient legends, these candi were carved in the rock by the fingernails of the mighty Kebo Iwa.
According to the scholars the candis in the eastern bank of the gorge are probably dedicated to King Udayana, Queen Mahendradatta and their sons: Airlangga, Anak Wungsu and Marakata. The candis on the western bank are still covered by mystery. There are already several theories upon who had the monuments dedicated, but still no certainty. The most plausible theory is that, probably, these candies are dedicated at the King's concubines and a royal minister.
That day there were local ceremonies and it was really interesting to look at the Balinese people attending at them. It was amazing, this place had such beautiful colours, there was such a nice incense smell, and Balinese people had such beautiful smiles! This was the place where we felt better the Balinese spirituality.
Then, started to come more and more tourists, mainly from Asia. We checked the time and we discovered that we were late of over half hour at the appointment with Yum Yum!
He complained us of being so late, but he didn’t know of what late we’re capable of yet! So, we just answered that next time we’d be more careful at the time, and we went to the next place.
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The Legend of Kebo Iwa
Once upon a time in Bali, a man and his wife were praying. They have been married for a long time but did not have any children. They asked God to give them a child. They prayed and prayed. God finally answered their prayers. The wife, then, got pregnant and they had a baby boy. They were very happy. The baby was extraordinary. He was very much different from other babies. He ate and drank a lot. Day after day he ate more and more. His body was getting bigger and bigger. And by the time he was a teenager, his body was as big as a buffalo. People then started to call him Kebo Iwa. Because of his eating habit, Kebo Iwa’s parents spent a lot of money to buy his food in large amount. They finally went bankrupt. They gave up and asked the villagers to help them provide the food. The villagers then worked together to cook and build a big house for Kebo Iwa. He was like a giant. He could not stay in his parents’ house anymore because of his big body. Sadly, after a few months, the villagers also could not afford to cook him the food. They then asked Kebo Iwa to cook his own food. The villagers just prepared the raw materials. Kebo Iwa agreed and as an expression of his gratitude to the villagers, he built a dam, dug wells, and he also protected the villagers from animals and people who wanted to attack their village. He did those things by himself. Meanwhile, the troops of Majapahit were planning to attack Bali. They knew about Kebo Iwa. And they also knew that they could not conquer Bali with Kebo Iwa there. Kebo Iwa was more powerful than they were. Gajah Mada, the Maha Patih (Chief Minister) of Majapahit then planned something. They were pretending to invite Kebo Iwa to Majapahit to help them dig some wells. They said that Majapahit was suffering from a long dry season and needed much water. Kebo Iwa did not know the plan, so he went to Majapahit. When Kebo Iwa was busy digging a very big well, the troops covered the well. Kebo Iwa had difficulty in breathing and buried alive. He died in the well. After the death of Kebo Iwa, Bali was conquered by Majapahit. Until now, people still remember Kebo Iwa because he had done a lot for Majapahit and Bali. The stone head of legendary Kebo Iwa can be found in Pura Gaduh temple in Blahbatuh. Source: http://indonesianfolklore.blogspot.it/2008/04/kebo-iwa.html |
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Tampak Siring
The Tampak Siring is a sacred area made of two sets of pools. According to the legends, these are holy springs blessed by the Hindu God King Indra.
This area is made by two sets of ancient pools. Along one of the sides there are lines of small fountains. The purpose of going to this temple is to bath in it and get cleansed from sins. Being always curious, we decided to try this tradition. So, I got closer to a guardian and I asked if:
1. A tourist can enter the pool to ask for Good Luck to the Gods? The answer was “Yes”;
2. Is it against the rules to use as a Sarong a light-blue beach-towel with over drawn the cartoon ghost Casper licking an Ice Cream? The answer was “No”.
We entered the pool. The water was freezing. The tradition wants that believers have to follow the “fountains wall” and stop under each fountain praying the Gods. It was a really nice experience! Even if I’m not sure that my Pali language for the prayers was enough good. When we got off the pool, we were freezing. An American couple got close to us and asked about the rite and soon they were convinced to try it too.
This area is made by two sets of ancient pools. Along one of the sides there are lines of small fountains. The purpose of going to this temple is to bath in it and get cleansed from sins. Being always curious, we decided to try this tradition. So, I got closer to a guardian and I asked if:
1. A tourist can enter the pool to ask for Good Luck to the Gods? The answer was “Yes”;
2. Is it against the rules to use as a Sarong a light-blue beach-towel with over drawn the cartoon ghost Casper licking an Ice Cream? The answer was “No”.
We entered the pool. The water was freezing. The tradition wants that believers have to follow the “fountains wall” and stop under each fountain praying the Gods. It was a really nice experience! Even if I’m not sure that my Pali language for the prayers was enough good. When we got off the pool, we were freezing. An American couple got close to us and asked about the rite and soon they were convinced to try it too.
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Tampak Siring Legend
In the Lontar (a Sacred text written on palm leaf) of Usana Bali it is mentioned that Tirtha Empul was created by Indra God when fighting against the king from Bedahulu. Once upon a time in Bedahulu there was a very powerful king. He had the ability to vanish and make his tracks disappear by entering another dimention (in hindu Maya means “illusion”). Therefore he was called Mayadenawa. The King felt invincible and with time he become arrogant, claiming to be referred to as a God. King Mayadenawa had as his assistant a man called Kalawong. The King forbade people to pray and to perform ceremonies in honour of other Gods. In this way natural disasters, outbreak of diseases and unsuccessful harvests frequently happened . People started to be poorer and poorer. The God Indra recognised the distress of this people, decided to wage battle against the dictator. He came along with his holy army to fight king Mayadenawa and his assistant. It is said that the chosen battleground was in the Tampak Siring area. As Mayadenawa's army advanced, the troops eliminated their traces behind them and Mayadenawa himself walked with his feet in the oblique position to hide his own traces. In order to defy the God Indra's Army, King Mayadenawa decided to place a trap, he dug a pond and filled it with poisoned water. Then the battle started and it was a clash of the Armies. The God Indra's Army conquered the area of the toxic water pond. So, after fighting, the soldiers of the God Indra, feeling thirsty, drank the tainted water and many of them got poisoned and died. As soon as the God Indra understood what was happening, he stuck the Umbul-umbul in the earth. The earth cracked and started pouring out holy waters that cleansed the pool of Tirtha Empul. Drinking the holy water, all the soldiers who died were brought back to life. The spring waters had purity and the power of the Tirtha Amertha Pengentas Urip (The holy water revives the spirits). The God Indra's Army pushed back and Mayadenawa Army retreated, fleeing up to the north. Feeling endangered, Mayadenawa disappeared and changed his appearance into a bird called Manukaya (Manuk = bird, raya or aya = big). The God Indra perceived the disguise and begun hunting him down. In the end Mayadenawa hid himself behind a huge rock located in the Pangkung Patas area, hoping that the God Indra wouldn't see him. The God Indra found and killed Mayadenawa with an arrow from his mighty bow. From the wound poured blood that turned into water and it became the Petanu River. |
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The Coffee Plantation
We came back to Yum Yum and he was furious with us as we were late of 45 minutes! We were improving!
Along the road to the next place, we stopped at the coffee plantation. We applied for a “guided tour” where we were shown the coffee plants and how the coffee beans are harvested. The following area was a coffee processing facility. That means two huts, one where two men were pretending to move coffee bean bags, and another hut was occupied by a skinny old man was pretending to toast about 200 g of coffee beans on a pan on a strong fire. In the middle of the square between the huts there was a small cage with a poor civet, a pretty furry animal, locked inside. The skinny old man invited me to help him with the coffee beans and taught me how to toast them. Then a waiter came to us and asked if we wished to try one of their brew coffees. We chosen a “Kopi Luwak” or “Civet Coffee”. This is one of the most expensive coffees in the World, and taking it in such a place could save us a lot of money. The Civet is a pretty animal. One of his greatest passion is eating coffee beans. These beans have a hard core, the one that we use to make the coffee powder. So, these animals swallow lots of these beans and digest the soft parts, while the hard ones are fermented by the animal’s digestive system and then expelled. People collect the expelled part, clean them, toast them, ground them and brew this coffee. We sat on a bench. It was on a wooden balcony facing a gorgeous lush valley. We were taken the coffees and we sipped them in such a relaxing place. The coffee was good with a delicate caramel taste. We liked it!
Along the road to the next place, we stopped at the coffee plantation. We applied for a “guided tour” where we were shown the coffee plants and how the coffee beans are harvested. The following area was a coffee processing facility. That means two huts, one where two men were pretending to move coffee bean bags, and another hut was occupied by a skinny old man was pretending to toast about 200 g of coffee beans on a pan on a strong fire. In the middle of the square between the huts there was a small cage with a poor civet, a pretty furry animal, locked inside. The skinny old man invited me to help him with the coffee beans and taught me how to toast them. Then a waiter came to us and asked if we wished to try one of their brew coffees. We chosen a “Kopi Luwak” or “Civet Coffee”. This is one of the most expensive coffees in the World, and taking it in such a place could save us a lot of money. The Civet is a pretty animal. One of his greatest passion is eating coffee beans. These beans have a hard core, the one that we use to make the coffee powder. So, these animals swallow lots of these beans and digest the soft parts, while the hard ones are fermented by the animal’s digestive system and then expelled. People collect the expelled part, clean them, toast them, ground them and brew this coffee. We sat on a bench. It was on a wooden balcony facing a gorgeous lush valley. We were taken the coffees and we sipped them in such a relaxing place. The coffee was good with a delicate caramel taste. We liked it!
Kintamani, Penelokan and Batur Volcano
We came back on the street and soon we stopped again at Penelokan that is a scenic area overhanging a volcanic lake and the Batur Volcano, which is exactly on the opposite side across the lake.
Pura Besakih
Before leaving for our journey across Indonesia, we searched for any kind of information, especially about the main points of interest. While gathering information about the Pura Besakih Temple we learnt that it was a really beautiful place, but also crammed with any sort of scammer. From the reviews we imagined it as a sort of “Sin City”. A place where the tourist would be welcomed by expensive fake guides, ready to take the tourists to public places making them to believe that they had to pay an entrance fee, where tourists would meet fake priests asking for some donation for fake ceremonies and along the way tourists would be accompanied by any sort of pickpockets. This is what, supposedly, was waiting for us. But waiting for Franz and Lula truly means waiting for a long time, and we aren’t prone to be scammed, at least, not too much.
It was late, very late. The sun was already low and we still asked to Yum Yum to take us to the Pura Besakih Temple. He complained that it was too late, and that probably his friend “priest” (aka Scammer Priest) probably had already closed the “private area” of the temple, but he could, probably, still ask to his friend to be our “tour guide”. I searched in the backpack and I took out of it a map. Of course, without trying to be plausible in what he said, without even looking at the map said “It’s old… Out of date… My friend, only he can help you!”, I answered that I was conscious that temple are movable like chess pieces, but I was ready to get lost… And he had to wait for us to be back in Ubud to be paid. “No, temple made of stone… don’t move!”, of course! So, how could a map be outdated if the temples and pagoda towers are in the same place for centuries? Yum Yum, the low league bad untrustworthy scammer! Anyway, when we refused “the privilege” of hiring his highly expensive tour guide friend, he gone mad with us and, in ager, said that we’d get lost and we’d be robbed by locals. Always the same old story. We accepted the challenge and left him in the parking lot outside of the temple. It was time to visit this magnificent place.
The way between the parking lots and the Temple gate is flanked by stalls selling junk. It was so late that most of the stalls were already closed, while the owners of the rest of the stalls were packing their stuff before closing theirs too. Along the way a man approached us asking if we needed a guide, but we quickly replied “No” without letting him to finish. He laughed and wished us a nice visit. We were far too late for the scammers too!
The Pura Besakih area hosts an endless amount of temples of any size. Some are short towers, others are like multi-level pagodas, while others are huge finely-detailed temples. This place is so amazing that it’s not a surprise that it’s also known as “The Mother Temple” as it’s the most beautiful of the island.
We went up hill. We first passed by the most photographed temple, we pictured it too, and then we kept on climbing. We reached a sort of courtyard, on our sides there were lots of temples and just few people were around. Most of the tourists already left. We sat on a wall and we had a snack with some tropical fruit that we bought the previous day. It was sweet and nice smelling. The area smelled of incense too. There was silence, and we could hear only far voices and the crowing of some roster. A really nice place to relax for some time.
The sun was already low and the towers shadows were getting longer and longer every minute. We went back to our exploration and soon we reached the topmost temple. Two huge stone Dharma wheels were on the top of the stairway that took at the temple. The wheels looked like floating midair behind the gate columns. Mythical stone creatures, similar to dragons, were observing us from the sides of the stairway, and we went up to it. The temple itself was charming. We felt like being teleported into an Indiana Jones movie, and we were absolutely alone! We were free to explore the area without people making noise. Only later, when was almost sunset, a procession of local people came into the temple for a ritual. We decided to not disturb them, and we went back downhill.
It was late, very late. The sun was already low and we still asked to Yum Yum to take us to the Pura Besakih Temple. He complained that it was too late, and that probably his friend “priest” (aka Scammer Priest) probably had already closed the “private area” of the temple, but he could, probably, still ask to his friend to be our “tour guide”. I searched in the backpack and I took out of it a map. Of course, without trying to be plausible in what he said, without even looking at the map said “It’s old… Out of date… My friend, only he can help you!”, I answered that I was conscious that temple are movable like chess pieces, but I was ready to get lost… And he had to wait for us to be back in Ubud to be paid. “No, temple made of stone… don’t move!”, of course! So, how could a map be outdated if the temples and pagoda towers are in the same place for centuries? Yum Yum, the low league bad untrustworthy scammer! Anyway, when we refused “the privilege” of hiring his highly expensive tour guide friend, he gone mad with us and, in ager, said that we’d get lost and we’d be robbed by locals. Always the same old story. We accepted the challenge and left him in the parking lot outside of the temple. It was time to visit this magnificent place.
The way between the parking lots and the Temple gate is flanked by stalls selling junk. It was so late that most of the stalls were already closed, while the owners of the rest of the stalls were packing their stuff before closing theirs too. Along the way a man approached us asking if we needed a guide, but we quickly replied “No” without letting him to finish. He laughed and wished us a nice visit. We were far too late for the scammers too!
The Pura Besakih area hosts an endless amount of temples of any size. Some are short towers, others are like multi-level pagodas, while others are huge finely-detailed temples. This place is so amazing that it’s not a surprise that it’s also known as “The Mother Temple” as it’s the most beautiful of the island.
We went up hill. We first passed by the most photographed temple, we pictured it too, and then we kept on climbing. We reached a sort of courtyard, on our sides there were lots of temples and just few people were around. Most of the tourists already left. We sat on a wall and we had a snack with some tropical fruit that we bought the previous day. It was sweet and nice smelling. The area smelled of incense too. There was silence, and we could hear only far voices and the crowing of some roster. A really nice place to relax for some time.
The sun was already low and the towers shadows were getting longer and longer every minute. We went back to our exploration and soon we reached the topmost temple. Two huge stone Dharma wheels were on the top of the stairway that took at the temple. The wheels looked like floating midair behind the gate columns. Mythical stone creatures, similar to dragons, were observing us from the sides of the stairway, and we went up to it. The temple itself was charming. We felt like being teleported into an Indiana Jones movie, and we were absolutely alone! We were free to explore the area without people making noise. Only later, when was almost sunset, a procession of local people came into the temple for a ritual. We decided to not disturb them, and we went back downhill.
Klungkung
On the way back to Ubud we stopped for some minute at the Klungkung, that is an old building rising in the middle of a small artificial lake. According to the information that we found, it is an ancient Court of Justice. We were too late to enter, and we could only see the building from the gate. We could see that the insides of the roof were painted with some scenes. We read that these scenes are showing the crimes and punishments, like an old Law Codex. The Klungkung is quite small and soon we went back to the car to go back to Ubud.
As soon as we reached Ubud we had a quarrel with Yum Yum for the scary prices that he kept on asking. The quarrel ended with Yum Yum screaming “Fuck Off” and leaving for good. Finally free!
As soon as we reached Ubud we had a quarrel with Yum Yum for the scary prices that he kept on asking. The quarrel ended with Yum Yum screaming “Fuck Off” and leaving for good. Finally free!
Evening in Ubud
We decided that for the rest of the day we’d indulge in some less-cultural activities. So, first a nice Bitang Beer, and then we went to a Massage Spa. I chosen a Herbal Scrub that, according to the advertisement, is the scrub used by the ancient nobles. The spices and the scrubbing of the masseuse made it feel burning on my skin. Moreover, it felt like that the herbs were mixed with some gravel or salt stones. It hurt and burned! Lula chosen a Yogurt massage, and on the opposite hand, her yogurt was ice-cold and her bed was just below the freezing air-con. The real problem wasn’t to show our endurance at the massage, but to get a shower. We entered a very romantic bath, with burning candles and a bath tub filled with red rose petals. Did we enter the love boat movie? No, it was a horror B-Movie! In fact, as soon as I turned the handle of the hot water, a billion of ants got out of the cracks of the walls! It looked like being naked into the bathroom of a horror movie! So, a quick wash to get rid of the sand and yogurt on the skin and we went back to our hotel for a real shower. Will we ever relax somewhere it the World?
This day we visited very nice places, the next day would be unplanned and we were thinking to go and visit some more nice spots.
This day we visited very nice places, the next day would be unplanned and we were thinking to go and visit some more nice spots.