C & C globetrotting around the world…

After breakfast we left for our tour of Bali, which we had booked before leaving to Lombok but post-poned due to rain. Public transportation is practically non-existent since the locals all have scooters now. Therefore, you have to rely on tours and drivers for tourists. We had a car with a driver to take us to some sights we selected. Our first stop was the Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah) which was built in the 9th century and serves as a sanctuary. Then, we visited the Pura Tirta Empul (Holy Spring Water Temple), famous for its holy water and the place where Hindu Bali people go for purification. Built in 926 AD, it has Bali’s holiest spring in its centre and is surrounded by the peaceful, shady gardens. The holy spring water is believed to have magical powers. There is also a legend about the death of King Mayadenawa, symbolising the victory of good over evil.

On the way to Mount Batur, we stopped at a coffee plantation where we got to sample some local coffee, tea, chocolate and fruits. Just as we were approaching Mount Batur, it started to rain and we were scared that we won’t see anything. Luckily, the clouds cleared and we were rewarded with a view of the cone and the caldera with the lake. Mount Batur (Gunung Batur, 1,717m high), which has erupted 24 times since 1800, is still active today. Actually, it has two concentric calderas. The inner caldera contains an active, 700-metre-tall stratovolcano rising above the surface of Lake Batur. With its 18 sq km, Lake Batur is the biggest lake in Bali and functions as an irrigation source to all farmers around it.

From there we drove to Pura Besakih on the slopes of Mount Agung. The Mother Temple of Besakih is the most important, the largest and holiest temple of Hindu religion in Bali. It was built in the 14^th century and sees about 70 festivals celebrated here every year. While we were there, preparations were underway for yet another celebration. This Mother Temple is actually a complex made up of twenty-two temples that sit on parallel ridges. It has stepped terraces and flights of stairs which ascend to a number of courtyards and brick gateways that in turn lead up to the main spire (symbolizing Mount Meru, the centre of the universe in Hinduism). All this is aligned along a single axis and designed to lead the spiritual person upward and closer to the mountain which is considered sacred. A series of eruptions of Mount Agung in 1963, which killed approximately 1,700 people also threatened Puru Besakih. The lava flows missed the temple complex by mere meters. The saving of the temple is regarded by the Balinese people as miraculous, and a sign from the gods that they wished to demonstrate their power but not destroy the monument the Balinese faithful had erected. Mount Agung is the highest point on the island and dominates the surrounding area influencing the climate. The clouds come from the west and Agung takes their water so that the west is lush and green and the east dry and barren. The Balinese believe that Mount Agung is a replica of Mount Meru, the central axis of the universe. One legend holds that the mountain is a fragment of Meru brought to Bali by the first Hindus. It last erupted in 1963-1964 and is still active, with a large and very deep crater which occasionally belches smoke and ash. From a distance, the mountain appears to be perfectly conical, despite the existence of the large crater.

Our last stop on the tour was Semarapura. The Klungkung Palace is a historical building complex situated in Semarapura, the capital of the Klungkung Regency. The Klungkung kingdom was considered to be the highest and most important of the nine kingdoms of Bali from the late 17th century to 1908. The palace was erected at the end of the 17th century, but largely destroyed during the Dutch colonial conquest in 1908. Today the basic remains of the palace are the court of justice, the Kertha Gosa Pavilion, and the main gate. Within the old palace compound is also a floating pavilion, Bale Kambing, which was added in the 1940s. At the end of the 18th century, the Kertha Gosa Pavilion, the hall of justice, was erected in the north-eastern corner of the palace compound. It typified the Klungkung style of architecture and painting. Kertha Gosa was considered the supreme court of Bali, and cases on the island which could not be resolved were transferred to this site. Three Brahmana priests presided over the court and were known for their harsh and inhumane sentences. The convicts (as well as visitors today) were able to view the ceiling which depicted different punishments while they were awaiting sentencing. The Dutch intervention in Bali in 1908 marked the final phase of Dutch colonial control over the island of Bali. The intervention was triggered by a Balinese revolt against a Dutch attempt to impose an opium monopoly in their favour. The Dutch sent troops to repress the riots. In a final confrontation on 18 April 1908, Dewa Agung Jambe, the Raja of Klungung, was shot by a Dutch bullet. The Dutch burned the Royal Palace to the ground. The surviving members of the royal family were exiled and the palace was largely razed to the ground. In 1929 the family was allowed to return, and settled in the newly built Puri Agung. We arrived back in Ubud before dark and enjoyed a quite evening. Bali has many more interesting sights, historic, cultural or nature, but this tour gave a nice overview of the island and its variety.