Lempuyang Temple

LEMPUYANG TEMPLE. EASTERN  BALI

Pura Luhur Lempuyang

If you’re up for a bit of a climb, the trek (well, there is a road for much of the way, but we’re calling it a trek!) to Pura Luhur Lempuyang offers fabulous views (weather allowing) and you get to tick off another of Bali’s directional temples.

Now that’s a view.

Pura Luhur Lempuyang is one of Bali’s nine directional temples and is of great significance to the Balinese culture and

religion. Set atop Lempuyang mountain, it’s roughly halfway between Amlapura and Amed as the crow flies. The directional temples radiate around Bali with Pura Luhur Besakih (Mother Temple) at the centre — other directional temples include Uluwatu, Goa Lawah and Pasar Agung. This importance means you’ll often see Balinese families from around the island visiting in full ceremonial attire balancing large baskets of food atop their heads, with the purpose of getting it blessed by the priest at the temple at the top of the mountain.

An impressive affair.

Six temples in total run up to the peak and while the views from the summit can be spectacular, remember if it is cloudy (as it was on our last visit) you’ll see precious little. If you are in luck you can enjoy tremendous views across to Gunung Agung and greater Bali. We were told you can also see Rinjani on Lombok but were unable to see it for ourselves due to crummy weather.

Ceremonies are regular.

If you decide to go for dawn at the summit, keep in mind that it can be very cold, so if you have a jacket, bring one. If you’re not fussed about dawn, early morning is still a better

bet to dodge the worst of the heat, and the monkeys (see below) are less active then. Regardless of when you go, you’ll need to allow one to two hours to climb the 1,700 steps to the top temple.

Who needs an ojek?

From the car park area a guide will appear to ask if you require their services, including the rental of a sarong and sash, which is mandatory if you wish to avoid a cultural faux pas. The price of a guide is highly negotiable, but the opening offer is 100,000

rupiah. We think 50,000 rupiah including hire of a sarong and a donation for one person is a reasonable price. From here there is a road you can walk along for 20 minutes (or take an ojek in five) to the first temple, from where the stairs begin. Given that the walk is paved the entire way and it is easy to find your way to the top, a guide is not absolutely necessary, but one is highly recommended due to the various temples that you will want to enter — the guide will ensure that you don’t do anything you’re not supposed to.

Overnight offerings.

From the carpark, it is a strenuous 90-minute walk to the top. The climb is not a mere stroll and as it is steps just about the entire way, it can be hard on the knees. A spare dry shirt for when the walk is complete is a good idea. Drinks and food are available for purchase at regular intervals all the way to the top of the mountain during daylight — if you’re climbing for dawn you may need to carry your own as little will be open.

Be prepared for inclement weather.

Towards the top of Gunung Lempuyang, near the main temple, lives a troupe of extremely aggressive macaque monkeys. While they look cute, they will attempt to steal anything shiny, including water bottles. Shed your hat, sunglasses and put away your water as you near the top lest you be attacked. Also don’t forget that if you want to walk and eat a packet of chips, the monkeys will want to fight you for them. The winner is dependent on who gets scared first and these monkeys know no fear.

Carrying a big stick helps. The macaques have gotten so aggressive that armed guards (yes, with guns) now patrol the jungle stretch between the two final temples. When we last visited in June 2014 we were told by our guide 35 people had been bitten in the preceding three months. These are very naughty monkeys and are not to be trifled with.

Tirta Gangga

TIRTA GANGGA. EASTERN BALI

Located in eastern Bali, Indonesia,

about 5 kilometres from Karangasem, near Abang. It is noted for its water palace, owned by Karangasem Royal.

History

Tirta Gangga literally means water from the Ganges and it is a site of some reverence for the Hindu Balinese. Strictly, the name refers to the water palace built in 1948 by the Raja of Karangasem, Anak Agung Agung Anglurah Ketut Karangasem. It is, however, the name widely used to refer to the general area which includes the water palace and the lush rural areas around. Tirta Gangga water palace is a maze of pools and fountains

surrounded by a lush garden and stone carvings and statues. The one hectare complex was built in 1946 by the late King of Karangsem but was destroyed almost entirely by the eruption of nearby Mount Agung in 1963. It has been lovingly re-built and restored and has an air of authentic royal magnificence.

The centrepiece of the palace is an eleven tiered fountain and there are many beautiful carvings and statues adorning the gardens. The area around Tirta Gangga is noted for its rice paddy terraces.

AMED VILLAGE, EASTERN BALI

AMED VILLAGE

Amed is the most recent tourist

development area in Bali. It was only in 2000 that tarmac was laid on the roads. Telephone lines were installed in 2003 and it took until 2007 for a bridge to be built over a section of the main road that regularly washed away during the rainy season.

This is the most commonly used base for visitors wishing to dive the USS Liberty wreck at Tulamben and that area is also covered by this article. There are other good dive sites close at hand and a thriving dive industry has developed all the way along the coast here.

Amed's inhabitants live from fishing, salt-making and tourism. The lack of tourism-based

revenue, its remote nature and the generally harsh environment for farming,

meant that this area was very much one of the poorer areas in Bali. Amongst others, the East Bali Poverty Project drew attention to the plight of the local villagers in this area and that, together with recent tourist development, has gone a long way to improving general standards of living, health and education.

TULAMBEN DIVE SITE

TULAMBEN VILLAGE, EASTERN  BALI

Tulamben is a small fishing village on the north-east coast of Bali. It is among the most popular dive sites on Bali since the wreck of the Liberty, a US Army Transport ship torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 lies just off shore. During high-season, up to 100 divers descend to the wreck each day.

History

The town's name is derived from the word batulambih, which roughly translates as "many stones", a reference to the destructive eruptions by Mount Agung that have affected this part of Bali from time to time. The beach in Tulamben is not made of sand, but is entirely covered with fairly large, smooth stones. The modern name evolved over time, first to "Batulamben" and finally settling on the contraction Tulamben ("batu" means "stone" in Indonesian).

The wreck

1. Scuba diving along the USAT Liberty wreck in Tulamben Bali, Indonesia.

The wreck lies in shallow water and is considered appropriate for divers of all certification levels. The ship rests in 30 metres of water, is roughly 25 metres from shore and can be reached with a short swim from the beach. The highest point of the wreck tops out about 5 metres from the surface. The ship was torpedoed by the Japanese off the nearby Island of Lombok and the ship was towed to the beach at Tulamben for salvage operations. The 1963 eruption of Mt. Agung, which devastated much of the eastern side of Bali, drove the ship into the water just off shore, where it became encrusted with coral and a home to other sea life.

The best conditions for diving here are during October and November, when the weather is

generally calm and during the start of southeast monsoon, which typically extends from May to July. In addition to a wide variety of corals and invertebrates on the wreck itself, large fish frequent the wreck in some seasons, most popularly Mola mola and whale sharks, as well as Black-tip reef sharks. Professional divers have praised local residents for minimizing local fishing activity.

BOOK HERE FOR DIVE

PADANG BAY , EASTERN BALI

PADANG BAY. EASTERN BALI

Most visitors to Padang Bai are there to catch a boat to Lombok and sadly miss out on a charming little place in its own right. People who do give it a chance often cancel their trip in order to spend more time in this lovely village. Spending a night or two here will certainly not be time wasted.

There is good diving and snorkeling in the immediate area, and a number of operators are

present to cater for those activities. This is also a fairly convenient base from which to explore some of the wider attractions of East Bali. Accommodation tends to be quite basic and aimed at the backpacker market, but there are more upmarket options in town.

It's a great place to relax, enjoy the beach and eat fish!

GUNUNG KAWI, TAMPAK SIRING

Gunung Kawi

Rice fields (sawah) at the entrance to Gunung Kawi Temple

Gunung Kawi is an 11th-century temple and funerary complex in Tampaksiring 180 north east of Ubud in Bali, Indonesia., that is spread across either side of the Pakerisan river. It comprises 10 rock-cut candi (shrines) that are carved into some 7-metre-high (23 ft) sheltered niches of the sheer cliff face. These funeral monuments are

thought to be dedicated to King Anak Wungsu of the Udayana dynasty and his favourite queens. On the east side there are five temples that are dedicated, according to one theory, to King Udayana, his queen Mahendradatta, and their sons Airlanga, Anak Wungsu, and Marakata. The temples on the west side are dedicated, according to the same theory, to the king's minor queens or concubines.

Inscription: on the north shrine (east side) a legible inscription reads: "Haji Lumahing Jalu," meaning "the king made a temple here."