Day 4: Day of a thousand temples

As much fun as the unplanned day of introspection was, it put us behind on the list of things we wanted to see/do while in Bali. To make up for lost time, we hired a driver, Gusted, to drive us North. Our first stop was to watch the less-than-authentic Barong v. Rangda dance. It was interesting, and the costumes were beautiful, but there were only a handful of people there and it was clear that it was more of a job than a beautiful rendition of their sacred tradition for the actors. The Barong is the lovable, snuffleumpagus-like creature/spirit that protects against evil spirits, such as the Rangda. It is a classic story of a princess being kidnapped and enslaved by the Rangda and its evil helpers and the Barong saves the day.


Our first two stops were the Elephant Cave and Kaui. The Elephant Cave is an uninspiring cave with an elephant mouth as its entrance. Kaui is an outdoor monument to the Balinese royalty. It is surrounded by rice paddies and eight huge stone carvings, which each represent a member of the royal family.




Then we hit three temples: Tirta Empula, Kintamani, and Besakih. Besakih was by far the most beautiful, Kintamin the most peaceful, and Tirta Empula the biggest culture shock. Tirta Empula apparently requires its visitors, with the exception of the tourists, to bath. That led to some interesting situations . . . at one point I went to check out one of the "fountains" and found several young (naked) boys splashing around. Luckily, the people over a certain age, bath with their clothes on.

Although we hadn't planned on it, we went to Kintamami because Gunung Batur and Agnung (the volcanos) were completely covered by clouds. It was the most peaceful of the templese we went to, we were the only tourists there. We still got attacked with sarong-toting vendors. When I first read that sarongs were required in the temples, I thought it was great that Balinese were so devout in their religious beliefs. Only after turning down a million vendors, did I realize that the sarong requirement has less to do with religion and more to do with commercial opportunities.




We saved the best for last: Besakih is the mother temple. It covers the entire side of a mountain and is directly below Gunung Agnung, which was still covered by clouds. The series of towers covered with different levels of thatch were really incredible.

Although the temples were neat, the experience of driving around was also great. We saw a lot of the landscape, which is really beautiful, and drove past a number of authentic Balinese rituals such as a cremation ceremony and several wedding ceremonies. We also ate in a Warung, which was a less than savory, but very rustic experience. Picture eating chicken with your fingers on an old picnic table, while starving dogs circle you and the cook swats away the flies.

That night we celebrated with the most fabulous massage ever, followed by a flower milk bath. Gusted brought us strawberry cake and Arak, rice liquor. It was a great way to finish our last night in Ubud.