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We woke up. Had breakfast,
checked out and made our way to Ubud by taxi. I was feeling a lot better that
morning :D |
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The trip to Taman Pura Ayun
in Mengwi took us about 1hour. The entire place was surrounded by a river. |
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I've actually saw some pics
taken by my friend Laila a couple of years back... and told myself..
yea... I've to visit this place one day, coz it looked so spectacular....
but from the outside... it doesn't look as fancy. |
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It was a well kept garden.
and a long walk to the entrance of the Temple. |
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One of the magnificent looking
temples I had never seen was Pura Taman Ayun, the royal palace at Mengwi.
Pura Taman Ayun was built in 1634 by the the Raja, I Gusti Agung Anom.
The
kingdom of Mengwi was powerful enough to control large parts of Badung,
Tabanan and Gianyar from the first part of the 17th Century to the latter
part of the 19th Century. The temple is surrounded by a massive moat which
look lovely and is set on 3 different levels, the inner courtyard at the top
having its own moat.
Entrance to the temple was
Rp3,300. Walking up the
pathway leading to the inner courtyard I was impressed by the size of the
place, everything from the large kul- kul tower to the number of meru
(tiered roofs). |
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The Archway.
Entrance to the inner courtyard
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Mike & the gateway |
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The sun was shining brightly
and it was really really hot. There was also another bunch of Malaysians on
tour there.
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The entrance door to the
temple was closed. Apparently visitors can only walk around it and see the
magnificient view. |
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The third level of
the temple was surrounded by moat.
Huge water lilies grew there. |
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It reminded Mike of
the pagodas in Japan.... NOT!!! |
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Darn. I looked tiny
compared to its massive structure. |
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Mike |
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It was really
serene. The forest behind the temple kept the place cool and well
hidden. |
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Me in Taman Pura
Ayun |
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The scenary was
spectacular. |
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tiered roofs |
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Too bad we were not
allowed to enter. |
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I like this pic. One
of my nicest in Bali :D |
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Oh... and I like this
picture tooo.... he he |
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Tis one also.. .ha ha....
hmm.. can see it was really hot that afternoon....
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Sumthin I saw at
the place |
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It was probably
used for some ritual
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Mike .. my
photographer :D |
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Pura Taman Ayun has
been striked from my list of the places to visit in Bali. For those
first timers... tis place must be visited for its beauty and
spectacular scenary. (also for those vain people who wants to take
nice pictures and great places.. ahem .. ahem..) |
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The journey continued on about 45 minutes
later to Lake Bratan |
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What used to be a volcanic
crater. Lake bratan was huge. Beautiful. Calm. |
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A huge tree
signifies how old the temple is.
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Ulun Danu was a
sight to be experience |
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A sight to be hold..
he he.. |
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Mike |
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Osman & Mike |
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From Ulun Danu we traveled back south to Mengwi and then headed to
Ubud. The trip was around 1hr 20 minutes or so... I really don't know
coz I fell asleep in the taxi. ha ha ha.. :D
I did'nt actually reserved us a room in Ubud. So when
we got there we alighted on Jalan Monkey Forest. I was hungry (again)
and the fever came back. So we went to a restaurant for lunch.
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Ulun Danu
Bratan Temple or the temple of the source of the lake Bratan is located on a
lake that fills the crater of ancient mount Bratan in Tabanan area, in the
northwestern part of Bali, in an elevation of 1239 meter above sea level.
The weather is usually
cool and fresh, bringing the calmness of nature closer and closer to the
mind of whomever witnessing it.
This Ulun Danu temple is dedicated to the
goddess of serene lake Bratan, as a manifestation of Brahman as Wisnu, the
preserver |
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The temple seemed
more well kept as compared
to some pictured I've seen on he web. |
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The clouds covering
the mountain but the atmosphere cool. |
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We took a lot of
photograph here since it took us so long to get here and was a
diversion from our route to Ubud. |
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So heavy.. arghhh.. |
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Mike & Osman |
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There was also a
family that prayed at the shrine that afternoon. Behind them,.. tall
pine trees touches the cool weathered sky.
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I remembered coming to CAFE WAYAN
once before . Loved the ambience and its nature setting
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We checked into ...errr.. Ubud Cottage or sumthing.. cant remember its name
but it was opposite the Green House.
It was cosy enuff.. :D ... and got it at a discounted
rate for US30. That's around RP300,000 for a superior room. |
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We roamed the
place and got ourselves to Pasar Ubud
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Of all the dances seen on Bali
today, the Kecak dance is perhaps the most dramatic. Taken from the
Hindu epic Ramayana, the dance tells the story of Prince Rama and his
rescue of Princess Sita, who has been kidnapped by the evil King of Lanka.
Unlike other dances, there is no gamelan orchestra accompanying it. Instead,
a troupe of over 150 bare-chested men serve as the chorus, making a wondrous
cacophany of synchronized "chak-achak-achak" clicking sounds while swaying
their bodies and waving their hands.
That's where the dance was suppose to be held.. but it rained that night and
it was moved to a nearby shelter. |
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The Entire cast of
the Kecak Dance |
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Jaran Dance was of a tranced boy on a horse. Behaving like a horse
and dances on the fiery coconut husks. |
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We walked the streets till night descended on us. We had a light snack
at a nearby stall. Had some gado-gado. It was then time for the
kecak dance. It was for RP50,000 per person.
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That's when the formed a serpent to protect the princess
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Part of the dance
where king hanuman rescues the princess
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The Dedari Dance involved dancers put into a trance. With their eyes
closed. They dance in synch in accordance to the chants by the women
folks.By then, I was
freezing again. I think it was the worse on this night. Fever was
bad. Stopped at a stall and had rice with steam fish. Took my
painkillers and meds. Around 2 hours later I was ok. There's nothing
much to do in Ubud at late hours at night. So we headed back to the
hotel knowing that tomorrow is gonna be yet another busy day. :D
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