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The delta guest house offered us a private car to vist the great sight sof borabudur and Prambhanan for Rupiah 450, 000 but we booked a tour for costing us Rupiah 120, 000 for two of us!Any way when the mini Van arrived with ahmad , our delightful driver we were informed we would be the only 2 tourists.So it was a private car after all!
Itwas about 1 hour drive to the complex.Wasting no time, we climbed straight up to the top level of Borobudur along the way followed by sovenier sellers.This famous Buddhist temple, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, is located in central Java. It was built in three tiers: a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms and, at the top, a monumental stupa. The walls and balustrades are decorated with fine low reliefs, covering a total surface area of 2,500 sq. m. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha.
We met a group of freindly students who wanted a chat and practice their english and discuss their country and our feelings .
Our next visit to Prambhanan was a dissapointing.after purchasing tickets at the full rates we found that we could not approach the temple complex from a close distance as it was still unstable from the earth quake.we just walked around it and admired it from the viweing gallery and made our way back to the car!not much to write here!
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.From the late 19th century to the mid-1940s, this was the seat for the local ruler. It's a series of elegant and well-preserved pavilions, many of them decorated incongruously with colonial-era European furniture. Visitors are welcome to stroll around, though there are no signs indicating what you are looking at, so it palls quickly.
At the tourist information center, you can ask for a schedule of performances. There are dances every night at the Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung), in the center of town.
I recommend these, highly.
For Rupiah 50,000 we watched a Ramayana performance which was quite well presented.Unfortunately towards the end , it started raining and we thought the show as over.
however the actors came out and completed a shortened version to a warm applause from the appreciative audience.
With time at our hands we went to see the famous Monkey Forest on Monkey Forest Road. It's actually a sort of forested park in Ubud where monkeys live in the trees.. We'd heard that the monkeys were really aggressive, and would grab your bags and disappear up into the trees, or snatch sunglasses and even cameras Address: Location Jalan Raya, UbudDirections: Hours Daily during daylight hours Prices Free admission to palace. Ramayana Ballet rupiah 50,000/-
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 Pendopo at
Kraton-Chandeliars and
sumatran Ladies by mallyak,
4 more photos
Hats are not permitted but we saw some tourists who thought it appropriate to wear them because of the sun....disrespect to a great sultan , we thought.
Of particular interest to us were the ornate reception halls as well as the large open air pendopos for listing to gamelan performances.We were lucky that there was a performance at noon which was quite enchanting.
You'll also find a small air-conditioned room where the desk at which the ninth sultan planned the overthrow of the Dutch is enshrined. Also interesting is the gallery displaying the royal family tree and photographs of many members. We thought the painting of the eighth sultan on his circumcision day to be particularly curious.
There's also an extensive display of the ninth sultan's mememtos, including his favorite cooking utensils. Another gallery displays the gifts from various state visits
The sense of Tradition holds strongly with dignified elderly retainers who still wear the traditional Javanese attire
The Water Palace was a complex of pools and palaces built within the Keraton. It has been hugely damaged by wars and quakes. Today it's just ruins, but some have been restored. From the outer wall you can get a good view over Yogya. History behind Taman Sari was about a king who wants to build a huge - large swimming pool for the girls. From the tower, he can see all of them and whenever he wants to get closer with one of them just thrown a rose for a sign.
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Goa Gajah (the Elephant Cave), is located in a steep valley just outside of Ubud near the town of Bedulu . Built at least 700 years ago, the cave was rediscovered in the 1920s and fully excavated 30 years later. It is approximately ten kilometres from UBUD and is easy to find as it is by the side of the main road, just East of the crossroads in Teges village.
Kintamani was next on our itinery.On reaching there we were given a view but when the cold fresh mountain air hit me with realization that Kintamani could possibly be a piece of heaven on earth.But sadly it was the end of the tour-just the view!
On to pura Besakhi-For avid temple visitors to Bali, Pura Besakih is a must-go place. It signifies the oneness for the kingdom of Balinese Hindus. Honestly, there are conflicting numbers on how many pura (temples) are there within the massive Besakih complex. .
We heard of the scams here, but our local driver, advised us of the amount wewere to pay etc and we got off scot free without any hassles.
North of Tampaksaring on the road to Kintamani you will see the turnoff to Tirta Empul. It is to here that the Balinese come from all over the island on pilgrimages to bathe in the holy springs and thus cleanse themselves spiritually.
Around the pools an elegantly ornate temple has been built and, whilst we were there, devotees were in prayer and others leaving after finishing their devotion and with even more entering to pray and bathe in the pools. Everywhere you looked in the complex Balinese in ceremonial attire carrying offerings and receiving blessings were prominent as were a multitude of Pedanda's.
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In the town of Mengwi is the great royal temple of Pura Taman Ayun. Built in the 17th century, the temple served as the family temple of the Mengwi dynasty, whose kingdom survived until the late 1800s. The temple is famous for its exquisite wooden merus, or pagoda-like shrines.Dating back to 1634, this picturesque complex is surrounded by a moat with multi – roofted meru shrines and intricately carved wooden gates.
Along Bali's southern coast we visited the island's most famous sea temples: Pura Tanah Lot ). The Javanese priest Nirartha established a series of sea temples around the island in the late 15th-early 16th century; today they are some of the most visited tourist attractions in Bali. Tanah Lot has a long history in the world of tourism.
The temple itself is built on a small promontory which is only accessible at low tide.
During high water the rock takes on the appearance of a large boat at sea, such is its shape.
The preist at the temple will give you holy water and flowers similar to the Hindu temples in India
Poisonous snakes live in the nearby caves to 'guard' the temple and contribute to the temple's dangerous reputation.
Sunset is the best time to visit Tanah lot, when the golden red skies frame the temple and waves crash into the rocks.
It is advisable to avoid the tourist crush here as it can be severe.Wonderful to see local people come in droves and a group of school kids were delighted to have their photo taken
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 Terraced rice fields climb the
slopes Gunung Agung by mallyak, 3 more photos
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 Steeper and steeper, but still
crops are grown by mallyak, 4 more photos
Kawah Sikidang , a volcanic crater with steaming vents and frantically bubbling mud points are quite a spectacular sight.There are no gaurd rails to keep you from slipping and getting boiled in its scalding waters!
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Our first 2 days in Ubud we were dissapointed with the quality of food.It appeared that all food was modified to suit the western tastes and also the restaurants around the city centre seemed full of only tourists.however exploring the side alleys we came across little simple places called VARUNGS were the food was superb and cheap.
GADO GADO mixture of vegetables and crackers with peanut paste. The taste is sweet in Eastern Java and salty in Western Java. It's described in an indonesian hotel menu as Indonesian salad with peanut sauce)
NASI GORENG (Fried Rice) steamed rice stir-fried with eggs, meatballs, chicken/beef/shrimp, assorted vegetables. The rice is made brown with thick and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis
GULAI Indonesian curry) characterised with yellow colour from turmeric and coconut milk.
SaTE AYAM skewered chicken meat that usually had peanut sauce, or sweet soy sauce.
A late discovery was padang food which was beautifully spiced and served with an astonishing array of side dishes .What we could not figure out was why the food was served at room temperature.however on request our meals were always served piping hot.Yummmmm...
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In Bali there are many children that live under very poor conditions, with no games or anything to play with. You will usually find these kids in the inner zones, when you go through the island.
When I was there I took some colouring books, pens and colour pencils to give these children. It was amazing to see their faces iluminated and their shining smiles! They were given presents, which is unsual for them!
I advise anyone going to Bali to buy some of these things to offer the children before going. These are cheap things that won't lower your budget and it will be so rewarding to put a smile on those small faces! Leave a Comment
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 Local Damsel in the
Charming Hijab at Taman
Sari by mallyak,
4 more photos
We just strolled through the area and then caught a becac to Jln Malioboro to buy some light clothing to cope with the stiffling heat.The main thoroughfare in Yogyakarta is Jl. Malioboro in the downtown. The road from Tugu train station in the north and runs straight down to the Karaton at the south end, it is the most attractive road of the city, which is always busy days and nights.It was great fun shopping as the shop keepers loved to raise the prices and we loved to haggle.Make sure you do it with a smile and be considerate of the price.Yogya has been badly hit by the recent earth quake and plane crash and the tourist buisness has suffered.
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