Traveling to Lose the Misery

Pura Kawi Mountain (4,000 IDR admission, sarong-duty)
Pura Kawi Mountain The source sanctuary sanctuary Pura Kawi  Mountain small source – not to be confused with the royal tombs of Gunung Kawi – located northwest of the small village below Tampaksiring Sebatu and about 20 minutes drive from Ubud. Who has time, which can reach the sanctuary of Ubud also on a really nice three-hour walk across the rice fields and small villages. Surrounded by forest in the quiet temple is located in a valley and, unlike most other temples he is so far little developed for tourism. This is actually quite surprising, because the green forest scenery in the background and coming from a dream system, Pura Gunung Kawi is one I think really the most beautiful temples in Bali. Especially from the road just above the entrance, you have a beautiful view of the entire system. There are several pools in which not only incredibly romp many colorful fish, but where also devout Balinese clean physically and spiritually. The part of the ceremonial ablutions is separated and not accessible to tourists.

Decorated stones victims in Pura Sadha Kapal In the north of Denpasar is the Pura Sadha, which is one of the most beautiful temples in the area, but is rarely visited by tourists. Originally the temple from the 12th Century, an ancestral shrine in memory of a Javanese nobleman. In the temple courtyard is an ancient banyan tree, between its aerial roots lies a small stone throne of the deities of the underworld. The Prasada elfstufiger brick in the innermost temple area resembles a Candi, a Javanese mortuary temple. The phallic shape was once a symbol of the man’s life force and energy of the deified Rajas. In one corner of the temple are 57 small and 3 large stone throne for the ancestors of the ruling dynasty of Mengwi. In the labyrinthine system, there are (especially during the ceremonies) to see something of interest everywhere, including many elaborate figures in the offering shrines.

Pura Tegeh Koripan: (voluntary donation, sarong-duty)
Climb to the Pura Tegeh Koripan On the road from the Lake Batur to the North Coast is located in a hairpin curve just before the peak of the mountain pass the Pura Tegeh Koripan. The path up to the old mountain sanctuary out of an approximately 300 steps long staircase path. The little visited by tourists temple is certainly no beauty, but with 1745 m the highest sanctuary of Bali and once the central shrine of the kingdom of Pejeng. In the inner temple area will accommodate one plain shrines and pavilions, which are stone sculptures with Indian facial features. In fine weather and clear vistas around here, the opportunity for a beautiful view of the three volcanoes, Gunung Batur, Gunung Abang and Gunung Agung, which are from here, almost on a line. The chance of this is bad but more likely because the temple wraps himself because of the height in times like clouds.

Goa Lawah – Bat Cave (2000 IDR admission, sarong-duty)
Half way between the small bats in the same sanctuary harbors Kusamba and Padang Bai in the south east of Bali is located inland, on the coast road, the Hindu shrine Lawah Goa. The bat cave is indisputably the most foul-smelling sanctuary in Bali. Already at the entrance in Banyak majestic tree, one can perceive the very fine and shrill tones and a few meters towards stem penetrates the acrid smell in the nose, which instinctively draws attention to the inhabitants of this cave. On the ceiling at the entrance of the cave during the day hang thousands of bats that are in Bali as sacred and enter this sanctuary its name. Even if you could take this course first, so the faithful Hindus turn to the temple but not the numerous bats her honor, but two mythological snakes: the Lord of serpents (Sanghyang Basuki) and the World Serpent (Antaboga).

Kerta Gosa – Hall of Justice: (5000 IDR entry, no-obligation Sarong)
Officially called the city of Klungkung today Bale Kembangzwar Semapura again, but the new designation will not prevail so right. With the old name Klungkung combines still the memory of the great empire of the Javanese generals Gajah Mada mid-14th Century as a governor of the Majapahit dynasty established. Here in the open court hall Kerta Gosa – on a stone pedestal – regulated once three priests in the Supreme Court of Bali, the legal cases. The entire roof of the hall is open to all sides of the inside in the style of classical painting to Wayang painted in the gable with many image strips. The content of the images was deliberately chosen a rather gruesome and brutal, leading the defendants at that time very vividly aware of what they faced after sentencing everything. Tear on the images, for example Demons to the liars out with hot pincers, the tongue, hard-hearted get the skin removed alive and adulterers, the abdomen burned. This cruel wrong doings even at the present time not the intended (beneficial) shock. The high court in his time was so feared that the village communities, it put everything possible in order to regulate their internal Streitigkleiten. Also located next door in an artificial pond full of lotus flowers ‘floating pavilion’ Bale Kembang is richly decorated with frescoes such. It pays to these images more than a passing glance and dedicate it to take some more time.

In the immediate Umgebug of YogyakartaUmgebung of Yogyakarta, the two most important temple complexes of Central Java: Borobudur and Prambanan. This pattern is unfortunately in the ticket prices again, that are far with 10 USD through the normal admission prices in Indonesia.
Borobudur in the heart of Java island is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and was over 1000 years neglected and forgotten in the jungle. The temple stands as a world cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO and is the tourist attraction of the region. But whether he can survive the onslaught of hordes of tourists another thousand years, remains to be seen first, but now everything is done to preserve this unique and wonderful example of human creativity. The ‘Lost Temple’ to be charged with its construction, all previously built temples in the shade was in the 8th Century in just 80 years built. Tens of thousands of workers were involved in the gigantic construction, art historians also refer to you as the eighth wonder of the world. All in all, were used for about 1.6 million blocks of basalt. On the walls of the steps stretching down almost five miles long relief – all in all 1460 records. Point apparently in addition to many scenes from Buddha’s life but also some scenes from the life of the builders. The quality of the frieze is breathtaking and the details are given masterful. Furthermore, adorn the temple all the 504 Buddha statues, each individual is worked by them artistically and although a good portion of them to the eye of the beholder cut, because 72 of these statues are sitting in the ornate stupas on the top level to the central Sanctuary group. The whole temple is bathed in jewelry and many archaeologists even assume that the shrine was originally painted. (more…)

Komodo National Park
To the east of Indonesia are between Flores and Sumbawa countless small islands of volcanic origin area of ​​the Komodo National Park. The three largest islands of this sprawling archipelago – Komodo, Rinca and Padar – are the world’s only home to the famous Komodo dragons and were passed in 1980 declared a national park (because of its uniqueness and vulnerability of the National Park of Komodo islands were also known as natural heritage included in the UNESCO list was). Who wants to see these reptiles so even in the wild, which is not coming around to visit one of these islands. Meanwhile, the protection is, however, the entire biodiversity of the archipelago – and the under water – including for the National Park and the adjacent areas of the richest regions of the world’s oceans and divers need their trips a valid permit (which is in between every now and again checked by rangers ).
Around Komodo – both on and under water – mass tourism is fortunately still a FremdwortLabuhan Bajo Komodo and Rinca and the islands are accessible only by boat. This can be very convenient as a day trip from the port of Labuhan Bajo on Flores do very much and is offered in combination with dives in the area of ​​the Komodo National Park. Labuhan Bajo has also in recent years increasingly become a real small travel center for backpackers and there are now no shortage of dive (recommended is the German dive ‘Bajo Dive Club’), restaurants and simple hotels (eg Gardena hotel). Cheap flights are from Bali to Labuhan Bajo, it almost daily (eg GT Air) which you can negotiate directly on the Airport (Domestic Airport) (usually cash needed;! booked from necessarily immediately return flight). Tours to Komodo offered on Bali by various local organizations, but these are our own two to three times more expensive than in organization. (more…)