Taro's Travels

The major festival of Galungan is coming up next week, many temples are being spruced up, and preparations are being made. As part of the celebrations, the Balinese construct tall bamboo poles from shorter lengths, with their tips bowed over suspending a woven palm frond decoration, and place them outside their homes. From time to time you see motorcyclists balancing lengths of bamboo for these, from a distance looking not unlike jousters.

Road rules in Bali appear chaotic - based more on courtesy than on law. The centre line appears a geometric advisory only, overtaking minibuses nip back into the correct lane not very far from oncoming traffic, zebra crossings indicate where a pedestrian is advised to sprint, making a right-hand turn - edging out and around while traffic goes both in front and behind - can be an interesting experience, and everywhere motorbikes weave in and out. Despite this, I've not even seen a near miss, much less anything more serious.

Because the holy sites of Gunung Kawi and Tirta Empol are too far from Ubud to comfortably walk or cycle, too inconvenient to travel by bemo, and too distant to economically travel by taxi or minibus, I rode pillion behind my host Madeh on his motorbike. It was my first time ever on a motorbike, and as we "slowly" passed most of the sites I visited yesterday, I occupied myself with comforting thoughts of gyroscopic forces, the paradox that a lack of speed limits makes driving statistically safer, and guesses as to which way we'd be likely to skid if I got to see a near-miss first-hand.

The actual temple of Gunung Kawi is nothing particularly impressive - it's what lies outside that impacts. It lies on the northern side of a small tree-shrouded river, which is crossed by a solid stone bridge. Outside the temple environs are rice paddies. To the south and northwest are cliffs with carved hollows several storeys high, nearly filled by monumental reliefs. And to the north, accessed from the temple, is the monastery compound. To enter, I removed my shoes and climbed a few steps.

The ground in the compound is unfinished stone, and slightly slippery with moisture and traces of moss. The compound has a number of hollows carved into the stone. Two of these were deep and dark and entrance to these was forbidden. Two, both carved into the compound's central stone protrusion, were niches barely large enough to accommodate a seated person; the remainder were large enough to provide uncomfortably moist quarters for meditation or sleeping. Though not detailed in carving as Goa Gajah was, the entirety was still impressive for the level of excavation required. The carvings of the locals, on the other hand, were highly detailed - carved coconut shells with as much shell left as air, and ornaments and decorations of bone and horn like lace.

Not far north of Gunung Kawi was Tirta Empul; large, busy with worshippers, and bustling with a fair number of tourists. There were fine carvings and gilded decorations, but for me the best section was a locked-off walled rectangular pond filled with fish, very clean water and algae, with dragonflies dancing above; a quiet centre among the noise. When I returned to the bike, Madeh told me that it was the temple's holy spring.

As we returned to central Ubud from the north, I relaxed more, and was able to enjoy the views as I had not been able to do on the way out.