Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PURA TAMAN AYUN
The huge state temple of
Pura Taman Ayun
(adult/
child 4100/2100Rp;
TABANAN
%
0361
A renowned centre for dancing and gamelan
(traditional Balinese orchestra) playing, Taba-
nan, like most regional capitals in Bali, is a
large, well-organised place. Mario, the re-
nowned dancer of the prewar period, hailed
from Tabanan. His greatest achievement was
to perfect the Kebyar dance. He is featured in
Miguel Covarrubias' classic book,
Island of
Bali
. Nowadays it's hard for visitors to find
performances here on a regular basis but you
can enjoy the vibrant rice fields and related
museum.
The independence struggle is commemo-
rated at the
Margarana
(admission 3000Rp;
Tabanan. The road to Pura Luhur Batukau
and the rice terraces of Jaliluwih (see p254)
heads north from the centre.
9am-
5pm)
, northwest of Marga village. Tourists
seldom visit, but every Balinese schoolchild
comes here at least once, and a ceremony is
held annually on 20 November. In a large com-
pound stands a 17m-high pillar, and nearby
there's a
museum
, with a few photos, home-
made weapons and other artefacts from the
conflict. Behind is a smaller compound with
1372 small stone memorials to those who gave
their lives for the cause of independence -
they're headstone markers in a military cem-
etery, though bodies are not actually buried
here. Each memorial has a symbol indicating
the hero's religion, mostly the Hindu swastika,
but also Islamic crescent moons and even a
few Christian crosses. Look for the memorials
to 11 Japanese who stayed on after WWII and
fought with the Balinese against the Dutch.
h
8am-6pm)
, surrounded by a
wide, elegant moat, was the main temple of
the Mengwi kingdom, which survived until
1891, when it was conquered by the neigh-
bouring kingdoms of Tabanan and Badung.
The large, spacious temple was built in 1634
and extensively renovated in 1937. It's a lovely
place to wander around and its size means
you can get away from rapidly sightseeing
group-tour hordes ('Back on the bus!'). The
first courtyard is a large, open, grassy expanse
and the inner courtyard has a multitude of
meru
(multiroofed shrines).
h
Sights
Playing a critical role in rural Bali life, the
subak
is a village association that deals with
water, water rights and irrigation. The
Mandala
Mathika Subak
(
810315; Jl Raya Kediri; admission
%
7am-4.30pm)
is quite a large complex
devoted to Tabanan's
subak
organisations.
Within this is the somewhat forlorn
Subak
Museum
with displays about the irrigation
and cultivation of rice, and the intricate social
systems that govern it.
With water passing through many, many
scores of rice fields before it drains away for
good, there is always the chance that growers
near the source would be water-rich while
those at the bottom would be selling carved
wooden critters at Tanah Lot. Regulating a
system that apportions a fair share to every-
one is a model of mutual cooperation and an
insight into the Balinese character. (One of
the strategies used is to put the last guy on
the water channel in control.)
Exhibits are housed in a large building
with water coursing by right out front. The
genial staffers will turn on lights so you can
see the displays, many of which are decently
labelled.
5000Rp;
h
Orientation & Information
The main road thankfully bypasses the centre,
where you'll find ATMs, wartel (public tel-
ephone office) with internet access, a hospital,
a
police station
(
Getting There & Away
Any bemo running between Denpasar (Ubung
terminal) and Bedugul or Singaraja can drop
you off at the roundabout in Mengwi, where
signs indicate the road (250m) to the temple.
Pura Taman Ayun is a stop-off on many or-
ganised tourist tours.
BELAYU
Traditional
songket
(silver- or gold-threaded
cloth) sarongs are intricately woven with gold
threads. These are for ceremonial use only
and not for everyday wear. You'll find them
in the small village of Belayu (or Blayu), 3km
north of Mengwi.
To get there, take any bemo or bus between
Denpasar (Ubung terminal) and Bedugul or
Singaraja, get off at the turn-off to Belayu
and walk about 1km west; alternatively bemo
go directly from Ubung terminal to Belayu
(4000Rp).
MARGA
Between the walls of traditional family com-
pounds in Marga, there are some beautifully
shaded roads - but this town wasn't always
so peaceful. On 20 November 1946, a much
larger and better-armed Dutch force, fighting
to regain Bali as a colony after the departure
of the Japanese, surrounded a force of 96 in-
dependence fighters. The outcome was similar
to the
puputan
(warrior's fight to the death) of
40 years earlier - Ngurah Rai (later of airport-
name fame), who lead the resistance against
the Dutch, and every one of his men was killed.
91210)
and a post office in
%
Getting There & Away
Even with your own transport it's easy to get
lost finding Marga and the memorial, so, as
always, ask directions. You can easily combine
this with a tour of the amazing Jatiluwih rice
terraces (p254).
SANGEH
If you love monkeys, you'll love the 14-hectare
monkey forest of
Bukit Sari
. But if you are put
off by the thieving, copulating little buggers,
than perhaps you should give it a miss. Actu-
ally we're among the former and the monkeys
here are all rather workmanlike: they eat three
squares a day (breakfast is bananas, lunch is
cassava and dinner is rice, a very Balinese diet
in fact) and when tourists leave they relax after
a day of high-jinks ('Hey did you see the hat I
stole off that bald guy?').
Also noteworthy, but not as exciting, are
a rare grove of nutmeg trees in the monkey
forest and a
temple
, Pura Bukit Sari, with an
interesting old Garuda (mythical man-bird
creature) statue. This place is definitely tour-
isty, but the forest is cool, green and shady.
The souvenir sellers are restricted to certain
areas and are easy to avoid.
TABANAN
0
1 km
0
0.5 miles
To Pura Luhur
A
B
To
Batukau (18km)
Marga
(9km)
1
10
9
3
1
2
8
4
To Alas
To Gilimanuk
Kedaton
Eating
There are plenty of basic warung in the town
centre as well as at the bustling regional mar-
ket; a night market sets up on the south side.
Babi Guling Stall
(dishes 5000-10,000Rp;
(108km)
(3km)
5
2
7
7am-7pm)
Out on the main road, this stall has new
batches of fresh-roasted seasoned young
pork throughout the day. It's a treat Balinese
love.
Hardy's
(
h
6
To Denpasar
(23km)
To Purah
To Pejaten
Tanah Lot
(8km)
(13km)
819850)
Also on the main road,
mundane, yet practical, you can stock up on
supplies at this supermarket if you're heading
to one of the surf sites in the west.
%
INFORMATION
Hospital...................................................................
1
2
3
4
B1
Police Station...........................................................
B1
Post Office..............................................................
B1
Wartel & Internet...................................................
B2
Getting There & Away
All bemo and buses between Denpasar (Ubung
terminal) and Gilimanuk stop at the terminal
at the western end of Tabanan (6000Rp). The
bemo terminal in the town centre only has
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
Mandala Mathika Subak.........................................
5
B2
EATING
Getting There & Away
You can reach Sangeh and Bukit Sari by any
bemo heading to Plaga from Wangaya termi-
Babi Guling Stall......................................................
6
7
8
B2
Hardy's...................................................................
B2
