East Bali - Bali and Lombok - page 93

AROUND SEMARAPURA
East of Semarapura, the main road crosses
Sungai Unda, then swings south towards
Kusamba and the sea. Lava from the 1963
eruption of Gunung Agung destroyed villages
and cut the road here, but the lava flows are
now overgrown.

Sungai Unda & Sungai Telagawaja
East of Semarapura, the main road crosses the
dammed-up Sungai Unda. Further upstream,
the Telagawaja is used for white-water rafting
trips (see p77).

palace and grounds were destroyed by Dutch
attacks in 1908 - the Pemedal Agung, the gate-
way on the south side of the square, is all that
remains of the palace itself (but it's worth a
close look to see the carvings). Two important
buildings are preserved in a restored section of
the grounds, and with a museum, they com-
prise the Taman Kertha Gosa complex (adult/child
5000/2000Rp, parking 1000Rp;

Museum Semarajaya
This recently renovated museum has an inter-
esting collection of archaeological and other
pieces. There are exhibits of songket weaving
and palm toddy (palm wine) and palm sugar
extraction. Be sure not to miss out on the
moving display about the 1908 puputan, along
with some interesting old photos. The exhibit
on salt-making gives you a good idea of the
hard work involved (see Working in the Salt
Brine, p237 ).

Tihingan
Several workshops in Tihingan are dedicated to
producing gamelan instruments. Small foun-
dries make the resonating bronze bars and
bowl-shaped gongs, which are then carefully
filed and polished until they produce the correct
tone. Some pieces are on sale, but most of the
instruments are produced for musical groups
all over Bali. It's not really set up for tourists,
but the workshops with signs out the front will
receive visitors (albeit sometimes grudgingly);
the work is usually done very early in the morn-
ing when it's cool. From Semarapura, head west
along Jl Diponegoro and look for the signs.

Gelgel
Situated about 2.5km south of Semarapura,
Gelgel was once the seat of Bali's most pow-
erful dynasty. The town's decline started in
1710, when the court moved to present-day
Semarapura, and finished when the Dutch
bombarded the place in 1908.
Today the wide streets and the surviving
temples are only faintly evocative of past gran-
deur. The Pura Dasar is not particularly attrac-
tive, but its vast courtyards are a real clue to its
former importance, and festivals here attract
large numbers of people from all over Bali.
A little to the east, the Masjid Gelgel is Bali's
oldest mosque. It was established in the late
16th century for the benefit of Muslim mis-
sionaries from Java, unwilling to return home
after failing to make any converts.

7am-6pm) . Parking
is easy, and vendors are persistent.

h

Kertha Gosa
In the northeastern corner of the complex,
the 'Hall of Justice' was effectively the supreme
court of the Klungkung kingdom, where dis-
putes and cases that could not be settled at
the village level were eventually brought.
This open-sided pavilion is a superb exam-
ple of Klungkung architecture. The ceiling
is completely covered with fine paintings in
the Klungkung style. The paintings, done
on asbestos sheeting, were installed in the
1940s, replacing cloth paintings, which had
deteriorated.
The rows of ceiling panels depict several
themes. The lowest level illustrates five tales
from Bali's answer to the Arabian Nights,
where a girl called Tantri spins a different
yarn every night. The next two rows are scenes
from Bima's travels in the afterlife, where
he witnesses the torment of evil-doers. The
gruesome tortures are shown clearly, but
there are different interpretations of which
punishment goes with what crime. (There's
an authoritative explanation in The Epic of
Life - A Balinese Journey of the Soul by Idanna
Pucci, available for reference in the pavilion.)
The fourth row of panels depicts the story
of Garuda's (mythical man-bird creature)
search for the elixir of life, while the fifth
row shows events on the Balinese astrological
calendar. The next three rows return to the
story of Bima, this time travelling in heaven,
with doves and a lotus flower at the apex of
the ceiling.

MARKET
Semarapura's sprawling market is one of the
best in East Bali. It's a vibrant hub of com-
merce and a meeting place for people of the
region. You can easily spend an hour wander-
ing about the warren of stalls as well as shops
on nearby streets.

PURA TAMAN SARI
The quiet lawns and ponds around this temple
make it a relaxing stop. The towering 11-
roofed meru indicates that this was a temple
built for royalty.

Nyoman Gunarsa Museum
Dedicated to classical and contemporary Ba-
linese painting, this beautiful museum complex
( 10am-5pm) was

established by Nyoman Gunarsa, one of the
most respected and successful modern artists
in Indonesia. The vast three-storey build-
ing exhibits an impressive variety of well-
displayed older pieces, including stone- and
woodcarvings, architectural antiques, masks,
ceramics and textiles.
Many of the classical paintings are on bark
paper and are some of the oldest surviving
examples. Check out the many old puppets,
still seemingly animated even in retirement.
The top floor is devoted to Gunarsa's own
bold, expressionistic depictions of traditional
life. Look for Offering .
There's a large performance space nearby
and some fine examples of traditional archi-
tecture just outside in the compound.
The museum is about 5km west from Sema-
rapura, near a bend on the road to Gianyar -
look for the dummy policemen at the base of
a large statue nearby.
SIDEMEN ROAD
% 0366
A less-travelled route to Pura Besakih goes
northeast from Semarapura, via Sidemen and

22255; adult/child 20,000Rp/free;

% h

Eating
Snack stalls line the parking area. The best
bet for food locally are the market stalls with
all manner of lunch items.
Bali Indah (

Kamasan
This quiet, traditional village is the place where
the classical Kamasan painting style origi-
nated, and several artists still practise this art.
You can see their workshops and small show-
rooms along the main street. The work is
often a family affair, with one person inking
the outlines, while another mixes the paints
and yet another applies the colours. The
paintings depict traditional stories or Balinese
calendars, and although they are sold in sou-
venir shops all over Bali, the quality is better
here. Look for smooth and distinct line-work,
evenly applied colours and balance in the over-
all composition. The village is also home to
families of bokor artisans, who produce the
silver bowls used in traditional ceremonies.
To reach Kamasan, go about 2km south
of Semarapura and look for the turn-off to
the east.

21056; Jl Nakula 1; dishes 10,000-
20,000Rp) A veteran Chinese sit-down place
with simple meals. Sumba Rosa almost next
door is similar.
Pasar Senggol (

%

4pm-midnight) A night mar-
ket, this is by far the best spot to eat if you're
in town late. It's the usual flurry of woks,
customers and noise.
Tragia supermarket (

h

21997; Jl Gunung Batu-
karu) This has a large choice of groceries and
sundries.

%

Getting There & Away
The best way to visit Semarapura is with your
own transport.
Bemo from Denpasar (Batubulan terminal)
pass through Semarapura (15,000Rp) on the
way to points further east. They can be hailed
from near the Puputan Monument.
For a bemo heading north to Besakih
(10,000Rp), they leave from the centre of Se-

Bale Kambang
The ceiling of the beautiful 'Floating Pavilion'
is painted in Klungkung style. Again, the dif-
ferent rows of paintings deal with various
subjects. The first row is based on the astro-

Bukit Jambal
The road north of Semarapura climbs steeply
into the hills, via Bukit Jambal, which is under-