Bali: Island Paradise and Cultural Enigmas

Day 1: Depart Los Angeles

Depart Los Angeles this evening. (NOTE: The flight actually departs at 12:30 a.m. on April 28; you must be at the Los Angeles airport by 9 p.m. on April 27th.)

Day 2: Arrive in Bali

Arrive Bali in the afternoon. Drive two hours north to the town of Ubud and the award-winning Maya Ubud Resort, our home for the next eight nights. This deluxe hotel and spa is located along the banks of the Petanu River and within walking distance of the town of Ubud. Dinner is in the hotel restaurant. (D)

Day 3: Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

Begin the day with an orientation before we depart for the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. The community of Padangtegal own and manage the nature preserve, home to long-tailed macaques believed to be Guardian gods of Puna Dalem Agung. Located within the forest, this temple dates back to the 14th century and is dedicated to Durga, the goddess of death, who also takes on the form of the witch-monster Rangda. In the afternoon, our stroll through a village will give us an overview of Balinese architecture and way of life. Gather this evening for our welcome dinner in what is considered the finest restaurant not only in Bali but one of the top six in Asia. (B/L/D)

Day 4: House compound/Mas/Bitra

The Balinese treat every object as a human being, including the lay-out of their house compounds. Divided into three parts - holy shrines, living quarters and the kitchen, pigsty and garbage area - the Balinese house compound is a closed area, surrounded by a wall. On both sides of the entrance gate are niches where offerings can be placed. Behind this entrance a screen wall is built to discourage evil spirits entering the house compound to trouble the family. After our visit to a house compound, continue to Mas, a village known for its wood carving traditions where we meet with a famous Balinese mask dancer, Ida Bagus Anom. In the afternoon, we join lively festivities at Pura Dalem in the village of Bitra. Today is an anniversary of the temple and processions of people - carrying colorful banners and offerings, along with women dressed in their finest traditional clothing and wearing tall headdresses - are accompanied by a cacophony of percussion music and aromas of fragrant incense and fresh flowers. Here, in front of the sanctuary that has been decorated with beautiful ornamentation for this event, Balinese Hindus come together to pray and give thanks, accompanied by dance and music. This bi-yearly event will be a highlight of the trip. Dinner is on our own to experience one of Ubud’s excellent restaurants. (B/L)

Day 5: Batubulan /Celuk/Batur

Drive to Batubulan Village to witness the Barong Dance, a ritual dance performance pitting the evil witch Rangda against the good lion Barong. It ends with the young men of the village going into a trance and trying to kill themselves with a kris (wavy-bladed sword). This is the classic example of the Balinese way of acting out mythology, resulting in myth and history being blended into one reality. The masks used in the dance are considered sacred items, and before they are brought out, a priest must bless them by sprinkling them with holy water taken from Mount Agung, or Mount Divine, the abode of the gods and the goddesses. From here we go to Celuk, home of silver and gold artisans. A large variety of all types of intricately designed pieces can be found, and the silver filigree work is especially lovely. Enjoy lunch overlooking the crater lake, Batur, the largest body of water and with some of the most spectacular views to be found on Bali. Return to Ubud with a stop at a coffee plantation. Dinner will be in a local restaurant considered by many to have the best cuisine in town. (B/L/D)

Day 6: Twin Lakes region and Lake Bratan

Our all day journey takes us through breathtaking scenery as we climb to the ‘Twin Lakes’ region and Lake Bratan which supplies fresh water to the majority of the rice irrigation system of Bali. Built in 1663, Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, a temple built on small islands along the rim of the crater, belongs to the supreme water goddess, Dewi Danu. Traditional Hindu Balinese, who call their religion Agama Tirta, or ‘Religion of Water’, believe that she makes the water flow into the rivers and irrigation systems. Further into the lake is a shrine with a three-tier meru, or a symbol of the world mountain. When the shrine was renovated in 1968, three long round stones were discovered at the foundation colored red, white, and black. The white stone was believed to be a linga, a phallic symbol of Shiva, and associated with the worship of fertility. Time permitting, continue to Meduwe Karang Temple dedicated to dry field farming and containing several ‘split’ gates. Two stone stairways lead to the outer court, the front of which is decorated with 34 sandstone statues depicting scenes from Ramayana. The centerpiece is a sculpture showing the giant Kumbhakarna engaged in a violent battle with horde of monkeys. The sanctuary’s interior walls are decorated with fascinating carvings reflecting daily life. After lunch stop at the Candi Kuning market where fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, and exquisite flowers are on display. Dinner is on our own to enjoy one of Ubud’s many restaurants. (B/L)

Day 7: The Neka Art Museum/Pura Taman Ayun/Pura Tanah Lot/Uluwatu Temple

The Neka Art Museum displays a collection of foreign artworks by Balinese, other Indonesian, and foreign artists, all inspired by the natural beauty, life, and culture of Bali. In the museum we will view a special collection of keris, the ceremonial daggers that were once important family possessions and considered to be an ancestral deity. We then visit Pura Taman Ayun, or Temple of the Beautiful Gardens, built in 1634 by the founder of the Mengwi kingdom, a powerful kingdom in central Bali until 1891. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the temple is famous for its exquisite wooden merus, or pagoda-like shrines. Then on to Pura Tanah Lot, perched on an off-shore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide and is one of the most picturesque sacred spots on the island. This evening we go to Uluwatu Temple, inhabited by monkeys and nestled right on the edge of South Bali’s cliff coast. At sunset there is a performance of the Kecak Dance, telling the Indian story of Ramayana. Rama, a warrior and rightful heir to the throne of Ayodya, is exiled with his wife Sita to a faraway desert. There, an evil king spies Sita, falls in love with her, and sends a golden deer to lure Rama away. Sita is captured, and Rama rounds up his armies to defeat those of the evil king and rescue her. Along with the dancer actors, are men in the checkered pants who act as both the choir and the props, providing the music for the story in a series of constant vocal chants that change with the mood of the actors. They don't sit still, either, they wave their arms to simulate fire, and reposition themselves around the stage to represent wind and fire, prison cells, and unseen hand of protection from the gods. (NOTE: In order to see this dance, we must dine early and return to the hotel very late.) (B/L/D)

Day 8: Bali Museum/Goa Gajah/Yeh Pulu

Today we travel south to Denpasar, the capital city of Bali province where we visit the Bali Museum. Built in 1931 in the style of a Denpasarroyal palace, it contains a unique collection of buildings and art. Then it’s on to Goa Gajah, or Elephant Cave, a series of caves carved by the Buddhist people of Bali around the time that Buddhism and Hinduism were both practiced on the island. According to inscriptions found on the walls, the caves were created in the 11th century, but it lay undetected for centuries before it was rediscovered in 1923 by a team of Dutch archaeologists. Excavations carried out in 1954 unearthed bathing places in front of the cave with six female figures, representing nymphs or goddesses holding water spouts. While here, it would be unusual not to see some kind of Balinese ceremony as it is a popular spot and people bring offerings every day. Our last stop will be at Yeh Pulu, where we walk through rice fields to view rock carvings dating from the 14th or 15th century. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Luhur Batukaru/Jatiluwih Rice Field Terraces/Bali Butterfly Park

Set in lush tropical rain forest in western Bali, Luhur Batukaru is one of the largest Hindu temples in Bali and a unique sacred mountain sanctuary and royal temple. Majestically situated on the slopes of Mount Batukaru and built to venerate deities of mountains and lake, this is an especially sacred site, even by Balinese standards. It is one of Bali's key directional temples (west) and a major pilgrimage site. Leaving here, we will pass through Jatiluwih Rice Field Terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape and one of the most beautiful areas of Bali. Rice farming in Bali dates back to Neolithic times, and rice terraces are the dominant part of the island’s scenery. Bali Butterfly Park, one of the biggest butterfly parks in Southeast Asia and the island's sole butterfly enclosure, is our next destination. The park promotes the study, breeding, and preservation of over 300 species of butterflies found in Indonesia and is home to the rare birdwing butterfly. Dinner is on our own this evening. (B/L)

Day 10: Java/Prambanan/Yogyakarta

A very early flight takes us to the nearby island of Java, and Prambanan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in the 10th century, this is the largest temple compound dedicated to Shiva in Indonesia. Designed as three concentric squares, there are 224 temples in the huge complex, and three are dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma) and are decorated with carved reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana. Nearby are three smaller temples dedicated to the animals who serve them. Dinner is on our own to explore the restaurants in the city of Yogyakarta. Overnight for one night in the Phoenix Hotel housed in a beautiful colonial building dating back to 1918. (B/L

Day 11: Borobudur/Sultan’s Palace

Borobudur, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries and another UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the biggest single Buddhist temple in the world. This stunning, massive sanctuary is built in a series of layers and the top three tiers contain open hallways covered with carved bas-reliefs illustrating the different phases of the soul's progression towards redemption and episodes from the life of Buddha. If stretched end-to-end, these carved panels would be almost three miles long! And the circular terraces are further decorated with no fewer than 72 openwork stupas each containing a statue of Buddha. In the afternoon, we return to Yogyakarta to see the Sultan’s Palace, or Kraton, built in the middle of the 18th century. This immense walled complex serves as the home for the royal sultanate of Yogyakarta. After an early dinner, we board our return flight to Bali. Overnight for the next five nights at the boutique Alila Manggis Resort, located on Bali’s east coast overlooking the ocean. The rooms are housed in traditional two-story thatched Balinese pavilions and each has a private terrace or balcony facing the sea. (B/L/D)

Day 12: Pura Besakih/Kertha Gosa/Budaga Village

Located high on the slopes of Mt. Agung, Pura Besakih, known as the ‘Mother Temple’, is the largest and most important temple complex on Bali. The temple is actually a complex made up of twenty-two temples that sit on parallel ridges. It has stepped terraces and flights of stairs which ascend to a number of courtyards and brick gateways that lead up to the main spire Meru structure, which is called Pura Penataran Agung. All this is aligned along a single axis and designed to lead the spiritual upward and closer to the mountain which is considered sacred. A volcanic flow in 1963 came within feet of destroying the temple and the fact that it remained intact is regarded by the Balinese people as miraculous. After visiting this temple, move on to Klungkung Palace and the Hall of Justice, or the Kertha Gosa pavilion. Erected in the 18th century, and surrounded by a moat that makes the building seem to float on water, the interior ceilings are lavishly painted with exquisite mythological scenes including the story of the sacrifice of the hero Sutasoma. Drive through the picturesque Rendang rice fields to Budaga Village where artisans create items of brass, including different styles of bells used in temple rituals. (B/L/D)

Day 13: Purbakala Archaeological Museum

The Purbakala Archaeological Museum displays a collection of tufa sarcophagi of varying size which are believed to date from about 300 B.C. The dead were laid in the sarcophagi in a crouching posture thought to be a symbolic representation of the eternal cycle of birth, death and rebirth, in which the dead person was reborn from a fetal position. A short walk from the museum three temples can be seen. Pura Arjuna Metapa is a small pavilion standing in the rice fields sheltering a cluster of stone sculptures that were probably once part of a spring temple. Pura Kebo Edan was built by the Javanese in the 12th century, contains some of the oldest statuary in Bali and is famous for the nearly 12-ft. tall statue known as the Giant of Pejeng, renowned for his four huge penises. And Pura Penataran Sasih is best known for the hourglass-shaped drum more than 6 1/2 ft. long, the largest single piece cast drum in the world. Then it’s on to Tampak Siring and the Tirta Empul Temple. For more than a thousand years, Balinese worshipers have been drawn here where a sacred spring is said to have been created by Indra and to have curative properties. The tradition continues almost unchanged at the temple today. Filled with serene pools and shrines, Gunung Kawi Sebatu Temple is dedicated to the god of water. Continue through the Ceking, one of the most spectacular rice field terraces on Bali, to the village of Petulu where hundreds of herons nest in trees. (B/L/D)

Day 14: Taman Ujung Water Palace

Balinese percussion orchestra music, known as gamelan, is highly developed and varied, but the metal sounds and dynamic style of the so-called gamelan gong 'kebyar’ is less than one hundred years old. We will visit a factory where the instruments are made and drive on to the Taman Ujung Water Palace created in the early 20th century for Balinese royalty. The grounds were destroyed in the explosion of nearby Mt. Agung in 1963 and further ruined by an earthquake in 1979. Now restored, the palace and gardens were a place of recreation for the king and royal family. Goa Lawah, or Bat Cave, is a temple built just in front of a cavern opening and home to thousands of fruit bats, and according to legend, a giant dragon-like snake called Basuki also makes the cave its home. High in the mountains of the east coast lies a fortress village, Tenganan, still encircled by a wall. Dating back to at least the 11th century, Tenganan is known for its gringsing, or double-ikat, weaving, practiced in only two other places in the world. Gringsing weavers use natural dyes painstakingly made from products collected from the forest. Dinner is on our own this evening. (B/L)

Day 15: Pura Blanjong

The morning and lunch is free to enjoy the hotel facilities. In the afternoon, we depart for Pura Blanjong in Sanur which houses a stone pillar known as Prasati Blanjong that has important inscriptions engraved on it. This text gives information about a Javanese king who visited Bali during 10th century and was the one who formed the first formal government of Bali. No ceremony on Bali is considered to be complete without the presence of Holy water. This water can be obtained from several sources – streams, natural springs, lakes or the sea (segara). A Pura Segara, or sea temple, is built on the beach to house the god of the sea. We will view one of the segara temples at Padang Galak Beach. (B/D)

Day 16: Flight back to the U.S.A.

The morning is on our own. In the afternoon we depart for the airport and our flight back to the U.S.A. (B)