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AMED RICEFIELDS – MOUNT AGUNG VIEW
The sacred mountains of Agung and Lempuyang provide
the backdrop to the beautiful northeast coastline of
Bali
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BALI BIRD PARK BATUBULAN
The Bali Bird Park features over 1000 birds including
250 exotic species – a spectacular rain-forest
walk-in aviary – the famous Komodo Dragon and
2 hectares of tropical gardens. More than 300 exotic
trees and other plants are on display, some of them
of great rarity and difficult to cultivate.
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SUNRISE ON MOUNT BATUR
Morning call wakes you up at 3.30 am. The journey up
Bali's Mount Batur volcano begins in a silent cornfield
under the moonlight. In the silence, the crowing of
roosters, the bell-like sounds of gamelans and even
the voices of villagers can be heard clearly at 1,717
metres above sea level. As you reach one of the three
spectaular peaks, dawn breaks, laying out an ethereal
panorama of pink and purple skylight above a green valley,
black lava beds, and glittering Lake Batur below. The
strenuousness of the 700-metre climb to the tallest
peak and the pre-dawn start time keeps crowds fairly
small; the trash-and graffiti-free slopes seem to validate
that. The journey up the tallest crater takes anywhere
from one-and-a-half to six hours, and can be completed
easily by anyone in good physical condition. Entire
Balinese villages ascend the peak for religious rites,
so it seems willpower is more important than physical
strength.
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ON THE LONG SHARP ARCS OF MOUNT BATUR
Balinese guides will hold your hand all the way up the
mountain if you need it – no one wants trekkers
to go alone. Steam rises from crevices and broken rocks
at the top of all three peaks. There's an indescribable
elation that comes with arriving at the top of the craters
and viewing the surrounding ring-of-fire caldera –
the remains of a volcano that blew apart about 50,000
years ago. If you've worked up an appetite, the volcano
and its guides can accomodate you. Eggs are actually
cooked in the steaming holes with a little dried grass
piled on top, and after a few minutes, come out perfectly
hard-boiled.
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BALI BIRD PARK BATUBULAN
The Bali Bird Park features over 1000 birds including
250 exotic species – a spectacular rain-forest
walk-in aviary – the famous Komodo Dragon and
2 hectares of tropical gardens. More than 300 exotic
trees and other plants are on display, some of them
of great rarity and difficult to cultivate.
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HIKING ON THE MOUNT BATUR
Ascent of the Batur volcano through its old lava flows.
These Basaltic flows from both summit and flank vents
have reached the caldera floor and the shores of Lake
Batur in historical time.
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CREMATION CEREMONY LOVINA
Strange as it seems, it is in their cremation ceremonies
that the Balinese have their greatest fun. A cremation
is an occasion for gaiety and not for mourning, since
it represents the accomplishment of their most sacred
duty: the ceremonial burning of the corpses of the dead
to liberate their souls so that they can thus attain
the higher worlds and be free for reincarnation into
better being
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GOA GAJAH– THE ELEPHANT CAVE
Discovered in 1923 by a farmer, this cave temple is
thought to have been built in the 11th century. To the
left is a niche with a statue of Ganesha, the elephant-headed
god and son of Shiva. In the center are three linga
(upright carved stones symbolizing male fertility),
each with three smaller yoni (female forms).
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GOA GAJAH– THE BATHING POOL
This is fed by jets of water from the nearby Petanu
river. Water pours into the pools through water jars
held by maidens carved into the rock wall. Legend has
it that the pools were considered a sort of fountain
of youth. Bathing in them was supposed to keep you young.
The locals would have bathed there in segregated areas,
the men to the right and women to the left.
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GOA GAJAH– THE ELEPHANT CAVE
Overlooking the bathing area is the entrance to the
cave in the form of a richly carved archway representing
the face of a demon. On either side there is a mass
of intricate carvings representing mystical figures.
Entering the cave through the demon's gaping mouth which
is thought to represent earth god Bhoma, one enters
a T shaped cave, which has been dug out of the rocky
hillside.
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BENOA HARBOUR
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