Indonesia 2010

Sunday24October

Wow!!! AGUNG!!! What a fascinating landscape! The Sun burns the sand, and before us, the sea seems to tickle the enormous Agung volcano... And yet, from its height of 3142 meters, it is 10 km away from the coast!

What if we added the fishermen's jukung to make it even more beautiful??? Just ask!

Agung, considered a sacred mountain by the Balinese.

Another local deity: the cat that goes from bungalow to bungalow in search of edible offerings...yes.gif

If that's not a vacation...... glasses.gif

Sunset behind Mount Agung.

Moonlit dinner on the beach

Monday25October

Hop, up at 5:30 AM to properly welcome our star, the Sun!

On the west side, the Moon bows out and will soon go to sleep.
On the east side, the sun is playing hard to get but shouldn't be long.

A mischievous little cloud clings to the summit of Agung

That's it! The Sun is here!

The fishermen too!

This relief hiding the Sun is the island of Lombok, located about sixty kilometers away.

Before... After....... 

This man, seemingly from another era, approached me and expressly asked me to take his picture... Which I did to my great pleasure. After looking at himself on my camera screen, he went on his way as if nothing had happened... doubt.gif

Skewers of future satay?

Near the Water Palace, rice threshing.

This Water Palace was built in the 1920s for the last king of Karangasem.
After the last eruption of Mount Agung and the subsequent earthquake (1963), the palace almost disappeared but was finally completely renovated.

Bas-reliefs surround the entire palace.

A grand staircase to admire the palace as a whole with the Lombok Strait in the background

Even the statues are entitled to a sarong (the checkered piece of fabric), signifying that spirits also inhabit things. That's why sarongs can also be found around trees.

Besakih. It is the largest temple in Bali. It is dedicated to the Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Here, several temples and altars with numerous 'meru' (superimposed thatched roofs).

According to Hindu tradition, the more merus an edifice has, the more it is reserved for higher castes...

We continue our little tour of the local monuments, and pass by this restaurant which has adorned itself with a rather original mascot: a bat or rather a Malayan flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus), the largest in the world (at least 50 cm for this one)...

Pteropus vampyrus. Contrary to what its name suggests, it only feeds on fruit... Phew! hot.gif

And another procession!

Tirta Gangga. "Water of the Ganges" refers to India's sacred river.
This edifice, built in 1946, was commissioned by the last Raja of Karangasem.
This place is open to the public but is also used for ceremonies.

The Mahabharata pool

On the left, the Nawa Sanga fountain.

Lotus flower.

Giant leaf.

Two statues of Rangda. Rangda represents evil and is the queen of witches who fights her opposite, Barong!

Two statues of Barong: Barong represents the positive forces of the universe and must resist the witch Rangda!

A pool is open to the public, who can thus enjoy the natural spring that irrigates the entire site.

Wednesday26October

One of my other good memories of Bali! I wanted to: ride a scooter like a true Balinese! 
14 km of pure bliss!!! 
This little scooter ride takes us to the wreck of the "Liberty" ship. Sunk by the Japanese on January 11, 1942, this American ship rests a few distances from the beach at a depth of a few meters. Perfect for a beginner like me! With mask and snorkel, we therefore swim among corals and other colorful fish. I will especially remember my confrontation with a huge school of fish! Superb! 

Back to Amed to enjoy the last moments of this region, which will remain the most relaxing of the trip. Tomorrow morning, we head to Sanur and Kuta to visit the South part of the island!