Friday, January 8, 2010

Songan


Two kilometres around the lake from Toya Bungkah, Songan is a large and interesting village with market gardens extending to the lake's edge. At the lakeside road end is the temple Pura Ulun Danu Batur, under the edge
of the crater rim.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

DETOUR


A turn-off in Songan takes you on a rough but passable road around the crater floor. Much of the area is very fertile, with bright patches of market garden and quite strange landforms. On the north- western side of the volcano, Toya Mam- peh village (Yeh Mampeh) is surrounded by a vast field of chunky black lava - a legacy of the 1974 eruption. Further on, Pura Bukit Mentik was completely surrounded by molten lava from this eruption, but the temple itself, and its impressive banyan tree, were quite untouched -
it's called the 'Lucky Temple'.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Toya Bungkah

The main tourist centre is Toya Bungkah (also known as Tirta), with its hot springs (tirta and toya both mean water).


Toya Bungkah is a simple village, but travellers stay here so they can climb Gunung Batur early in the morning. And if you take a moment to smell the onions (and take in the view of the placid lake) you may just decide.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Kedisan & Buahan


The villages around the southern end of the lake have a few places available to stay in a fairly isolated setting. Buahan is a pleas-
ant 15-minute stroll from Kedisan, and has market gardens going right down to the lakeshore.

Beware of the motorcycle touts who will follow you down the hill from Penelokan, trying out the various guide and hotel scams.

Local hotels ask that you try to call ahead and reserve so that they can have your name on record and thus avoid paying a bounty
to the touts.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Penulisan


Gradually the road climbs along the crater Kintamani beyond rim, and is often shroud in clouds, mist or rain. Penulisan is where The road bends sharply and heads down to wards the north coast.

A viewpoint about 400m south from here offers an amazing panorama over three mountains: Gunung Batur,Gunung Abang and Gunung Agung. If you're coming from the north, this is where you'll first see what all the fuss is about tourism.



Near the road junction, several steep flights of steps lead to Bali's highest temple, Pura Puncak Penulisan (1745m). Inside the highest courtyard are rows of old statues and fragments of sculpture in the open bale. Some of the sculptures date back to the 11th century. The church views are superb: Facing north you can see over the rice terraces clear to the Singaraja coast (weather permitting).

Batur & Kintamani



The villages of Batur and Kintamani now virtually the entire run. Kintamani is famous for its large and colorful market is held every three
Day. It starts very early and 11's all over. If you do not want to go hiking, watch the sunrise Viewed from the road here is very good. The original village of Batur was in Crater, but was destroyed by an eruption of violence 1917. There, thousands of people killed before

the lava flow stopped at the entrance to the Village main temple.

Taking this as a good omen, the village has been rebuilt, but he returned to Gunung Batur 1926th This time, covered the lava flow of everything --
this sanctuary, with the exception of the highest temple.

Fortunately, there have been some evacuations and People have been killed. The village was moved to on the edge of the crater, and the shrine survivor
has also been established and there and in the new temple, Pura Batur

Spiritually, Gunung Batur is the second most important mountain in Bali (only Gu-nung Agung outranks it) so this temple is of considerable importance. It's a great stop as there are always a few colourful mountain characters hanging around. Within the com- plex is a Taoist shrine.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Trunyan & Kuban


The village is sandwiched between Trunyan Lake and the outer edge of the crater. t is inhabited by Bali Aga people.

Trunyan is known for the Pura Pancering Jagat with its 4 meter high statue of the village Guardian spirit, but tourists are not allowed go inside. There are also some traditional Bali Aga-style dwellings and a large banyan
Tree, he spoke to over 1100 years.



A little further Trunyan and accessible only by boat, the cemetery is on the Kuban. The People do not bury or burn Trunyan their dead - they lie, they Bamboo Decompose cages. AA collection of skulls and bones lies on a stone platform. This is a tourist trap for those with macabre tastes.
Boats leave from a jetty near the middle of Kedisan, where there is a ticket office and a car park with a few pushy vendors.

Tourists are not allowed to catch the public boat. The price for a four-hour return trip - Kedisan-Trunyan-Kuban-Toya Bung- kah-Kedisan - depends on the number of passengers, with a maximum of seven .

VILLAGES AROUND GUNUNG BATUR CRATER


VILLAGES AROUND GUNUNG BATUR CRATER

There are several small villages on the ridge. For crater of Gunung Batur. The Penelokan. Area is full of restaurants, bus tour, although some are good. In general, places the west side of the street to enjoy the view
South of Bali, while on the east side view double in the Caldera.

Penelokan
Location Penelokan means "look" - and youwill be surprised by the views of Gunung,Batur and descent to the bottom of the lake the crater. In addition to the view (see large lava flow on Gunung Batur), No. a lot here - a big tour bus of the hotel several ugly Restaurants monolithic peering over the crater and many souvenir sellers desperate.

The road around the edge of a large number overpriced buffet restaurants oriented Busloads of tour groups.