Bali, Day 2: Eastern Bali Heritage

My second day in Bali was to explore some of the culture and sights in East Bail; it is a more mountainous region known for the remains from the old Balinese kingdoms prior to the island becoming part of Indonesia. 

The first stop was Klungkung Kertagosa with its floating pavilion and Royal Court.  The artwork and carvings were beautiful, and one of the artists was working in the floating pavilion.

The next stop was Besakih or the Mother Temple of Bali.  There are 23 separate, but related, temples at the sight.  The most important is Pura Penataran.  This temple sits 1000 feet up on the volcanic slopes of Mount Gunung Agung. 

Lunch was next on the agenda.  The location of the restaurant (Mahagiri Restaurant and Resort) was pretty remote up on the mountain, but with the most wonderful view of the rice paddies below.  We had a quick thunderstorm, and it was nice to enjoy the view and listen to the sound of the rainfall.

The final stop was Puri Agung Karangasem which served as the home of the first king in the Karangasem Kingdom.  The view from the large Veranda of Mount Gunung Agung was amazing.

We're setting sail to our next Indonesian port of call as I write this blog entry. 

The view from the terrace at the royal palace of the 1st king of Karangasem.  That's Mount Agung in the background.



Hindu ceremonies often begin with cockfighting.  They are also part of the gambling culture in Bali.



The floating terrace of the royal palace of Karangasem. 



The floating terrace of Klungkung Kertagosa. 



The artist is recreating drawings at the Klungkung Kertagosa which was constructed in 1710.

These ladies were persistent in trying to sell the batik cloth.  Everything was $1.

One of the Hindu temples at Klungkung Kertagosa.

I'm not trying to make a fashion statement, but everyone who wore shorts had to wear this on the temple grounds of Besakih.

This is the oldest Hindu temple in Bali.  It's also the most important (Pura Penatan) at Besakih.

Hindus must give daily offerings, and here are a couple that were left at the "mother temple of Bali."

Here's a look inside the temple.  Only practicing Hindus should actually enter the temple.  We only visited the surrounding grounds.

The view from the restaurant where our group had lunch. It was great, but I'm not sure of some things I ate for the meal.

We had a downpour during lunch, and you can see those terraced fields work pretty well.