Central Bali

Temples, rice paddies and volcanos were all on the menu today as we headed north to get a taste of central Bali. With Nyoman as our driver, we saw all of these: the stacked straw roofs and intricately carved stone statues of the Mengwi temple, the hundreds of steps leading to the temple gongs of Pura Ulun Danu, hills terraced for rice paddies in multiple shades of green and steam rising from the dormant Gunung Batur volcano. We experienced the colorful market of Bedugul with it's heaping baskets of fruits and crowded displays of tiger balm, drove the windy mist covered road leading to Singaraja on the northern coast and passed through the village of Batur which once sat at the bottom of a crater. (It was wiped out by two eruptions and has since been rebuilt on the crater rim). We saw a ceremonial progression at a temple to fill baskets with holy water and saw the long, thick, patterned bodies of pythons.

The second temple we stopped at, the temple of Pura Danau, was one of the most interesting of our stops. Here a temple priest sat cross-legged on a platform ringing a bell as a progression of Balinese men and women, all dressed in temple attire, walked to gather holy water. Behind them children threw nets into the lake where boats waited to be set free. Walking in with our hiking boots, backpack and camera felt odd. The sign at the entrance to the temple had said proper dress required. I suppose I was proper for hiking, but was that sufficient here? Inside, however I saw others adorned as we were and all doubt left me.

The pythons we saw here were of course the big attention grabber. Meter upon meter of black and brown skin slid silently into deadly coils under the giant banyan tree in the corner of the temple grounds. Crowds were gathered, cameras aimed; each person waiting his turn for the ultimate souvenir, a snapshot with one of these creatures wrapped around his neck. A crate of full-grown pythons had been employed for the job.

John suggested I give it a go. I suggested maybe not. I noted that he made no effort to move toward the squirming crate to chose himself a new neck-tie. (Funny how these things are always better suited to someone else.) "Really, it isn't my color."

What can come close to the excitement of a deadly snake? Perhaps the almost deadly climb down hundreds of slippery steps in the rain. It was dry when we made it to our next stop and to the top of the moss-covered steps that led to the temple Pura Ulun Danu. But in one of nature's playful moments, the sky fall just as we set foot inside the temple walls. The bigger challenge than pulling ourselves up the steps would be to get back down in one piece. The steps are sloped downward and the rain served to transform them into slippery skate boards. Now we understood the insurance fee of 800 RP to see the temple.

We made it. Soaked in a downpour of Balinese rain we climbed back in the van and continued on our journey of the island. Although our entire ride had been over windy narrow roads none of it had given me much cause for concern, until now. Fog was accumulating in a thick layer on the windshield and Nyoman was continually wiping a small hole through which to see. "Doesn't he have defrost?" I whispered to John. Also, I noted that he kept taking his glasses on and off. "I don't think he can see." I finally decided not to look at him. He knew these roads better than I did, I hoped.

The final leg of our journey took us through the carving town of Pujung. Men everywhere sat cradling wood between their feet while their hands worked to carve and chip. Entire trees were used to create enormous birds and horses. Leaning against the sides of shops were huge Banyan tree roots carved into dragons and wizards. Everything about this town had to do with wood. Men and women carrying bundles of wood on their heads and two people passed who could have been the models for the whimsical carvings we saw. Piled on their heads were weeds and plants so thick that they draped over shoulders, eyes and faces.

Eventually, arriving back on the road to Ubud and Peliatan, we asked to be dropped off in front of the grocery store. Our long day ended with a quick dinner and the overhead whir of our ceiling fan.