Today we went on an excursion to the northern parts of Bali. There were quite a few photos from the places we visited, so I am hoping that this post will be the first of a few covering the day.

The first item on our itinerary was Ulun Danu Beratan. This is a temple complex located in the Bedugal area, alongside Lake Beratan. This is in the more mountainous region of Bali, so it was a reasonable drive (approximately 2 hours) from our hotel in Legian. One of the temples there, Lingga Petak Temple, is probably one of the most well-known sights in Bali.

The entire complex is a contrast from the rest of Bali, which can at times appear unkempt and strewn with rubbish. The complex is pristine and well-maintained.

After entering, we were greeted by a grassed area with paths and a number of sculptings of various animals. Alongside a fish, two zebras, deer, and others, we were surprised to see a familiar western figure pointing the way to the exit: SpongeBob SquarePants. I am really not sure why he was there.

Obviously we couldn’t enter the actual temples, nor did we want to. The region is beautiful, but at the same time, especially in contrast to the rest of Bali, it shows a vast amount of misplaced money and effort.

Even though it is a temple complex, like most other places in Bali, it remains geared quite heavily towards tourists. There is a place I can only assume is for visitors to pose for photos, two restaurants, a children’s playground, someone with a number of live animals (birds and bats) that you can pose for photos with (for a fee, I assume). Even the toilets cost rp. 2,000 to visit, and this is policed by a toilet attendant.

Additionally, upon exiting the temple, we were faced with a number of shops that are very similar to the numerous stalls that line the streets in the tourist districuts of Kuta and Legian. I do get the impression that the Balinese religion (Balinese Hinduism) is focused heavily on ceremonies and rituals, and that the approach of many is that as long as these are followed, most other things are no problem.

Since the complex is on the edge of a lake, there was also an office where you could obtain a trip in a speed-boat around the lake, or hire a paddle boat or traditional boat for a half hour. I also learned a new word today: loket. This is similar to tempat (place) but usually used to refer to a place for purchasing items (like a sales/ticket counter). We walked past the loket but did not purchase anything.

There’s still plenty more to post from today, but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.