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Secrets of Bali by Jonathan Copeland in consultation with
Treasures of Bali: A Guide to Museums in Bali by Richard Mann Murni's Review in the Jakarta Post "I witnessed this book’s strange birth..."
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Ubud Tour 1 (afternoon - 4 hours) Neka Art Museum Well laid-out museum, excellent, the largest privately owned one in Indonesia, in a traditionally designed compound of four galleries containing works of art, which trace the history of Balinese painting. There is a small entrance charge. Open 8am - 5pm. Secrets of Bali (Chapter 47) narrates the history of painting in Bali. or ARMA ARMA or the Agung Rai Museum of Art is one of the finest galleries in Bali. It is a huge art complex of traditional-style pavilions, each housing a different school of Balinese art. There are also works of noted pre-war Dutch, German, and Austrian artists who lived and worked in Bali, exerting a major influence on local painting styles. There is a small entrance charge. Open 9am - 6pm. Ubud Royal Palace - Puri Saren Palace is still lived in by the respected royal family of Ubud. Nearly every evening a dance group performs in the outer courtyard against the Kori Agung, which is a grand gate, built by I Gusti Lempad, Ubud’s most famous painter. The Kori Agung separates the outer courtyard from the inner palace, where the current cokorda lives. The Puri Saren Palace was demolished, as was much of Bali, by an earthquake in 1917. Elephant Cave - Goa Gajah dates to the 11th century and was a rock hermitage for Siwaite priests. In the courtyard in front of the cave are two square bathing pools. Secrets of Bali (Chapter 7) discusses the historical period when Goa Gajah was built. Open 8am - 6pm There is small entrance charge. Petulu - Petulu is known as the Heron Village because every evening thousands of these huge white birds fly home and nest in the trees. They suddenly started doing this in 1965 for no apparent reason. It is quite a sight.
Ubud Tour 2 (morning - 4 hours) Neka Art Museum or ARMA - See above. Ubud Market - Opposite the Royal Palace is Ubud’s large market. Traditionally market day in Bali is every third day, but Ubud market is always busy. The goods can be over-priced, rough and bad quality but it is very colourful. Botanic Garden - Ubud's newly opened Botanic Garden is wonderful - the biggest collection of carnivorous Pitcher Plants in Bali, a medicinal garden displaying herbs used by tradtional healers, a maze, orchid houses, meditation court, Islamic garden, bamboo and palm grove and rain forest. Open 8am - 6pm. There is a small entrance charge. Monkey Forest - Cool, dense jungle is home to many sacred monkeys. Be careful not to tease them. There is a small entrance charge.
Ubud Tour 3 (morning - 4 hours) Rice Paddy Walk - Take a leisurely, picturesque walk on small tracks through the rice fields, meet the local farmers and ladies going about their daily business, and enjoy the lush, tropical foliage. Ubud Temples - There are many. We will try and chose one which has a temple ceremony in progress and explain the architecture and what is happening. Our favourite is Pura Gunung Lebah in the gorge opposite Murni’s Warung. It is beautiful, newly renovated. An agricultural and fertility temple and is one of the most dramatically situated temples in Bali. It is in the valley and believed to have powerful earth energies as well as unusual psychic dangers. Legend has it that a wandering Hindu priest named Rsi Markandya founded the temple in the 8th century. It is a place to collect holy water. The cliffs of the gorge are honeycombed with sacred springs, hermits’ meditation niches and caves. Secrets of Bali (Chapters 32 and 33) discusses temples, (Chapter 34) examines priests and (Chapter 36) describes the many Balinese ceremonies. Museum Puri Lukisan Museum Puri Lukisan was opened in 1956 and displays fine examples of Balinese painting and woodcarving. It is a small museum - just 3 rooms - in beautiful gardens with pools, reached by a bridge. Open 8am - 4pm. There is a small entrance charge. Secrets of Bali (Chapter 47) describes the museum. or The Blanco Renaissance Museum Antonio Blanco, who died in December 1999, was an eccentric Catalonian artist and one of the great characters of Ubud. His home and gallery and lately museum are open to the public. The gardens are delightful, with exotic birds. The views over Ubud from the museum roof are stupendous. Blanco's paintings are bawdy and erotic, yet possess grace and rhythm, attractive colours, and many hidden meanings. The frames are part of the art experience. He came to Bali in the 1950s and married a local Balinese dancer, Ni Ronji. She is Murni's father's cousin. His son Mario, also a painter, is carrying on the tradition from the house. Open 9am - 5pm. There is a small entrance charge. Balinese Dancing Lesson - This is one of the most charming experiences in Bali. Children learn from the age of four and the teaching methods are unique. The teacher holds the pupil from behind and guides the child's legs and body into position. Secrets of Bali (Chapters 50, 51 and 52) examines Bali's dances.
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