Big day by car

Inland Temples

Today I had booked through Traveloka a 12h rental car-and-driver for IDR130K (USD9.50) plus petrol and driver’s lunch allowance of IDR50K.  I had the itinerary all decided and it was all within their “In Town” zone.

With a pickup at 0930, I lay in bed and decided to check the zonal map once more.  I was surprised to find that it had just been updated and my destination was now out of the “In Town” zone requiring an extra IDR100K.  It was still an amazing deal but I thought I’d still try (if I could) to avoid paying the surcharge as my travel voucher definitely showed the old zonal map.

My first stop Tirta Empul which I visited about 20 years ago.  It is located about 50km away inland and with congested roads, the journey took 2h.  The site is a holy spring or water temple, and being the lead up to the Galungan festival, the place was busy.  There two holy pools were full of people.  I wasn’t so sure about foreigners joining in the rituals unless they were believers.  A sacred event for local believers shouldn’t be a “tourist activity” or an instagram moment.

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My second stop was only nearby at Pura Gunung Kawi (which may mean Marble Mountain Temple).  I didn’t know what to expect here.  It was a sweaty downhill walk into the bottom of a valley.  At the bottom, there were rock alcoves on both sides of the valley which housed candis (shrines).  To my surprise there were few devotees and tourists here.

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It was a hot sweaty hike back to the car.  I was ready for a cold drink and some lunch.  I asked to be taken somewhere along-the-way that may have Babi Guling (spit-roasted pork).  But the driver had been advised that the front right tyre had a nail in it.  While he had that attended to, I found a simple place that did Siomay Batagor for lunch.  It hit the spot nicely enough and we were soon on our way to my third and final stop at 1315.

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Uluwatu & Kecak

The final stop at Uluwatu Temple around 70km away took only 2h30 with better traffic conditions.  Getting there at 1545, it was another 2h15 until the kecak performance which I had prebooked, and 1h15 till entry time into the kecak venue.  I had planned to arrive around 1600 to give myself an hour to explore the temple itself beforehand, so my day had gone rather well to plan.

Even though it was overcast, it was very humid.  I walked around the various viewpoints and the outside of the temple.  The temple itself was closed for prayers.  Once done, I rested near the ticket collection point.  I was drenched from the humidity.  I felt like everything had condensed on my face and my clothes.  It was another 30 mins wait before the counters would open for ticketing and I was losing interest fast.

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Fortunately, I survived the wait till 1700.  Having booked through Traveloka (possibly at a small premium), I didn’t have to wait in the line to buy the ticket.  I entered through a special lane and was the first person in the amphitheatre.

I decided that the nearest seats at the bottom of the amphitheatre wouldn’t offer much perspective from above.  So I went about three-quarters of the way up to the top and took a spot by the aisle, which eventually disappeared as the place filled up.  A breeze had come up by now making the wait more bearable.  But I had lost interest by now.  I just wanted it to be over and go back to the hotel for a shower.

The show started earlier at 1750.  It told the Ramayana story with dancers in the middle, surrounded by men chanting “chak” (supplemented by some dinging voice as well).  Towards the end a fire is lit in an attempt to burn Hanuman.  This was the highlight of my first kecak performance as it was dark.  Here, it wasn’t quite as dark and it wasn’t as dramatic.  As with many things in life, the first time is more special.  The backdrop of the sea at Uluwatu couldn’t make up for it.

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We finished at 1850.  I had a headache from the heat and possible dehydration.  I had only consumed 2 litres of water since leaving home despite sweating profusely.  It was a mission trying to get the car out of the carpark.

Once out, it was relatively free flowing on the 26km drive back to my hotel.  It was nearly 2100 and I was hungry.  I was tempted by ordering room service.  But since I had to place my order at the restaurant, I just sat down and hoped that it would be faster to eat there.  My grilled spicy chicken sandwich came quickly enough.  I downed it and retired for the day soon after.

Conclusion

It had been a good day.  Even though I had to pay a surcharge for going out of town, the total cost of IDR450K (150K original price + 100K surcharge + 150K fuel + 50K driver’s lunch), it was a good deal for 6h driving totalling about 150km.  The driver was on duty for nearly 11.5h.