A cool day in the gardens

Although this is my 20th day in Bali I'm still not acclimatised. It's not too hot at about 30 deg C most days, with overnight dip to about 25 (there's little difference day to day, or do they just keep recycling the forecast?). It's the humidity which hits me - it runs at 80% and up, especially after the odd shower we've had.

Last Sunday (15th Aug) I went with Jaya (my colleague and friend here at the college), his wife and family, to the Bali Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya Eka Karya Bali) on the lower slopes of (Mt) Gunung Pohen, just to the east of the hill town of Candikuning.

Small shrine within the gardens

I was warned to bring a jacket as it would be quite cold. Plenty of Balinese people did bring their jackets, and did need to wear them, but I felt wonderfully comfortable in my short sleeves. It was the most comfortable I've felt outside since arriving.

The spacious gardens are very attractive, and have sections containing plantings of different types of plants - much the same as ours do. At times hill mists blew through the trees giving the forest a wistful and mysterious air. In places small shrines with traditional umbrellas were located amongst the trees (see my "Outings" Gallery on this Blog, or on my Picasa Web Album.

It wasn't the botanical aspect which brought us to the gardens. The Bali Treetop Adventure Playground has its home here. The "kids" (from 6 or 7 year old childen through to adults) loved it. The Playground has 3 or 4 circuits through the treetops. These are graded so young kids can use a circuit which is just a couple of meters off the ground, and the most adventurous and "big kids" can test themselves on equipment tens of meters up in the treetops.

There are various combinations of ladder climbs, wire tightropes (with safety line and hand wires), suspended bridges with footways that swing back and forth, flying fox descents, obstacles, nets and so on. It was fun just watching.

From the Playground we went down the mountain to Lake Beratan (or Bratan) to the lakeside temple complex of Puraluhar Beratan. The guide books and maps show a variety of names, and the sign at the entrance calls it "Pura Penataran".

The small pura on islands in the lake

This Pura (temple complex) is well known, and has local significance.  The Pura contains many small shrines and Balinese Hindu worship areas within it.  It is attractively located on the lake shore and some of the component buildings are built on small "islands" just a short distance from the lake shore. 

We couldn't see it at its best because of extensive restoration work taking place, the mountain mists which were developing into a fog, and 2 buses of tourists who seemed to have been trained to stand in a way which spoiled almost every possible camera angle.  I may have to return to see it, and its famous views, under better conditions.  (Note - in 2011 I returned and it was foggy again!)

Some of the detail of the highly decorated roof beams

The area around the lake amongst the mountains is very productive (rich volcanic, well watered soils) and the road was flanked by stalls and people with baskets selling boiled corn cobs, punnets of strawberries and a variety of fresh produce and locally cooked food.

I hope to go into this region again to see some more of the attractive rural upland areas.