On a brochure of possible tours available, we discovered there was a butterfly park not far from Ubud and decided then that we wanted to experience it.. The day long tour that resulted included temples and the famous terraced rice fields as well as the Butterfly Park. The Taman Ayu Temple was exactly as its name describes, “Beautiful Garden”. The manicured and extensive areas and levels of green were especially calm and soothing due to our being the first people there that morning. The main temple was closed but the wall around it was low revealing the interior containing pagoda temples and the surrounding moat filled with pink blooming lotus plants. We also learned that the black thatching on the temple roofs is from palm tree bark, is special and expensive. To us it definitely added to the beauty of each temple. On the way out we saw a large covered pavillion and learned it was used for cock-fighting when gambling was legal and now is used as a theatre for the community
Continuing through villages and rice fields we soon began climbing upward to Lake Beratan, a lake within a volcanic crater, and the site of the Pura Ulan Danu Bratan temple. This temple guarded by two large frogs is in the water beyond the walkway seeming to float there. The high mountain fog rolling in on the water and the cool breezes add to the mystical atmosphere. The beauty of this temple is commemorated on the Indonesian 50,000 Rupiah note. We could understand why this green landscaped terraced setting was the background for wedding pictures for two Asian couples while we were there.
Questions filled our minds as we saw the steep terraced fields that covered the mountainsides. How was it humanly possible to make these terraces hundreds or even thousands of years ago? How have they continued to stay there? Higher up on the mountain cool weather vegetables were being grown on the terraces. The bright green of the rice terraces gradually took over as we descended. A stop was made where we were able to walk out on the terraces to get an intimate look at the rice paddies and landscape there. We marveled at the engineering feat it took to form these terraces and maneuver the water flow to all of them. Successful crops can only happen when all the farmers involved cooperate as they seem to have done for generations. There are small sheds scattered throughout the fields and we saw a cow used for tilling resting in one of them. Also, many small altars dot the landscape. Offerings are made at each one of them daily to ensure an abundant harvest.
No visitors were at the Butterfly Park when we arrived. That caused us to be concerned if this was worth doing. IT WAS1 Soon we found out we would be followed by many tourists but in the meanwhile we were alone with the butterflies and the lepidopterists and others working there. We entered the huge mesh enclosed garden Marianne became interested in photographing butterflies in the trees, bushes and plants while Rajiv was drawn to a smaller mesh enclosed gazebo area. When inside, a lady came up to him with a large butterfly which she put on his shirt. She explained that it had been hatched that morning and couldn’t fly yet. She put 4 more on his shirt, the most outstanding being a bright green and black striped one. Marianne came upon this scene excited for Rajiv and immediately had butterflies placed on her. This was the nursery where we later became aware of the rows of different kinds of cocoons hanging from racks. The cocoons were as varied as the butterflies and moths they housed. The moths’ cocoons resembled a 3” long dried up leaf curled around itself. Other smaller butterfly cocoons had a metallic green oil slick color and there were some that were totally clear revealing the wiggling chrysalis visible inside. The garden was home to 15 different species of butterflies from throughout Indonesian, ones that could survive and multiply in this environment. We walked into another room within the enclosure that housed unique “bugs”. The same lady put a long, 8“-10” straw colored stick bug we’d not seen in its cage on Rajiv’s arm. This was repeated with a smaller 4”-5” mottled green and brown stick bug, a 4” bright green leaf bug and then a big shiny black rhino beetle. The finale here was a small white hopping insect resembling an orchid blossom placed on Rajiv’s hand. The lepidopterist/entomologist was especially pleased to have found someone as enthusiastic about the living creatures as she was.
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| Orchid Praying Mantis |
Let us be filled with a sense of lightness and awe.
With our love,
Rajiv and Marianne
GIVE US ALL A CHANCE LOVE RAJIV AND MARIANNE
One walk to the beach took us through an outdoor collection of hundreds of bonsai plants ranging from 5” high to 6’ tall many with ancient trunks. They were the most beautiful bonsai we had ever seen. It was overwhelming to see them all arranged on one level as if it were a forest rather than displayed individually. Just beyond the plants was the appropriately named Bonsai Café.
The brick beach walk meandered along 4 km. of the even longer beach providing us with a perfect shady daily walk between the beach on one side and the restaurants, shops and expensive resorts on the other. Many colorful comical “water spider” boats lined the beach, their owners hawking a ride around the bay. This was the best place to observe the changes in the sky when the gray overcast burned off and the blue sky and clouds could be seen.
A compelling large tree drew Rajiv into a temple which appeared nondescript from the beach walkway. Inside however, we were aware that all the walls had been originally made from coral . When we admired it, the priest made it clear that coral can no longer be used. The colorful statues here were unique in our experience. They had many coats of paint a contrast to the aged gray and black coral walls. The statues were a mixture of Hinduism and Animism giving rise to fish with elephant trunks to guard the gate rather than the traditional demons.
No visitors were at the Butterfly Park when we arrived. That caused us to be concerned if this was worth doing. IT WAS1 Soon we found out we would be followed by many tourists but in the meanwhile we were alone with the butterflies and the lepidopterists and others working there. We entered the huge mesh enclosed garden Marianne became interested in photographing butterflies in the trees, bushes and plants while Rajiv was drawn to a smaller mesh enclosed gazebo area. When inside, a lady came up to him with a large butterfly which she put on his shirt. She explained that it had been hatched that morning and couldn’t fly yet. She put 4 more on his shirt, the most outstanding being a bright green and black striped one. Marianne came upon this scene excited for Rajiv and immediately had butterflies placed on her. This was the nursery where we later became aware of the rows of different kinds of cocoons hanging from racks. The cocoons were as varied as the butterflies and moths they housed. The moths’ cocoons resembled a 3” long dried up leaf curled around itself. Other smaller butterfly cocoons had a metallic green oil slick color and there were some that were totally clear revealing the wiggling chrysalis visible inside. The garden was home to 15 different species of butterflies from throughout Indonesian, ones that could survive and multiply in this environment. We walked into another room within the enclosure that housed unique “bugs”. The same lady put a long, 8“-10” straw colored stick bug we’d not seen in its cage on Rajiv’s arm. This was repeated with a smaller 4”-5” mottled green and brown stick bug, a 4” bright green leaf bug and then a big shiny black rhino beetle. The finale here was a small white hopping insect resembling an orchid blossom placed on Rajiv’s hand. The lepidopterist/entomologist was especially pleased to have found someone as enthusiastic about the living creatures as she was.
Ubud is to Bali as Kyoto is to Japan, the cultural center of the country. A traditional dance performance of one kind or another is happening every evening. We saw a Legong and Barong Dance performance at the Palace. The musicians and dancers performed in the courtyard with the audience seated on three sides. The musicians playing gamolin, drums, flutes, cymbals and stringed instruments were seated on two sides of the dance floor. The dance floor itself was delineated with a red carpet outlined with individual plumeria flowers placed there and on the steps after a lady did a puja blessing the performance. The drummer began quietly with a rhythm which was picked up by the musicians on his side of the stage. The musicians on the opposite side answered with embellishments. This exchange continued with increased complexity and intensity of mood until the climax. The drummer then played another rhythm and the music began again. As the intensity built, we were excited to see the first dancer appear on the steps. Her head, eyes, hands and feet movements appeared to us to be fragmented. When other dancers joined her, the dance became more flowing and intricate reflecting the music. At times we found ourselves unaware of the dance and overwhelmed at the beauty and humor of some costumes and the amazing detail in all of them.
Everywhere we walked and Ubud is a town of many walking adventures, we saw stone statues protecting entryways of all kinds. To us the statues became more alive as they aged being clothed with black molds, green mosses and gray lichen. The Hindu temples we visited were made more appealing because of the many demon statues and the contrast of their patina to the gilded red and gold leaf doors of the smaller temples within.
One walk we took led us through a ravine where we found women carrying bricks and sand on their heads to men who were building a waterway to support the terraced rice fields just beyond. The people loved having their pictures taken and we talked and joked as much as we could without a common language. Thinking we could walk through the rice fields to our street, we tried several paths with no promise of a way through. We turned around and retraced our steps to avoid get more lost than we were.
Our venture in another direction took us to a lush green ravine formed by a river which was joined by another ravine and river. This confluence is always an auspicious place for Hindus. The beautiful mossy green temple here commemorated this special place. A path wound around the temple and up through the fields of grass. Some grass was cut and laid out to dry to later be used for thatching. At the ridge, we were grateful for the breeze and the expansive view below of the ravines to the rivers and above to the hillsides with fields and houses.
Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana was where a walk took us another day. This official name is what everyone calls the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Three holy temples in this dense jungle setting were completely overshadowed by the 500 monkeys who are protected and cared for here. The monkeys of all ages were healthy, gentle and playful with each other as well as with us when we sat quietly letting them approach. Many places have called us to take pictures but none more than here.
