Old Bali at Sanur Pejeng, Ubud

Did I tell you I was having a blast on a relative's wedding reception at Sanur Pejeng? I did. and the trip there sure worth the time as well! Sanur Pejeng is located in Ubud, already near to Tampak Siring area. It is said that it is called Sanur Pejeng because they were originally come from Sanur area (yeah, that Sanur with gorgeous sunrise near Denpasar). Correct me though if I'm wrong though, I can be such a dunce with details :). One thing for sure, their love for art was amazing, just see the wedding offering below!



The road that we took was the road to Ubud area. Sukawati, celuk, passing all those beautiful rice fields and old (or should i say ancient) houses and Banjars and many Pura. On the way, the road become more and more narrower and also winding, so if you
get carsick easily you might want to bring some refreshment. However, the view was become more and more lush and greener on the way, so it really compensate the winding road. When we reach their Grya (main house) it was like transported back to the old Bali, with no tourist or hawker or even any signs of modern civilization (yes, I meant those pulsa dealer, PlayStation rental or worse, Cafe and bars).



You can see the moss over the rocks and structures, the thick green forest beyond and the soft sounds of the river below. Some would say I'm mentally ill and absorb too much in tourist-mode. It is , after all, just another deserted Balinese village. Well I lived my life in Jakarta, and travels around the world by means of books, news and literature, and yes, I didn't found any big cities interesting (except for the food). Big (and so-called modern) cities are like coming from cookie cutter or one of mass Chinese product. The "modern" style leaves one so cold and it's really doesn't feel nice to see nor touch. I'm a city girl through and through, but traces of old civilization has always been my secret love. This village is a gem.

Back to Topic, the first picture above was the entrance of their praying place (Merajan). The little statue on the right was a Bali Style Ganesha (I think. See below). I can't resist myself to swept my hands over the soft moss and the cold rock of the statue, thus the nice ladies who were in charge to help on the wedding consequently staring at me with odd look hehehe. Sorry ma'am, it won't happen again.



The trees were also awesome. The one that you saw below is actually a Champaka tree. The tree can grow extremely big, however they did a fabulous job on trimming it so it is still alive but not too big. Among others are Frangipani (of course!), Sandat/Ylang-ylang, Bougainvillea and several others which I don't know the names.



The feast was excellent. period :)
The wedding was nice as well. It is always so great to be with family, sharing stories and gossip (yup, I'm officially a girl). And soon enough, it's time to return home.

The road that we took back to Denpasar was different from the road we took to get there. Fine by me, I'm not driving and get to view the wonderful scenery to my heart's content :). Among other things, I saw a great Pura called Pura Pengukur-ukuran. I was so excited to see it and told my mum it's gotta be a really old Pura. I was right, it was made in year 1194. There are other pura as well in the area. Too bad I'm not at liberty to stop and visit them one by one :(

It was a great trip all together. I would recommend you to visit this beautiful village yourself, but unfortunately there aren't any lodging that I saw there (though I did see a couple of foreign tourist walk backpacking with their guide. Not sure where they stay.)But then again, with lodging and stuff it'd get polluted wouldn't it. If you happen to visit this area, make sure NOT to leave traces that damage the purity of it (over tipping, over whining, over anything!). Enjoy!