INDONESIA - BALI - PURA LUHUR BATUKARU - JUNE 2015 - 'COCK FIGHT AND TEMPLE'

Yana, Melvin and I went for a motorbike ride to Pura Luhur Batubatu from Balian.



We left about mid afternoon and with Wayan's directions we were off. Well, his directions weren't too good 'turn left just before the second new bridge' as this was a dead end that veered under the bridge and stopped.

Eventually, we found the right turn off and after about 1/2 hour of riding we came to a sign indicating the way.

 

It was just before the sign that we came across an impromptu casino on a patch of land under the trees. There were all sorts of gambling games running but most interest was around the impeding cockfight. We watched the preparation of the roosters with 5 cm razor sharp blades tied to one rear claw and the encouragement of the touts trying to elicit bets.



It eventually started and finished very quickly.

 

We journeyed onwards towards the temple. It was very scenic with lush vegetation, mossy statues and walls, a series of statues with water gushing from the mouths, a lake with a temple in the centre, and tiered structures with each temple. It was very enjoyable to walk around.

 

The trip back was a challenge with darkness setting in, no visibility with the visor down on the helmet and heaps of bugs swatting your face, waiting to plunge into your mouth. We made it and had a good laugh.