Spiritual Tourism

Destination - Spiritual Tourism


It is more than just the nature which makes people visit Bali. The vibration of the great energy in the island has made it the best spiritual tourist destination.Now Bali welcomes more spiritual seekers, healers and those who long for balance in life.

The stable energy flow and holy vibration are developed intentionally since the Balinese people give much attention and respect to the nature, plants, and animals. On each of six month period, the Hindus in Bali hold a special ceremony to show their deep devotion to the plants, which is called Tumpek Uduh, and Tumpek Kandang to show their devotion to animals. Besides the two ceremonies, they still have other holy days to create balance and harmony in the great nature.

The Balinese hold a number of religious ceremonials to mark each successful step in life: birth, childhood, adulthood, marriage till death. One of the famous tourist attractions is Ngaben, the burning of a dead body.


Spiritualist in Bali



Ida Pedanda Gede Made Gunung
Pedanda (the Hindu’s leader) coming from Griya Purnawati, Blahbatuh, Gianyar, is the one of notable spiritual gurus, who are highly respected by Hindu followers in Bali, Indonesia, and even in some countries.

At its green Pasraman, in Blahbatuh Gianyar, he teaches lots of sisya (students) that are eager to learn about the basic life taught in holy book of Weda.

Ida Pedanda Gede Made Gunung is an IHD graduate as he is capable of communicating the philosophy of Hindu’s lessons and how to implement it in daily life.

He also engages himself in routine religious discussions (dharma wacana) to give some motivation and communicate the lessons about life.



Siddhashram Ratu Bagus
Welcoming a better life by tomorrow has been the basic idea of Ashram Ratu Bagus that is led by Siddhashram Ratu Bagus with a focus on bioenergymeditation.

The Ashram highlights its green view over 2.5-ha area at a beautiful location at Muncan Village, Karangasem, and receives daily visit by hundreds of Hindu’s followers that are not only from Bali but also from all other places in the world: Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, United States of America and others.

Showing off the dignity of Mount Agung, this Ashram distributes a tranquil atmosphere. It vibrates a holy spirit emerged from a holy land of ashram ratu bagus, which distributes a positive energy to the surrounding nature and human body.

The peace is united in a positive energy, enticing the visitors to come and stay any longer to learn the bioenergy meditation, which may improve physical capacity significantly. By this method, many people get better feeling.

Here is some place of spirit destination you can visit:

* Ashram Gandhi, Candi dasa, Karangasem
* Anand Krishna Center, Kuta, Phone 62-361-847 7490
* Bali Usada Meditation Center, Sanur, Phone 62-361-289 209
* Bali-India Foundation, Renon, Phone 62-361-224 299

Musang

COFFEE LUWAK

THE MOST EXPENSIVE COFFEE IN THE WORRLD ACCORDING TO FORBES MAGAZINE

Kopi Luwak are robusta or arabica coffee beans which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Common Palm Civet. This process takes place on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago.

"Kopi" is the Indonesian word for coffee and "Luwak" is local name of this animal which eats the raw red coffee 'cherries' as part of its usual diet. This animal eats a mixed diet of insects, small mammals and fruits along with the softer outer part of the coffee cherry but does not digest the inner beans, instead excreting them still covered in some inner layers of the cherry.

Locals then gather the beans -- which come through the 'animal stage' fairly intact -- and sell them on to dealers. It is believed that enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavour through fermentation of some type.

Amuk Bay Bali

Thank you Nicholas Wong

Hi Gede,

Thanks very much for bringing us around during our first trip from Singapore!

We will call you again when we come to Bali next time. Cheers!

Tanah lot

 
 
 
 

Thank you Pushpan

Dear Gede,

I would like to thank you for a very memorable and enjoyable trip to Bali. thank you for sharing the culture and the beauty of Bali to us. we will definately return again for more of eco-adventure as we could’t do it this time, 4days is too short to enjoy the whole island.

Dear All,

If you are planning a trip to Bali, please contact Gede to guide you around, he is honest, reliable and a humble person. he will show you more as he knows the road and town extremely well. just tell him what are your interest and he will be able to tell you what is the best place to go.

Most important of all enjoy Bali as its full of beautiful places and beautiful people.

Once again thank you Gede and please do keep in touch.

Warm Rgds,
Pushpan

Bali Architecture

Balinese architecture is not only aesthetically impressive with wood carvings, majestic stone gates and ornate Indian influence engravings, Balinese architecture also has strong spiritual symbolism. Many temples, rice barns and other structures are built according to traditional Balinese rules, called Asta Kosala Kosali, which traditionally were written down in lontar palm books and interpreted by traditional architects called Undagi. This leads to very distinctive designs and architectural congruence throughout Bali’s villages, which all delicately interwoven with the natural surroundings.
In Balinese building, one of the most common features is the Bale , which is an open pavilion with a thatched roof and no walls. The Bale represents the Hindu-Balinese universe. The roof is the 'gods' section, the body is the 'human' section, and the base is the 'demons' section
Other impressively symbolic architectural sites in Bali are its palaces. Since in classical 19th century Bali, the Balinese believes their king was divine, his residence was the puri - a replica of the cosmos and thus a sacred symbol. Balinese palaces are always square, walled, and courts within courts.
In Bali, all buildings have to be brought to life and ceremonially purified in a ceremony called Melaspas before they can be lived in. It is important that all materials – such as the wood, stone and thatch, which have been cut down and killed for the construction, are, as it were, re-incarnated. During this ceremony, many offerings and gifts are made, including animal sacrifices.

BALI CULTURE

The Balinese are an extremely devote and spiritual mix. In fact, in Bali there are over 10,000 temples on the small but densely populated island. The Balinese believe that good spirits dwell in the mountains and that the seas are home to demons. Therefore, most villages have at least three main temples: one of which is the Pura Puseh or ‘temple of origin’, is dedicated to the village founders and which faces to Mt Agung - home to Pura Besakih the mother temple on Bali. Also, each home, rice field or market can have several temples and as well as rice fields. Daily offerings are made at these temples in he form of food, cigarettes, sweets and sometimes even money in order to honor the good spirits and satiate the evil spirits.
Balinese society is founded on the Hindu caste system, though there are several differences. For example, the Balinese do not have untouchables. Instead in Bali, there are four castes; Sundras , the peasants who comprise over 90% of the population, Wesias , the warrior caste, which also includes traders and some nobility, Satrias , the caste of kings, and Pedanas , the holy men and priests (brahman). Amazingly, each caste has its own language; a separate dialect exists to enable someone to address one of unknown caste to avoid disrespect. Luckily, to prevent confusion, the national language of Indonesia (Bahasia Indonesia), is taught in schools and enables everyone generally to communicate with one another.

There are two sub-classes in Bali called the Subak and the Banjar. The Subak controls who will plant rice and when (plantings are staggered so that pestilence is minimized). All farmers or rice paddy owners must join the Subak in their village. As well and more importantly the Subak ensures that all farmers receive just amounts of irrigation water. Meanwhile, the Banjar are in charge of all other aspects of Balinese life such as marriages, cremations, community service and festivals.
In Bali, the birth of a child is attended by the entire family, and a holy man who invokes spiritual powers and aids the delivery. Balinese are named according to its order in the family; Wayan for the first born, Made for the second, Nyoman for the third and Ketut for the fourth. The names are repeated for more than four children.

KINTAMANI TOUR

Kintamani Tour
Visit Bali Active Volcano
Kintamani Tour is a tour package with an impressive experience to visit Kintamani with breathtaking view of an active volcano and lake. This tour will visit places interest in Bali like Goa Gajah/Elephant Cave, Tampak Siring Temple/Tirta Empul Tample and Kintamani. The tour is also offering you the wide opportunity to see the beautiful handicraft in Bali which is made by local people to bring home for your souvenir. This tour is very comfortable with our professional english speaking driver who is always outstanding offer our best service. It is a private tour with full air-conditioning car transfer and delicious lunch is served on the way of the trip to complete your tour enjoyable.

Kitamani tours, Bali Active Volcano
Places of interest will be visited during Kintamani Tour
Goa Gajah GOA GAJAH
Goa Gajah, Bali ToursGoa Gajah/Elephant Cave is an ancient omission in the form of a cave with the high value of art and history. Goa Gajah is one of tourist destinations in Bali that is visited by a lot of tourists every day. In this place, we will find other ancient omissions like ancient stone idol, douche, temple and others. It owns beautiful relief with a form of face turning around to the left side. We have to descend the doorstep to reach Goa Gajah because this place is located in the river valley. It is a famous place with unique cave and the right place to visit on the tour.



Tampak Siring TAMPAK SIRING/HOLY SPRING WATER TEMPLE
Tampak Siring TempleTampak Siring or recognized also by the name of Tirta Empul is a temple with a big water source residing in the middle of it. The water is clear, clean and holy assumed by the local resident to cure some disease. In Tampak Siring, you will see a Palace of Indonesia State founded by first president. Its place is very beautiful and peaceful that is surrounded by hill. There are many water douche exist in this temple that are using by local people for bathing and purification purpose.



Kitamani Tour KINTAMANI/BATUR VOLCANO AND LAKE
Kintamani, Batur Volcano, Lake BaliKintamani is a name of countryside located in the hill and the beautiful panorama surround it. We can see beautiful panorama from Kintamani to overview the active volcano of Batur Mount and wide Lake of Batur in a valley. It is situated in the plateau area with cool weather surround it. When we stand up at Kintamani, we will be able to see the rural area which is close to the lake. This place is very femous and visited by many tourists everyday.



TOUR ITINERARY
09:00 - Pick up at the hotel
10.15 - Visit Gold and Silver work
10.45 - Visit Wood Carving
12.00 - Visit Kintamani with Batur Volcano and Lake
12.15 - Enjoy lunch at local restaurant in Kintamani
14.00 - Visit Tampak Siring/Tirta Empul Temple
15.00 - Visit Goa Gajah/Elephant Cave
15.30 - Back to hotel
17.00 - Arrive at hotel

Bale Kulkul

 

First Trip

Trip for those who like adventure

This is my first adventure to climb a mountain, I often take tourists (guests) to climb but I have never accompanied them, usually I take a nap in the car at the time the the guest is gone, but this time I wanted to have a new experience. Before I left I was really perplexed and also I felt scared. "Would I be able to make it to the top?", because until this time I had never climbed. But my fears were overcome by my wish to know 'what does it feel like at the top (summit) and what is up there'? This question chased away my fear.
The three of us left Kuta at 2 AM, the feelings of fear returned to the point that I was thinking of not going along to climb. But the feeling of wanting to know was greater so the fear disappeared. We more or less covered the distance from Kuta in an hour and a half because there wasn't much traffic so that we could speed up a bit ( go fast) in order to arrive more quickly.
.Finally we arrived at our destination. At the start of the climb there were two trails; the one closer to Pura Jati was for those who wanted to climb to the summit starting from a further distance but a less steep ( flatter) trail. We started our climb from the other trail on the eastern slope of the trek. The air was very cold ( tiang bingung yen 'begitu', so cold, very cold, rather cold?) and it was also very dark. After we met out guide, we started to climb. Before I proceeded onward, I thought "was there anything that we needed that was at the bottom? Food? Drink?". We started to trek in the dark of the night so our guide brought us a flashlight. I was in the first group that left. I was afraid my fears would again show up because before we had traveled 30 minutes, I was out of breath because the trail was becoming steep and rocky. My friends and I walked rather slowly. Below us I was able to see a light that was moving. The closer the light got the more it moved.....the shining light was like a butterfly, the longer the time, the closer it got. Because I was hiking rather slowly, finally that group of tourists with the light went ahead of us. The farther they went the more they were lost in the dark of the night so that all that was seen was the shine of their lights.

The longer I walked, the more I was out of breath. I started to think about stopping because I was really tired, and my legs were feeling really heavy. Luckily, my guide was giving us encouragement, 'Keep going, don't give up'. Our guide kept saying we were already getting close. The color red was already starting to appear in the eastern sky, and I myself slowly walked with the remaining energy I had. The conditions were getting clearer and I began to be able to see around me. The beauty was beginning to appear, before I could only see darkness. The feeling of exhaustion started to be healed by the view that was so beautiful.
The sun began to appear, ...finally I myself arrived at the summit....I was so happy..the feelings of exhaustion disappeared as I was able to see the view from the summit. It was a really really good feeling....the view was so astonishing... beautiful very beautiful. The beauty of the view was worth the exhausting efforts!

Sun Rise at Mount Batur

It's really wonderfull view from the top of mount batur when sunrise

Kerta Gosa..Bali Klungkung

Kerta Gosa, Klungkung Regency (Taman Gili Kertagosa)
As an ex-kingdom teritory, Klungkung has a lot of Historical Place that interest to visit, one of them is Kerta Gosa. Kerta Gosa is a building (Bale Kerta Gosa) that made at 1686 by the first king of Klungkung, I Dewa Agung Jambe. Kerta Gosa consist of two major Buildings (Bale), whis is Bale Kerta Gosa and Bale Kambang. Named Kambang (kambang=float), because this building surrounded by a pool whis is Taman Gili.
On the roof we can see many of Kamasan Traditional Painting, Kamasan is one of Village in Klungkung Regency. At the beginning, all of the Painting that surround the building, made from Cotton and parba (Klungkung Traditional Cotton), since 1930 the cotton changed with Etermit, and restorated depend of the original artwork and we able to see it until now. The function of Bale Kambang and Kerta Gosa commonly used for Yadnya Ceremony for all of kingdom family.
Other function is for education, that sees from wayang painting the building, because lot of the painting tells the story about Swargarohana Parwa and Bhisma Parwa that tell us about good and bad activity in our life and also reincarnation because of our activity at our past life. There are six rows of painting in there.
Besides than Kerta Gosa, wayang painting also able to see in Bale Kambang, west of Kerta Gosa building. In this building the painting tell us about Story of Ramayana and Sutasoma. At 1930 held a restoration with all of the painting in Kertagosa, and the final restoration held in 1960.

Thank you Sandra

We first met Gede through a mutual friend eight years ago and he provided us with an excellent driving service in Bali. Now, with children, we have just returned from another visit to Bali. I had no hesitation in contacting Gede and entrusting our family to his care for our travels on the island. Gede made the travels for us - and particularly the first visit for our sons - memorable and thoroughly enjoyable and safe. I would highly recommend him to anyone wanting to travel in comfort and safety and learn more about the Balinese culture.