THE ROAD BACK FROM NEGARA PASSES PURA RAMBUT SIWI -
- but we don't any more.
It is a ‘must stop' ever since we told Made about the holy freshwater spring that seeps out of a cave down on the beach and he took home a bottle for excited wife Ketut to sprinkle over Made and the warung and everyone who happened to pass by.
I really can't get over a ‘Bule' (‘White person' or ‘long nose'.) being able to tell a Balinese about the secret of a temple. It is undoubtedly a part of the attraction of the place for me.
It is an atmospheric place, occasionally full of noise and colour and movement if there is a ceremony going on but most often it is peaceful and spiritual. I used to relish sitting on the edge of the small bale in the corner furthest from the old car park, almost on the edge of the high bluff where even the gentlest breeze sweeps up and moans softly in the branches of the trees overhead. The scene in about a westerly direction covers a small river that runs out onto the beach, over a few small rice paddies along the banks that soon give way to vegetable fields of cabbage and snake beans most often but there are probably other vegetables at various times. Beyond these plantings, towards the slopes of the mountains to the right there are banana palms and even higher there are coconut plantations along the horizon.
To the left is the deep blue Indian Ocean thumping with bright white foam onto the curve of that long black sand beach stretching away into the distance towards mysterious and romantic but slightly frightening and unknown Java.
On this visit we turned into the old entrance near the little village, the bus and truck stop edged with little stalls, warungs and bustling hawkers of this and that, only to find it closed with police directing us back towards Negara and a new entrance less than a kilometre away. There is a new candi bentar here and the two lanes of paved roads run across the rice and vegetable fields to a large new car and bus park almost down at beach level. From here, past a few new shops, there is a mighty flight of steps that lead over a bridge across the river and up to the temple at the top of the bluff, close to that little bale that I have regularly enjoyed in the past.
Photo here on the web page.
It is an imposing entry, suggesting a climb up to the home of the Gods way above the heads of mankind.
From the flat landing at the top of the bridge there is a small set of steps on the right that lead down again to the other side of the river. From these steps there is a stone and concrete wall curving around the base of the bluff that must offer some protection to the caves when the tide is in and a storm surge threatens their security. It makes for an easy walk over the deep and soft sand to the caves. This is the way I went, with Herself and Wayan Declan who was anxious to see the spring and the caves.
Photo here on the web page.
These imposing new works have also extended to the caves, each I think dedicated to a single god. There are now enclosing walls around new bales and temples where statues and thrones, for the gods to rest on at ceremonial times, shoulder one another for the limited space. We found the cave that is reputed to run right under the temple to emerge at a secret shrine way up on the hillside on the other side of the road. Thankfully the crack of an entrance here was sufficiently narrow and dark to eventually deter Declan's determination to explore. What we did not find was the cave with the holy spring. Although the duty priest was quite happy to give us the water from his bowl for our bottles he was reluctant to show us where it was now hidden. In the past there have been what I think might have been guardian statues standing on outcrops of rock in the surf at the western and eastern limits of the sacred ground. These too were missing and I just hope that they have been removed for renovation and will be replaced.
Photo here on the web page.
The girls climbed the stairway up to the temple and found a guide to show them around. They found the small bale and sat there looking over the western coastline and agreed that it was a striking place.
The temple area up here has also been rejuvenated but the old candi bentar (a divided gate threatening to slam shut on any demons who might dare to venture in) remains. From here temple dress, of sarong or covered legs and a temple sash, are required wear for everyone, Balinese and tourists alike.
Photo here on the web page.
Back at the car park there are several warungs where very cold drinks can be relished in friendly company. It was a quiet time when we were there but the arrival of a couple of tourist busses from Java would set the place a-buzz.