Let’s try hang around in Denpasar with car. This time, i headed to where the museums, parks, traditional markets, government offices, monuments and traffics are to be found: Denpasar, the capital city of the Island of Gods. No skyscrapers or anything metropolitan decorating the city, but Denpasar still plays a significant role as the island’s center of growth and wealth.
Anyway, what is a city without the traffic; therefore, i squeezed my way in between the other vehicles during the morning rush hours when the office workers were jamming on Gajah Mada Street. With the hectic trading activities in Badung Market, which is also located in the area, as well as a big number of pedestrians walking on both sides of the road, this street looked vibrant and busy.
The two sides of Gajah Mada are full with shops providing residents and visitors with, among others, baby supplies, shoes, electronic goods, clothing, office accessories, building materials and restaurants. I’m so lucky to finally find a little spot to park, so i could join in the busyness – on foot. With drizzle falling from the sky that morning, quite a lot of people were shading themselves in front of the shops although there were also a couple of others that kept on walking regardless the rain. Sweet-smelling from the fresh flowers sold on the street side pervading the entrance of Badung Market as the sun finally made appearance and stopped the rain.
I went back to my car and continued my trip on the one-way road of Gajah Mada that led me to the Zero Kilometer of the city where a landmark named Catur Muka Statue (four-faced statue) sits on an intersection linking Surapati Street, Udayana Street, Veteran Street, and Gajah Mada Street. On a corner of this intersection lies Puputan Badung Park which is designated for sports and cultural events with tree-lined roads surrounding this park that provide the shades for comfortable walks. This grass-carpeted park is also known as a place where chess enthusiasts in the city would gather and have a couple of game sessions on the tables set right next to giant pawns occupying a giant black-white checked ground. A lot of food and drink sellers are also occupying this part of the park.
Aside from the trees, this park is also surrounded by Pura Agung Jagatnatha, Bali Museum, residence of Bali Governor and Udayana military headquarter.
Set in traditional-looking grounds and adjacent to Pura Agung Jagatnatha, Bali Museum is a relaxing and affordable place where you can learn about Balinese history. This museum is split into four main buildings that house artifacts dating back to the megalithic period to modern time such as potteries, bronze spear, hand chisel, hand axe, sea shell fossil, ancient accessories (bronze necklace, earring and bracelet) and Balinese fine arts (paintings and wooden statues).
The structure of the museum itself is like a palace-temple, complete with courtyards, pavilions and decorated temple gateways. Walter Spies played a part in the Bali Museum, helping put together the collection and organize the display. There will be individuals hanging around within the museum’s compound offering their services as a guide. In case you need a guide, it is advised that you negotiate the price first; however, the museum provides English descriptions for each of the items displayed. In other words, as long as you can read English, you will be fine.
Back on to the road, I continued feeding our thoughts with more knowledge about history of Bali at the Renon Monument. This monument is built in the middle of Renon Square, a place where people usually do their daily exercises like jogging, playing football, basketball or even just relaxing walks in the mornings and late afternoons.
The monument itself is dedicated to the struggle of the Balinese people and has now become one of the major attractions in Denpasar, especially with its temple-like structure. It houses tens of dioramas portraying stages that Bali has undergone starting from the ancient period up to the fight for Indonesian independence. Aside from the diorama, the monument also has an exhibition room where vintage, black and white photographs of Balinese heroes are displayed. Unfortunately, descriptions of each of the photographs are only provided in Indonesian language; thus, you might need an interpreter or guide if you wish to know the details of the photographs.
Right in the middle of the monument is a big fish pond with fountains, where spiral stairs leading to a higher ground with a round space is located for visitors to enjoy a bird’s eye-view of the surrounding areas. From there, you can see the greeneries from the grass covering Renon Square with little spots of people moving from one point to another. Nonetheless, in general, the most unique thing about this place is that the whole construction is made of lava rock with beautiful structure and carving.
Offices of several foreign consulate generals like Australia and Japan, as well as the office of the Bali Governor are located surrounding this square.
I concluded my Denpasar trip in an outskirt area of Depasar called Griya Anyar. I had absolutely no idea about the existence of this place before I accidentally came across it, while it actually ‘entertained’ me in a way that I never experienced in any clubs or other venues offering live entertainment – something that people in general are craving nowadays. In Griya Anyar, I encountered a number of children who were having a great time by playing in a river in the area. I managed to find a spot to park and made my way down to the river, where I join these kids and shared some ‘wet’ fun. The best part of the fun was when the kids taught me how to do somersaults and flip flop movements instead of jumping and diving into the water. One by one, they each took their turns and demonstrated on how to make a great fall from a river dam into the water to me.
I went back home wet and messy, yet seriously happy and satisfied for not only gained more knowledge about Bali but also made friends with my new little buddies.
The two sides of Gajah Mada are full with shops providing residents and visitors with, among others, baby supplies, shoes, electronic goods, clothing, office accessories, building materials and restaurants. I’m so lucky to finally find a little spot to park, so i could join in the busyness – on foot. With drizzle falling from the sky that morning, quite a lot of people were shading themselves in front of the shops although there were also a couple of others that kept on walking regardless the rain. Sweet-smelling from the fresh flowers sold on the street side pervading the entrance of Badung Market as the sun finally made appearance and stopped the rain.
I went back to my car and continued my trip on the one-way road of Gajah Mada that led me to the Zero Kilometer of the city where a landmark named Catur Muka Statue (four-faced statue) sits on an intersection linking Surapati Street, Udayana Street, Veteran Street, and Gajah Mada Street. On a corner of this intersection lies Puputan Badung Park which is designated for sports and cultural events with tree-lined roads surrounding this park that provide the shades for comfortable walks. This grass-carpeted park is also known as a place where chess enthusiasts in the city would gather and have a couple of game sessions on the tables set right next to giant pawns occupying a giant black-white checked ground. A lot of food and drink sellers are also occupying this part of the park.
Aside from the trees, this park is also surrounded by Pura Agung Jagatnatha, Bali Museum, residence of Bali Governor and Udayana military headquarter.
Set in traditional-looking grounds and adjacent to Pura Agung Jagatnatha, Bali Museum is a relaxing and affordable place where you can learn about Balinese history. This museum is split into four main buildings that house artifacts dating back to the megalithic period to modern time such as potteries, bronze spear, hand chisel, hand axe, sea shell fossil, ancient accessories (bronze necklace, earring and bracelet) and Balinese fine arts (paintings and wooden statues).
The structure of the museum itself is like a palace-temple, complete with courtyards, pavilions and decorated temple gateways. Walter Spies played a part in the Bali Museum, helping put together the collection and organize the display. There will be individuals hanging around within the museum’s compound offering their services as a guide. In case you need a guide, it is advised that you negotiate the price first; however, the museum provides English descriptions for each of the items displayed. In other words, as long as you can read English, you will be fine.
Back on to the road, I continued feeding our thoughts with more knowledge about history of Bali at the Renon Monument. This monument is built in the middle of Renon Square, a place where people usually do their daily exercises like jogging, playing football, basketball or even just relaxing walks in the mornings and late afternoons.
The monument itself is dedicated to the struggle of the Balinese people and has now become one of the major attractions in Denpasar, especially with its temple-like structure. It houses tens of dioramas portraying stages that Bali has undergone starting from the ancient period up to the fight for Indonesian independence. Aside from the diorama, the monument also has an exhibition room where vintage, black and white photographs of Balinese heroes are displayed. Unfortunately, descriptions of each of the photographs are only provided in Indonesian language; thus, you might need an interpreter or guide if you wish to know the details of the photographs.
Right in the middle of the monument is a big fish pond with fountains, where spiral stairs leading to a higher ground with a round space is located for visitors to enjoy a bird’s eye-view of the surrounding areas. From there, you can see the greeneries from the grass covering Renon Square with little spots of people moving from one point to another. Nonetheless, in general, the most unique thing about this place is that the whole construction is made of lava rock with beautiful structure and carving.
Offices of several foreign consulate generals like Australia and Japan, as well as the office of the Bali Governor are located surrounding this square.
I concluded my Denpasar trip in an outskirt area of Depasar called Griya Anyar. I had absolutely no idea about the existence of this place before I accidentally came across it, while it actually ‘entertained’ me in a way that I never experienced in any clubs or other venues offering live entertainment – something that people in general are craving nowadays. In Griya Anyar, I encountered a number of children who were having a great time by playing in a river in the area. I managed to find a spot to park and made my way down to the river, where I join these kids and shared some ‘wet’ fun. The best part of the fun was when the kids taught me how to do somersaults and flip flop movements instead of jumping and diving into the water. One by one, they each took their turns and demonstrated on how to make a great fall from a river dam into the water to me.
I went back home wet and messy, yet seriously happy and satisfied for not only gained more knowledge about Bali but also made friends with my new little buddies.
