Blogging is almost a full time job, so while these are from June 8th I'll be filling some of the previous days, including the trip south later (this is becoming a common refrain but I don't want to spend all day sitting at my computer).
Pura Goa Lawah, pura means temple, goa means cave, and lawah means bats. So this is the temple of the bat cave. The major religious currents here are Hinduism and Buddhism with roots of animism weaving through the two major traditions. This is a result of the spread of Islam in the 15th century and the fleeing of the Hindu Majapahits to Bali from Java. With that undercurrent you find sights like these of trees shrouded in checkered cloth representing the duality of life and the conflict of good and evil and are considered to harbour spirits. This is why much if not all of the wood used for construction, furniture and carvings is brought over from Java. For perspective of size if I was in this photo I would stand about half as tall as the small black statue between the two trees.
A Hindu ceremony infront of Goa Lawah. There are chimes and words spoken, at the end of the ceremony the priests (for lack of a better word) walk through the worshippers with a container of holy water, rice and a reed used to splash the water upon their heads, then they drink some and press some rice to their wetted foreheads.
This is Goa Lawah, we're not allowed inside but I overheard a guide saying that it goes back 50m or more.
A separate part of the temple complex, coconut is drying on the ground along with the husks.
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