Our driver cum tour guide arrived at 8am. His name is Ketut.
I noticed that a lot of Balinese hav the same name, example, the tour guide for 3 of my frens were Ketut. A lot of warung used the name Made. My driver took the liberty to explained to us that their name consist of 3 word. The 1st name word is I for male & Ni for female. The 2nd word indicated the birth order. 1st child is Putu, 2nd is Made, 3rd is Nyoman and the 4th is Ketut, the 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th reuse the same set of name. The 3rd is their given name. For my driver, his full name is I Ketut Suparman. cool eh?
As Ketut was driving along, he was saying we can stop whenever wherever we want if anything caught our attention. As we made no indication of stopping, he started to suggest:
I noticed that a lot of Balinese hav the same name, example, the tour guide for 3 of my frens were Ketut. A lot of warung used the name Made. My driver took the liberty to explained to us that their name consist of 3 word. The 1st name word is I for male & Ni for female. The 2nd word indicated the birth order. 1st child is Putu, 2nd is Made, 3rd is Nyoman and the 4th is Ketut, the 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th reuse the same set of name. The 3rd is their given name. For my driver, his full name is I Ketut Suparman. cool eh?
As Ketut was driving along, he was saying we can stop whenever wherever we want if anything caught our attention. As we made no indication of stopping, he started to suggest:
Ketut: Batik?
Me: No lah. Even I can paint batik.
Ketut: Celuk Village are famous for their silver jewelry.
Me: Don wan. I don buy jewelry.
Ketut: Wood craving?
Me: After seeing it & lusting over it & knowing that I can't buy it would make me sad. So I don wanna stop there too.
Ketut: Bali coffee?
Me: Nah. Had in the morning, it taste weird.
Ketut: Ok, we straight go to Batubulan then head to Kintamani.
Me: Great!
He's lucky we r easy to please.Me: No lah. Even I can paint batik.
Ketut: Celuk Village are famous for their silver jewelry.
Me: Don wan. I don buy jewelry.
Ketut: Wood craving?
Me: After seeing it & lusting over it & knowing that I can't buy it would make me sad. So I don wanna stop there too.
Ketut: Bali coffee?
Me: Nah. Had in the morning, it taste weird.
Ketut: Ok, we straight go to Batubulan then head to Kintamani.
Me: Great!
1st stop was at Pura Puseh Batubulan.
I'm always attracted to flowers...
Weird looking trees... 
Remember what is this called? yup, it's a Kulkul.
Scary looking stone carving... 
Offering like this are all over Bali, at every corner, nook & cranny.
The cat were curious of my presence...
The Pura Puseh was built to an unusual design which include a 5-tiered gateway tower inspired by Indian religious architecture & a number of Buddha images not normally associated with Bali's Hindu temple.
A grimacing Bhoma head overlooks the main gateway
The Buddha statue got man-boobs o_O"
The rest of the icons & decorations, however, are characteristically & flamboyantly Balinese.
Hubby chatting up pretty Balinese girl
We are here for the Barong & Keris Dance. The dance symbolizes the eternal battle between good and evil. Barong represents the good spirit and Rangda, the evil spirit.The Tegal Tamu Stage is next to the temple. Noticed the offering on the stage's floor?
Even before the performance start, traditional Balinese music were played to entertain us.
We were the only ones with chokolat kulit. Being early means we can get front row seats... hahha we r so kia su le. 
We were given a explanation of the dance. Since I'm free, I'll try my best & tell you the story.Every performance starts with a short prologue that features a scene with monkey in a forest & has no connection to the rest of the story other than to show the good character of the Barong.
Barong, a mythical creature with long swayback and curved tail, represent the affirmative, the protector of mankind, the favorable spirits associated with the right and white magic.
The Barong presented here is called Barong Keket. This Barong Keket wear a mask, corresponding with a mythical "lion". If the mask is of a tiger (in Balinese: Macan) the Barong is then called Barong Macan.
The naughty monkey...
**commercial break: Monkey very fren with Barong... How I know? Monkey find lice on Barong & eat it too. Sure fren lar** 
Then come three masked men, the palm wine tapers who are very angry with the Barong for killing a child of one of them. They attack the Barong who is helped by the monkey. During the fight the nose one of the three men is bitten off by the monkey. 
After the progolue, 2 girls dressed up very traditionally beautiful performing the Legong Dance.
First act: Two servants of Dewi Kunti, Punta and Wijil come up; Punta is telling his younger brother Wijil the sad news that their beloved master (Sadewa, son of Dewi Kunti) will be sacrificed to the Rangda today. 
A hair rising howling sound is herd, then followed by the appearance of a frightening witch. After the witch disappears, Punta and Wijil request the Patih (minister) to come soon.
Second act:
A hair rising howling sound is herd, then followed by the appearance of a frightening witch. After the witch disappears, Punta and Wijil request the Patih (minister) to come soon.
Second act:The Patih appears and after dancing for a while he squat down and makes prying gesture towards the temple gate. 
Dewi Kunti enters the stage followed by a servant and shortly afterward Sadewa appears. 
Being a loving mother she has not the heart to sacrifice her beloved son. However a witch enters and bewitches her. She become angry and ordered Patih to take Sadewa to the forest where Rangda lives.
Third act:
Dewi Kunti enters the stage followed by a servant and shortly afterward Sadewa appears. 
Being a loving mother she has not the heart to sacrifice her beloved son. However a witch enters and bewitches her. She become angry and ordered Patih to take Sadewa to the forest where Rangda lives.
Third act: The Patih loved Sadewa very much and he does not like his task. He was very sad & nearly cried. Again the witch arrives and bewitches the Patih. He become angry and take Sadewa to the forest. He ties him on a tree in front of the abode of the Rangda.
Fourth act:
Fourth act:Unknown to Rangda, the God Shiva appears in the disguised of a priest, has mercy on Sadewa & gave him immortality.
Fifth act:The Rangda come out, carried on the shoulders of her followers. 
Rangda is ready and eager to kill Sadewa, but because of the immortality given by Shiva, the Rangda can't kill him. Admitting that she cannot kill Sadewa, she ask him for redemption so her soul can go to heaven. 
**commercial break: wow... look like our chinese "pai fa mo ni" (white hair witch), mayb a distance cousin lar**
Sadewa agreed and redeemed her. Her soul goes to heaven.
Rangda is ready and eager to kill Sadewa, but because of the immortality given by Shiva, the Rangda can't kill him. Admitting that she cannot kill Sadewa, she ask him for redemption so her soul can go to heaven. 
**commercial break: wow... look like our chinese "pai fa mo ni" (white hair witch), mayb a distance cousin lar**
Sadewa agreed and redeemed her. Her soul goes to heaven.
Sixth act:The Rangda has a disciple by name of Kalika. She also want to be redeem like her master, but Sadewa refuses and there ensues a fight between Sadewa and Kalika.
Kalika using her magic power, meditates and transforms herself into a boar. This boar is defeated. 
**commercial break: hahaha... farnie ... a sense of comedy is in cooperated into the dance**
Out she come gain and this time is crow (Garuda). She fights and loses again. For the third time she transform herself into the powerful of Rangda, she is too powerful for Sadewa. He meditates and becomes a Barong. There is short fights between the Rangda and the Barong, but the fight is undecided and the Barong leaves the stage to call his followers.
Kalika using her magic power, meditates and transforms herself into a boar. This boar is defeated. 
**commercial break: hahaha... farnie ... a sense of comedy is in cooperated into the dance**
Out she come gain and this time is crow (Garuda). She fights and loses again. For the third time she transform herself into the powerful of Rangda, she is too powerful for Sadewa. He meditates and becomes a Barong. There is short fights between the Rangda and the Barong, but the fight is undecided and the Barong leaves the stage to call his followers.
Seventh act:
Out come of Barong's followers with the Kris and attack the Rangda, evil cannot be destroyed.
Rangda cast a spell so that they fall into a trance & stab themselves with their knifes instead of her, but the magic of the Barong hardened their flesh so that although they push the sharp points of the Kris, with all their might against their naked chests, they are not hurt…
Only by a complete trance can the dance be performed, otherwise a man will wound himself or hurt others.
**commercial break : ngai ti, look at his face, looks like real painful le o_O**
Possessed as they are, they have a super natural power or strength and it takes many men to hold them down to disarm.
Rangda cast a spell so that they fall into a trance & stab themselves with their knifes instead of her, but the magic of the Barong hardened their flesh so that although they push the sharp points of the Kris, with all their might against their naked chests, they are not hurt…
Only by a complete trance can the dance be performed, otherwise a man will wound himself or hurt others.**commercial break : ngai ti, look at his face, looks like real painful le o_O**
Possessed as they are, they have a super natural power or strength and it takes many men to hold them down to disarm.
To take the men out of trance, they are led, one by one, to where the Barong stand and the Pemangku (the temple priest) puts sacrificial offerings on the ground.
After finished reciting "mantras", they then sprinkles holy water to the face of each man and gradually the hysterical men come out of trance, daze, simply walking away as if they did not know what had happened to them.
~The end~
After finished reciting "mantras", they then sprinkles holy water to the face of each man and gradually the hysterical men come out of trance, daze, simply walking away as if they did not know what had happened to them.
~The end~The ticket price was Rp100,000 (RM34) for both of us.
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