Gunung Kawi

Lonely Planet's 2013 guide to Bali has become a glovebox companion. We have tried to do without it, but it provides a focus for our meanderings and a source of inspiration for possible day trips.

Having read about the 11th century temple at Tampak Siring, Gunung Kawi, a visit seemed essential and we invited a couple of other Australians along for the ride.

The car has satellite navigation, with a choice of three equally irritating navigators. We tried American Sadie (our name for her) for a while but her frantic admonitions to turn left, when it wasn't possible to do so, finally led us to try the gentler British tones of Godfrey. His appalling pronunciation of Indonesian place names meant that we lasted less than two kilometers with him, which left Kylie. Australian. Australia. Bali. Our backyard practically, surely her pronunciation would be more polished? Sadly, no. It seems that for the past three months we have been living in a place called Youbood. Painful to hear.

Kylie also proved to be unreliable. Having keyed the destination of Gunung Kawi into her system, she proceeded to take us in what we felt sure was the opposite direction. Foolishly we trusted her for a while, but we had no idea where we were.

Our companions didn't mind. They had barely been beyond Monkey Forest Road, so they were happy to see countryside, and to be honest, so were we.

We wandered for a while and when we reached Gianyar we knew where we were and which road would take us to Tampak Siring, the town where the temple is located. By this time the rain was bucketing. Would we? Wouldn't we? We were here, so why not.

Here's where I would augment Lonely Planet for anyone who intends visiting. We knew that a sarong and sash were essential when entering a temple, and we were quite happy to purchase some. We will keep them in the car for future occasions. But LP says that they can also be hired, and there was no evidence that this was the case. We were beset by sellers in the carpark and, even after bargaining,  paid over the odds. It's all relative, of course, and we haven't ended up with something we don't like or won't wear again. But as we headed off towards the (unsignposted) temple a couple of hundred metres away, we found there were dozens of shops where you could have named your price. And at the entrance gate, yes, you could hire. So be strong, bide your time and give some of the others a look in.

Despite the rain, the temple was magnificent. Set in a river valley, it is one of Bali's oldest monuments. The rock face has been carved to create shrines, eight metres in height. According to LP, legend has it that they were the work of Kebo Iwa's fingernails and completed in a single night.

This awe-inspiring place will receive another visit on a day when the sun is shining and we are wearing our sarongs and sash even as we leave the car. The 270-something steps proved more of a challenge coming back up than going down.

Today there have been many ceremonies. As I write this, I can hear chanting and gamelan in the distance, and the offerings we have seen all day have been lavish. Women were worshipping at Gunung Kawi and on the drive home temples along the road were full of men, women and children in traditional dress. Lovely to observe.

Unable to add links right now, but will do so asap. Done.