Trunyan Village ›› Bali Village - Places of Interest in Kintamani, Bangli - Bali

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The small boat rocked precariously as I scrambled out onto the rickety wooden landing stage and walked the few meters to the entrance of the tiny cemetery. Shrouded by the broad canopy and trailing branches of a towering tree, the stone steps and narrow split gate were almost hidden from sight. A pair of green-painted statues, the cemetery guardians, surveyed me silently as I entered their domain. The air was clammy, and the atmosphere heavy and eerie. Ducking trough the undergrowth, I briefly recoiled as I was greeted by a macabre collection of about fifty skulls, artfully arranged upon a moss encrusted altar.

I was on the astern shore of Lake Batur, where the village of Terunyan lies cut off beneath the rim of the ancient caldera. The residents of Terunyan are the Bali Aga People, descendants of the aboriginal Balinese who inhabited the island long before the majapahit invasion in the Bali Aga Sought refuge from imperialistic strangers by living in isolated seclusion, fiercely safeguarding their own culture through the conviction that they had descended from the gods.

Not many people visit Terunyan; most are discouraged by stories of touts demanding exorbitant boat fares that increase halfway across the lake. Tour guides from Kuta claim that taking tourist to Terunyan is more trouble than it’s worth, generally proving to be full of unnecessary hassle and unreasonable expenses for the visitor.

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