Sidemen Village Offers a Relaxing and Peaceful Atmosphere

Sidemen Village is an attractive village surrounded by many hills and beautiful rice fields that is irrigated by Subak or a Balinese traditional water system for rice fields. The village is located in the east part of Bali, Karangasem Regency. Approximately 63 kilometers away from Denpasar City and it takes about 2 hour drive to reach the village. It is precisely located on a valley on the slopes of Mount Agung, the highest and sacred mountain in Bali. Sidemen Village is situated far from the city, hustle of people and pollution. 

It has a calm and relaxing atmosphere, very suitable for visitors who would like to relax and have a peaceful holiday in a village far from the busy city. It is also believed that the village has a strong spiritual aura due to its location on the the slopes of Mount Agung, many Hindu temples are found in Sidemen Village.The population of this village is about 7000 people and most of them earn their living by farming. Sidemen Village is famous for its stunning rice field scenery and simple traditional way of life of the inhabitants. It is also famous because the village has produced masters of Balinese literature, Hindu theology and generations of skillful weavers.

There are several interesting activities that can be done in Sidemen village, they include trekking, having strolls along the village and rice field and see various types of traditional farming activities which are very rare to be seen in developed cities. Besides that, visitors also have a chance to enjoy more challenging rafting in the Tegal Waja river which has stronger current than the Ayung river. Several home stays and hotels are provided for visitor who wish to spend a night in this calm village. Sidemen Village is an beautiful village to visit.

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Kertalangu Village the House of Balinese Culture

Kertalangu is an interesting place to enjoy in Denpasar, it is located in Kertalangu Village, Kesiman, East Denpasar, approximately 40 minutes away from Ngurah Rai International Airport. The village is known as Kertalangu Cultural Village, according to the name, there are several Balinese cultural activities that can be done in this village. Kertalangu village is situated in a 80 hectare rice field which gives similar atmosphere as Ubud, hence, visitors who doesn't have enough time to go to Ubud for Balinese cultural activities, visiting Kertalangu is a great alternative. The interesting cultural activities that can be done in Kertalangu include Balinese dancing, Balinese offering making, soap making, weaving, farming activities, horse riding, duck catching, fishing, flying and making kites as well as painting. 

Besides the interesting cultural activities, tourism facilities that support this tourist attraction are also provided. There is a 4 kilometer jogging track in the middle of the rice fields where visitors can enjoy the fresh air while jogging, the best time to come jogging is in the morning and afternoon when the sun is not intense. A Handicraft Center where visitors can see the process and create various types of Balinese handicraft products. A Fishing pond completed with gazebos where visitors can relax and take a rest. Hermitage of Kertalangu Cultural Village is the place where visitors learn the Balinese Cultures. An open stage where exhibition and Balinese Dance are performed. Restaurant, Spa and Photo Studios are also provided in Kertalangu.

Kertalangu Cultural Village is a great place where visitors can learn Balinese Cultures, instructor would friendly share there knowledge to visitors, it would be a very pleasant experience for all visitors. 

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Fishing Pond	Horse Riding
Farming Activity	Jogging Track
Kertalangu souvenir shop	The World Peace Gong

Gringsing Woven Cloth - a Balinese heritage

Gringsing woven cloth is a handmade woven cloth originating from Tenganan village, Karangasem Regency, eastside of Bali island. This Gringsing cloth is made out of natural dyes which may take months even years to develop the cloth. The word Gringsing is derived from two words Gring which means not and sakit which means pain so the word Gringsing has a meaning "no pain", that is why Gringsing cloth is used on ritual ceremonies it is believed that when using the cloth, there wont be any pain and would be protected from evil spirits. The original Gringsing cloth can only be found in Tenganan village, it is also said that this kind of weaving technique can only be done by three countries in the world, they are Japan, india and Indonesia (Tenganan).

The colors of the thread are all from natural coloring. The red color originates from the roots of Mengkudu (noni fruit) trees, yellow from candle nut oil and black color is made from the mixture of indigo and red taum grass. First, the thread is soaked in a candle nut oil, minimal for 40 days, it may also be soaked for more than a year because the thread would have a better quality when it is soaked longer. The candle nut oil is exchanged every 24-29 days. After the thread is soaked, it would be dyed with natural coloring, when all the threads are dyed, the weaving process (without machine) starts which takes about one week for a small piece and 2 months for a large size.

Gringsing woven cloth is different to any other woven cloth, it shows stronger color as it gets older due to the natural process. One piece of a small sized Gringsing cloth is priced about Rp. 1 million and for the larged sized cloth is priced between Rp 5 million to Rp 30 million each. Many foreign tourists come to Tenganan village to see the process of making this Gringsing woven cloth.

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