Ubud, Which Means Medicine: the Barong, 24 Eruptions and 605 Macaques

Ubud takes its name from ubad, the Balinese word for medicine: the town mattered first as a source of medicinal herbs and plants. The day opens with the Barong and Kris dance. The Barong is a four-legged creature worked by two men, and the story is the fight between good and evil, with Rangda, mother of the 10th-century king Erlangga, setting the jungle spirits on her own son. Tegenungan is one of the few waterfalls in Bali not in the highlands. How much water there is, and how clear, depends on the rain; the pool can be swum in, and the steps down are followed by a climb. Kintamani has the semi-active cone of Batur and its crater lake. Batur has erupted about 24 times since 1800, and each time the villages have had to move a temple, rebuild and re-establish their traditions. Six Bali Aga villages, the old ones, sit around the caldera. Lake Batur is the largest in Bali and irrigates the farms below. Lunch is at a local restaurant here. Tegalalang runs on subak, the Balinese cooperative irrigation system. The farmer who owns the land offers green coconut to drink and sells hats he weaves from coconut leaves; he will pose for photographs for a small fee. The Monkey Forest, at Padang Tegal, holds long-tailed macaques in three groups: in 2011 there were about 605 of them. They are held to guard the Dalem Agung temple in the middle of the forest, one of three built there around the middle of the 14th century. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.