www.katherinetimes.com.au KATHERINE TIMES, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26 2014 19

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HOT DEALSSUN IN CUBASail on a catamaran throughthe beautiful waters of theCanarreos Archipelago,Southern Cuba, stopping tosnorkel or share a drink withthe locals and checking outflocks of flamingos andparrots, relaxing on the beachand dining on seafood. This isa small group experience, witha maximum of 14 people. Thereis now 25 per cent off thiseight- day trip, which includessix nights catamaran sailing,one night in a hotel in Havanaand 16 meals. The price is$1462 a person twin share forthe December 13 departure.❑ www.gadventures.com.au

MORE EGYPTBunnik Tours is offering up to$900 of bonuses a couple fortours to Egypt. The bonusesinclude room upgrades,additional touring, includingthe famous sound-and- lightshow at the pyramids andSphinx, a barbecue lunch, spavouchers and an arrival gift.The offer applies to all BunnikTours to Egypt departingbetween January and May,2015. This includes Egypt andJordan, and Egypt and Kenyacombinations. One example isthe 12- day Highlights of Egyptsmall group tour, whichincludes return flights fromAustralia, transfers, a three-night Nile cruise, six nights infour to five- star hotels andmany meals. The price is from$5280 a person twin share.Valid until sold out.❑ www.bunniktours.com.au

WATER WORLDOaks Pacific Blue Resort inpopular NSW holiday spot PortStephens is offering specialrates on stays of two nights ormore. The resort has a 500-metre- long lagoon pool, whichcircles the resort, and hasrecently been restored. OaksPacific Blue Resort offersdeluxe apartments,townhouses and hotel rooms,many with direct, swim- outaccess to the pool. The resortalso has a heated spa, 25-metre heated lap pool, gymand tennis courts. Rates startat $109 a night (Sunday-Thursday) or from $134 a night(Friday and Saturday). A one-bedroom apartment isavailable from $139 a night(Sunday-Thursday) or from$189 a night (Friday andSaturday). The offer includes alate noon checkout if available.A minimum two- night stay isrequired. Conditions andblackout periods, includingpeak holiday periods, apply.❑ www.oakshotelresorts.com

Hidden roads lead to the getting of wisdomBalinese spirituality is evidenteverywhere, as SSheriden Rhodesdiscovers.

Deep in the lush valley sliced in twoby the sacred river of Pakerisan liesa 10th-century meditation temple

carved in moss-swathed rock. This astonishing temple lies concealed,

and practically unheard of, off the well-worn tourist path.

Our guide lights incense and sprinkleshimself with holy water as I peer inside theancient chambers carved into the side ofthe stone hill.

Inside these rock caves, overhung withferns, the Balinese used to stay and preparefood for offerings.

It’s damp, humid and surreal to see theselargely untouched chambers lying justoutside of Ubud, which is crawling withtourists.

The only sound is the trickle of runningwater and the only other person in sight is afarmer tending his terraced rice fields acrossthe other side of the valley.

I was collected from a hotel in Seminyakin a restored and modified VW Kombi earlythat morning.

The Beach Boys’ Surfin’ USA blared fromthe speakers as my driver and guide,Mangde and Made, bundled my luggage inthe back and headed for the hills - theusually bustling streets free of tourists andtraffic at this hour of the morning.

We were headed for a small village, 20kilometres north of Ubud, for morning teawith Enong Ismail, professor and curator ofthe Sukarno Centre, and leading expert onthe recently World Heritage-listed PakerisanRiver area.

The softly spoken Enong has partneredwith Australian expatriate Brett Morgan,who runs Private Concierge Bali and VWLimo Bali, to offer the new Seven Temples ofEnlightenment tour.

This fascinating day-long expeditionoutlines the origins of the Balinese Hindureligion Hindu Dharma, tracing itsevolution on a tour of Bali’s most importanttemples and monuments - some of whicheven the locals don’t know.

We start our day with fragrant ginger teaand Indonesian sweets at Enong’s privatehome, surrounded by rice fields on a ridgeoverlooking the Pakerisan River.

Over tea, he talks about Bali’s uniqueculture, which he has documented since1979.

Despite being born a Muslim in Java,Enong converted to Hinduism and spendshis time giving back to the island he is sopassionate about.

“Every part of Bali has their owninscription on the temples, which go backcenturies,” he says. “In every local villagethere are three beliefs, although the Balinesebelieve there is only one universal creator.”

Enong explains how Hindu Dharma is ajoining of Buddhism, Hindu and theBalinese belief in respecting your ancestor.

Modern-day Bali Hinduism evolved overcenturies, influenced by the Javaneseempire.

After a sash is tied around my waist, wemake our way to one of Bali’s mostsignificant and ancient temples, Jagasari, acomplex of three mud brick temples,representing the head, body and feet.

It is Bali’s first Hindu temple, from the8th century, and amazingly is still usedregularly by the local villagers.

Gede, head of the youth associated withthe World Heritage listing Tampak Siringarea and one of the knowledgeable team who run the Seven Temples tour, tells me important decisions are still madehere.

Not long ago his father, a priest, and apregnant unmarried girl sat on a platform inthe third temple.

The meeting was called to determinewho the father of the unborn baby was.

In this case the man responsible wasfound, but astonishingly, if no one admits it,the girl can choose her husband from theassembled villagers, whether they’remarried or not.

From there we head to a 10th-centurytemple where the head priests meet to writethe Balinese calendar on Niyepi day -

(Balinese New Year) determining which daysare best for harvesting, planting andimportant occasions like weddings orfunerals.

The temple is like a living museum andthe thick verdant forest surrounding it hasnever been cut.

Once again there’s no one here but us.Back in the village we walk a sealed path

into the rice fields where a picnic lunch islaid out for us in an open-air communityhall.

As we eat, some boys from the villageattempt to fly a large kite they have madethemselves across the muddy rice paddy.

Just behind us is another importanttemple with carvings from the 10th centurystacked haphazardly on a platform.

Our day ends in a large temple where, inthe 12th century, leaders of the Buddhist,Hindu Shiva and “respect your ancestor”religions met and agreed to create onereligion for all Hindu Dharma, or BalineseHindu, as it is today.

Most of the sites we’d seen are not evenknown to locals, and I feel privileged to havebeen given a rare insight into the PakerisanWorld Heritage-listed area - a million milesfrom the crowded temples of Tanah Lot andBesakih.❑ The writer was a guest of PrivateConcierge Bali and Double-Six Luxury HotelSeminyak.

Search for enlightenment... (clockwise from main)Gede at the 10th-centurymeditation caves nearUbud; tour guidesprinkles himself withholy water at themeditation caves; andpicnic lunch served byGede.

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