Cockfights, which in Balinese are known as tajen, meklecan or ngadu, are required at temple and purification (mecaru) ceremonies. No one knows when they started. The Tabuh Rah ritual to expel evil spirits always has a cockfight to spill the blood. Tabah Rah literally means pouring blood. There are ancient texts disclosing that the ritual has existed for centuries. It is mentioned in the Batur Bang Inscriptions I from the year 933 and the Batuan Inscription from the year 944 (on the Balinese calendar). The blood of the loser spills on the ground, an offering to the evil spirits. Three cockfights are necessary for this purpose. Only men participate. Women do not even watch.

To the Balinese cockfighting is much more than a religious ritual. Raffles in his History of Java commented,

"their predominant passions are gaming and cockfighting. In these amusements, when at peace with the neighbouring states, all the vehemence and energy of their character and spirit is called forth and exhausted."

Men in villages tend their roosters lovingly. They identify with them and much conversation turn on them. It is good sport. The vast majority of men own at least one rooster. They are symbolic expressions of their owners. The sound of roosters crowing to each other early in the morning is the normal wake-up call. It is common throughout Asia.

The roosters, often of very splendid colours, are kept in wicker, bamboo cages placed outside their owners' houses. It is important that the roosters get used to the commotion of everyday life. They are trained not to be distracted by unusual sounds when they get to the all-important fight. They are fed a special diet of maize. Red pepper is pushed down their beaks to give them spirit. The birds are at their fighting peak at about three years old.

A cockfight is an offering: see the article entitled Balinese Offerings. Cockfighting is a sacred matter. The rules are written down in the ancient lontar palm books, which are village heirlooms. The umpire's word is final. In the case of cocks dying at virtually the same time, he decides. Before the cockfight begins, a pemangku priest will present offerings to the evil spirits and also the gods. Then the serious business begins.

In pre-colonial times cockfights were normally held on market days. The ring is usually near the market in the wantilan in the centre of the village. The fights were taxed and the taxation was a major source of revenue for the princes, who were patrons of the fights.

If you see a large number of motorbikes parked outside a field or a temple - usually in the late afternoon, the chances are that a cockfight is being held. Cockfights are frequently held in Pura Dalem in Ubud next to Kunang-Kunang II, Murni's shop. Anyone can attend. It is a noisy, busy affair. Be careful during the fight, the cocks have lethally sharp steel blades attached to their spurs. They can cut a finger off.

There are usually about nine or ten matches. It goes on for three or four hours until sunset.

The fight
Men travel to cockfights with their roosters. They sit in a circle in the wantilan or an open area. Women sell lawar (mixed vegetables and meat), grilled pork, chicken satay, snacks and colourful drinks.

Each fight is treated equally and, as soon as one fight ends, men look for a suitable match for the next. They try to match cocks of equal ability for a good fight. The fight should be unpredictable. If there is an imbalance, the spur on the stronger bird is adjusted slightly to give him a handicap.

The expert spur affixers affix the spurs. The sharp steel spurs, called taji, are single blades, about four or five inches long, tied around the leg with string. Spurs are sharpened only at eclipses and during a dark moon and should not be seen by women. The word for cockfight, tajen, comes from tajian, the taji being the blade.

Once done the cocks are placed on the ground in the middle of the ring. The timekeeper sits at a desk on the right hand corner. He pierces a coconut with a small hole and puts it in a bucket of water. It takes about 21 seconds to sink. At the start and end he beats a kulkul, a slit drum. During this time of 21 seconds the cocks must be left alone. If they have not fought, they can be picked up and encouraged.

The process is repeated. If they still refuse to fight, both are put into a wicker cage and they always fight then. If this is not necessary and they fight on their own, as soon as one is injured, the cock that landed the blow is picked up, so that both birds are not injured.

The coconut is now sunk three times. Then the one that landed the blow is put down to walk around for another coconut sinking period. He is then picked up and the coconut is sunk twice more and the fight has to start again. The interval will have taken about two minutes, during which time the injured bird will be tended. The second round is the final one. Usually the one that landed the first bow lands another fatal blow. The loser is the one that dies first.

Tanah Lot, one of the most popular places of interest in Bali, and one of the place which being “place to go” by tourist for they vacation.

Tanah Lot is located about 12 kilometers from Tabanan City and 20 kilometers from Denpasar.

The area comprises a wondrous mixture of natural beauty and sheer human effort. Here lies an idyllic white sand beach with crashing waves, complemented by a small yet majestic temple.

This temple, known as Pura Tanah Lot, juts out to sea on a rocky background. he temple stands on the top of a huge rock, surrounded by the sea and is one of Bali's most important sea temples.

Tanah Lot pays homage to the guardian spirits of the sea. Ancient rituals pay homage to the guardian spirits of the sea. Poisonous sea snakes found in the caves at the base of the rocky island are believed to be guardians of the temple, standing Virgil against evil spirits and intruders.

At the base of the rocky island are poisonous sea snakes believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. The best time to see Tanah Lot is in the late afternoon when the temple is in silhouette.

Tanah Lot attracts throngs of both locals and tourists daily. Most come here longing to catch a glimpse of the romantic Tanah Lot sunsets, a regular occurrence during the dry season (April to November).

The wayang is very popular among the Balinese. The meaning of the word is highly controversial, but it is generally applied to any pictorial representation of the figures of mythology, although it appears to have deeper, more significant religious meaning, perhaps related to the cult of ancestors. On the other hand, wayang means shadow-the shadow of life as in wayang kulit – the puppet shadow play.

In line with this ancient theatre, there is wayang wong(the human puppet), the archaic of masked drama. Unlike the puppet shadow, wayang wong is rare traditional theatre. The sacred wayang wong could be found at Perancak temple, performed only as part of temple ceremony during its temple festival.

Another could be found at family temple of brahmin castle at Geriya Batuagung, north east of Negara. It is performed during temple festivals, cremations and other ceremonies. Nowdays, it is also performed during the annual Bali Art Festival.

A group from Japan was enthusiastically watching the masked drama based on Ramayana and Mahabarata epics, performed in front of the family temple at Batuagung. Before the performance, all playersor artist pray to the god at the temple. During the performance, some of them are in trance, they dance on wood fire.

The performance is staged on request. The visitors enjoy the performance very much. There are some reasons, why such a tourist attraction is enjoyable-interesting for tourist. The tourist product could not be moved to another place. The authenticity, originality and local atmosphere are the main elements in this performance. Visitors can witness the artist preparing the costumes and attires before dancing-the activity behind the satge. They also see the architecture at both house and family temples.

Puri Agung Karangasem or Karangasem Palace was built in 19th Century by Anak Agung Gede Jelantik, the first king of Karangasem Kingdom. This tourist destination is visited for its unique architecture, which is the combination of Balinese, Chinese and European architectures.

As it was mentioned before, the architecture of Puri Agung Karangasem is the combination of three different styles. Balinese architecture can be found on the carving of Hindu's statues and the relief on the wall of the building. The European influence is seen on the style of the main building with its large veranda, while the Chinese architecture is implied on the style of the window, the door and its other ornaments.

Puri Agung Karangasem consists of three parts, namely Bencingah, Jaba Tengah, and Maskerdam. Bencingah is the front part of the Palace, where traditional art performance takes place. Jaba Tengah is set as the Palace Garden with a big pond. In the middle of the pond, there is a building called "Balai Gili" or floating building, here we can also find 2 old lychee trees. The third part is Maskerdam, of which the name was given after the name Amsterdam, a city in Netherlands. This building was constructed when the King of Karangasem started opening relationship with the Dutch government.

Kebun Raya Eka Karya is the official title for Bali’s botanical gardens that stretch majestically across a plateau between two minor mountain ranges in an area known as Bedugul. The gardens provide a recreational destination for family gatherings, staff outings and international visitors interested in local species of flora.

Elevated high above sea level in the cool forest plains of the Tabanan regency, the botanical gardens cover approximately 154 hectares of fertile landscape and were established during the 1950’s as a branch of Indonesia’s national gardens in Bogor, outside the capital of Jakarta.

The gardens are within the vicinity of the landlocked Lake Beratan where the crisp air is a welcome escape from the humidity of Bali’s tropical south. There is also a traditional market close by where stalls are laden with locally grown fruit, vegetables, spices, vibrant potted orchids and other plant varieties suited to temperate conditions.

The gardens are crossed by a series of winding asphalt roads that can accommodate a family car or mini-bus for those who prefer to sightsee in comfort without overly exerting themselves. Alternatively, visitors can wander around and explore on foot to experience the clean country air and marvel at the diversity of native flora. Coloured tracks mark different routes that lead through pathways sheltered by towering trees to expose designated areas filled with roses, orchids, ferns and other plants that are cultivated for their medicinal properties.

A recent addition to the gardens is an innovative activity called Tree Top Adventures where a mini assault course, featuring suspended ropes, ladders and pulleys, is directed around a network of trees that soar into the sky. Participants must wear a safety harness and clip themselves onto the security cables as they make their way around the course. Designed to harmonize with the landscape and respect all existing flora, this activity introduces visitors to the natural beauty of the gardens and at the same time safeguards its existence for future generation to appreciate.

Trips to the botanical gardens can be arranged through any reputable travel agency and the journey, which is nearly 2-hours from Kuta, takes in some of Bali’s most stunning rural scenery of farmland, terraced rice fields and tropical forests. The gardens are extremely popular on weekends and public holidays when the Balinese like to come in extended family groups to a enjoy picnic luncheon and then pray at the nearby lakeside temple that is dedicated to the Goddess of water.

By mid afternoon a thick mountain mist begins to shroud the entire landscape of the gardens. The air becomes quite chilly and visibility is poor. Most visitors decide that this is the best time to pack up and make a few purchases at the market before venturing home. For those who decide to stay overnight there are plenty of simple guest bungalows in the Bedugul area that ideally suit travellers’ seeking a relaxed pace away from the hustle and bustle of Kuta and other major tourist destinations.