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SANUR
Administratively, Sanur is included in the city of Denpasar.
But with white sand, coconut trees, and it of the best international
hotels on the whole island just a few meters away, Sanur was
Bali's |
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first
beach resort. Only a few hundreds meter inland, it is a village
traditionally run by the Brahmins - the priestly caste of Bali.
The Sanur area, the beach front of Denpasar now extending from
Sanur westwards to the Suwung marshes and Serangan Island, is
steeped in history. The Blanjong, written in Sanskrit in 913,
is the oldest inscription of its kind in Bali. It tells about the
founding of a Buddhist monastery.
Other traces of contact with the outside world persist to this
day. The villages of Renon, on the road to Denpasar, and Semawang,
near Sanur Beach Hotel, still host Baris Cina dance, with warriors
wearing Portuguese-like 16th century helmets, perhaps the sign
of early European contact. Sanur was for centuries an important
trading place. Nearby Serangan Island has a Moslem community
of Bugis fishermen, descendants from the famous seafaring traders
of old. But it is the best known for the inland Brahmin communities
of Taman and Anggarkasih, inside elaborately gated compounds,
who are believed to use magic. |
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The charm of Sanur lies in the relative tranquility of its social
scene. It is a resort for families or visitors wanting the right
mix of beach and Balinese life. It also has the immense advantage
of being much nearer inland tourist spots-just half an hour
from Ubud. Another advantage of Sanur compared with Kuta is
its quitter beaches, making it a favorite walking place. The
main road passes inland, not along the beachfront itself. The
beach varies from black sand in Padang Galak |
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to white sand in the stretch from Grand Bali Beach to Semawang.
Further west, the coast turns to swamp prior to Suwung village,
the location of a small remotely developing into a popular resort
area. It has several attractions for tourist, most famous being
the Pura Sakenan temple, built in the coral-stone architecture
of the coast. The temple comes to life on Kuningan day, when
thousands of worshippers cross the narrow strait to pay their
respects to Empu Kuturan, 10th century reformer of Balinese
Hinduism.
There is also a turtle hatchery on the island. Turtle meat used
to be a favorite Balinese delicacy. But in the 60's and 70's
turtle-shell became a favorite material for making jewelry and
boxes, and the tortoises all but disappeared, hence the hatchery.
But the local Bugis fishermen have lost their main livelihood,
now having to travel as far as Eastern Indonesia and the Timor
Sea to catch fish and seashells. |
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© 2000-2001 by Bagus Discovery. All Rights reserved.
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