petulu gunung, ubud

Think of a word starting with the letter “B” that’s closely associated with Bali. You’ll probably come up with “beaches”, “beds” and – if you’re in Legian – “bums” and “bodies”. But unless you’ve gone off the beaten track and explored one particular  village in north-east Ubud, another “B” that’s just as exciting will have escaped you.

Petulu Gunung, often shortened to Petulu, is a typical sleepy Balinese village with rows of identical houses along a main street criss-crossed by motorbikes. Sunrises and sunsets reflect warmly on the paddy fields, where you will see farmers toiling away with bent backs and lowered heads. Up above flocks of birds sweep and swoop across the sky. Mornings see them darting off commuter-like to hunt for frogs and river creatures; the dusk in contrast is the rush hour when they fly back home to call it a day.

It is this association with birds that has enabled the village to be listed among Bali’s top tourism destinations. Some even know the location by the name kokokan, a Balinese word for the white heron birds. To some travellers, Petulu recalls the likeness of Komodo Island, where monitor lizards are the native inhabit-ants, and humans mere visitors.

The herons however are pretty much harm-less and tend to avoid human contact. Fes-tooned with white and beige shades of feather, they can be as tall as half a metre. Belonging to the crane species, this avian is bestowed with long legs that enable it to tread the paddy rice effortlessly. More often than not, the flocks as-semble in the trees along the Petulu main road.

Entering the village means you have to shell out a small sum, approximately Rp. 10,000 per person. That doesn’t include any guide or map though, as the tourism infrastructure is lack-ing here. Yet it’s exhilarating to find Petulu still very much rural in comparison to the commer-cial districts around Bali.

The best way to observe the herons is to join the morning trek. Starting at 9am, theroute usually goes uphill and lasts around three hours before reaching the finish line off the village area. Or you can, as we did, visit Petulu during sunset. Drop by for a quick pick-me-up at the makeshift Petulu Café close to the en-trance. You’ll notice many herons perched en-dearingly on the electric wire mesh along the road.

Another striking characteristic of Petulu is the white splotches spattered all over the as-phalt. These are made of dried bird droppings. Luckily, they don’t reek anymore.

If you’re looking for touches of Balinese art, head for Yan Suryana’s house-cum-studio, a 15-minute walk from the balé, the village meeting point. The exterior reveals only a long pathway, which leads to a four-storey compound house, replete with a poolside villa available for rent. Bandung-born Yan Suryana and his Austrian wife, Marina, have lived here for over 15 years. Many of his brilliant paint-ings depict Balinese dancers whose vivid col-ours and are created using a special technique – no paintbrushes, only palette knife – cover the interior walls.

The villa is unique as well, given the fact that Yan Suryana himself created the adorn-ments. Furthermore, any visitor here will relish conferring with this humorous painter, who doesn’t mind lending his car as transport into the heart of Ubud. And if you do borrow his car, get ready for a wonderful surprise, since Suryana’s sedan has been transformed into a breathtaking mobile canvas. Suffice to say, you won’t be at a loss for spellbinding visual treats in Petulu.

Do

• Take pictures of the heron birds.
• Enjoy the serene paddy field view from the Petulu Café.
• Ask the residents about myths and legends surrounding the birds.
• Visit Yan Suryana’s art house.
• Trek uphill through the village.
• Observe the biannual ceremony dedicated to the birds.

Don'ts

• Don’t harm the birds, physically or verbally, as the residents believe that a curse will befall upon those who do.
• Don’t forget to cover your head with a cap or hat.
• Don’t come at noon since no birds will be around.
• Don’t feed the birds, considering their massive number.
• Don’t put on your best T-shirt since bird droppings fall unpredictably everywhere.