Singaraja

Singaraja, formerly the seat of the Buleleng Regency and the Dutch colonial capital until the 1950s, is an easy and worthwhile day trip from Lovina. The town boasts plenty to keep you occupied for a day - the downtown / waterfront area has temples, statues, and attractively crumbling colonial buildings. Wander away from the waterfront, and you'll find a 17th century royal palace (Puri Agung), and plenty of good eating options.

To get to Singaraja, bemos run along the main coastal road, and you can flag one down anywhere along the route. My bemo from Lovina only went as far as the bus terminal at the western end of Singaraja (just over 2km from the centre and the waterfront area), but it was easy to grab an ojek to take me the rest of the way (I used the Gojek app). I think the local price for the bemos is about 10,000 IDR each way; the driver on the way in asked me for 10,000. The driver on the way back asked for 30,000, and was quite annoyed when I told him the first driver had only asked for 10,000!

My first stop in town was Pura Segara Buleleng, a somewhat dishevelled but attractive pebble-covered temple on the waterfront.

Pura Segara Buleleng, on the waterfront

A quick wander further along the waterfront takes you past the enormous and ugly Yudha Mandalatama monument (think big statue wearing a loincloth and waving a flag), and an attractive and welcoming small Taoist temple (Ling Gwan Kiong), where old men will happily show you around and tell you all about the Chinese community in Singaraja.

Ling Gwan Kiong

Heading inland, you'll pass streets of picturesque crumbling colonial buildings, then a large temple complex at Pura Jagatnatha (sash and sarong required, and expect to be sulked at by the old ladies if your donation for entry isn't large enough). It was quiet when I visited, but as the most important temple in town, I know it can get busy at certain times.

A long walk along tree-lined streets further inland takes you to Puri Agung Singaraja, the palace of the former ruler. It's a modest palace, with open air rooms filled with antique furniture and historical photographs. I found it very interesting. Please note: if coming under your own steam, the palace isn't signposted from the street. I've included a couple of photos of the entrance below, to help you find the right place (I must admit I initially walked past it, before realising I'd gone too far and had to double back).

One of Puri Agung Singaraja's open air rooms

The main door to the palace, visible once you go through the gates (pictured below)

The gate from the street for the palace - when walking up Jl Mayor Metra, the entrance is about a block north of the intersection with Jl Veteran.

Just around the corner from the Palace, Museum Buleleng boasts a fascinating collection of artefacts and what I believe is the world's only library dedicated to lontar (palm-leaf) manuscripts. If you time it right, one of the staff members should be able to show you how they are made (expect you may get a hard-sell, as the staff member who showed me around also translates some of the manuscripts into English, and wanted me to pay $80 USD for a PDF of the translation of one of the books. I demurred).

If all that wandering about and history-gazing hasn't worked up and appetite, you're a better person than me. Nasi Babi Guling Merdeka, near Pura Jagatnatha, offers big plates of porky-goodness.