A touch of Bali from Batubulan

A touch of Bali from Batubulan

I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Gianyar, Bali

Any visitors who are enchanted by Bali's cultural richness and
are determined to take a piece of this island, in this case a
heavy one, back home should not miss the opportunity to pay a
visit to the small village of Batubulan in Gianyar regency.

Art shops specializing in stone statues and panels are
scattered along the village's main street, providing visitors
with a huge array and collection of stone figures, from open-
mouthed frog statues that weigh just a few kilograms to giant
elephants weighing several tons.

Want a small Buddha statue for that wooden table back home? Or
a huge, larger-than-life one, for that Zen garden you have just
constructed? Or how about a menacing Raksasa (ogre) statue that
would work perfectly with an electronically controlled steel gate
and those vicious Presa Canario of yours in scaring away even the
most intrepid door-to-door salesman?

"We have it all here, and if what you want is not here, we can
always make especially for you," a shop owner, Ayu of Murda Stone
Carving, said.

True to her words, the front yard of her shop, like other
shops in Batubulan, is packed with hundreds of stone statues and
panels, varying both in size and form. They also come at various
prices, ranging from Rp 200,000 for a 30-centimeter-high Buddha
statue to Rp 50 million for a 1.5-meter-high Buddha statue.

"The size and level of ornamentation are two important factors
in determining the price. Another important factor is the
material. A statue carved out of volcanic rock will definitely
cost more than the one made of ordinary rock. But don't worry,
here the prices are not fixed.

"Here you can always bargain to get the best price for both of
us," Ayu said with a smile.

After two and a half years in the business, Ayu employs six
stone carvers. Her monthly sales average Rp 50 million.

For buyers who do not want to get lost in the notorious jungle
of Indonesian red tape while trying to send their newly acquired
statues back home, most Batubulan's art shops can offer cargo and
shipping services.

"I have my own cargo and shipping company. It comes in handy
when a customer purchases a large quantity of statues and wants
to have them sent as soon as possible to his country," Ayu said.

For years, Batubulan has been known as the central market of
Balinese stone statues. It also has become a market hub for
Javanese stone carvers who want to tap into the international
market from Bali.

"Their main products are Buddha statues and Chinese pagodas.
We order these from stone carvers in several Javanese towns, such
as Yogyakarta, Muntilan and Trowulan," Ayu said.

Just a 15-minute drive to the east from the Bali capital of
Denpasar, Batubulan is on the main highway that connects all
major tourist areas in southern Bali.

It is possible to get there by taxi or even bemo (three-
wheeled public van), the most common mode of transportation in
Bali.

The cramped and often erratically driven bemo, not to mention
the choking heat and chain-smoking passengers, give visitors to
Bali an in-depth picture of the real Bali and a good excuse to
continue one's exploring by foot, which is more rewarding than
just hopping into a cab and driving directly to a particular art
shop.

And if the statues fail to impress you, then there are always
Batubulan's major tourist attractions of Barong and Kris dance
performances to see, or the walk back to the bemo depot on the
southern tip of Batubulan village, but this time not to board a
bemo but to sample a fine Balinese seafood gourmet in an
inconspicuous yet widely known warung right across the street
from the depot.