Sideman Road
The Sidemen valley is an idyllic place poised 1,400 feet up, on the slopes of Gunung Agung in Karangasem Regency. Sidemen town is home to about 7,000 people, most of them supported by farming. The whole Sidemen district is spread out over three separate river valleys which encompass a population of about 27,000. All castes of traditional Balinese Hindu society are represented here, and there is also a small Muslim population which has long coexisted harmoniously with their Hindu neighbors.

The area is famous for stunning scenery, and a simple, traditional way of life. It has produced masters of Balinese literature and Hindu theology, as well as generations of skillful weavers. For decades, or perhaps millennia, Sidemen has also served as a secluded haven for the world-weary. Sixty years ago, the renowned painter Walter Spies moved from Ubud to the Sidemen area to seek peace and inspiration. He felt that Ubud had already become too crowded.

Sidemen is within easy striking distance of some of Bali is best-known attractions: Besakih Temple, the summit climb up Gunung Agung, Tenganan and other Bali Aga villages, Padang Bai, Candidasa, Balina Beach, Tirtagangga, and Klungkung. All of these are easy day trips, a fact that should lead the astute traveler to extend his sojourn in the area. The location is very strategic indeed.

This river called Unda, which runs a playful course along the boulder-strewn valley floor, is the very heart of Sidemen. Its complete name means Relay of Blessings from The Source, with the implied source being Pura Pasar Agung, that otherwordly place, twice as high up the mountain as Besakih. From thence flows the Unda, and according to local belief, it is there that the unadulterated energy of Pure Spirit first touches down in Bali. The course of the Unda is an important path of pilgrimage. Each year, groups of worshippers journey on foot from Goa Lawah, the ìbat caveî temple at the edge of the sea, up to Pura Pasar Agung, and Sidemen sits at the half-way point on this journey.
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