Tabanan Town

The regency’s capital as well as the commercial and arts center. Lying in the heart of Bali’s thriving rice belt, Tabanan’s town center is bustling with small industries and many Chinese-owned shops. East- and westbound traffic streams in and out of this medium-sized town on several one-way streets.

Visit Puri Tabanan, the ornate traditional residence of the raja and the seat of a powerful kingdom from the 17th to 20th centuries. The Kingdom of Tabanan consisted of a large number of rich and powerful ‘jero’ and ‘puri’-the most influential were the rival houses of Puri Anom and Puri Kaleran. During the 1945-48 period of violent political turmoil on Bali, Tabanan swarmed with anti-Dutch activities. On the edge of town is the Pancaka Tirta Cemetery, where Republicans killed in the conflict are buried.

Prior to 1989 Tabanan was a dirty shophouse town, but when the new Bupati was elected that year new buildings and a new market were built. There’s now a supermarket, gardens and sidewalks beautify the roadways, and an efficient waste disposal system is in place. The town has even won prizes for cleanliness; some say it’s the best-organized town on Bali. Today the place is booming, attracting even lawyers and a notary republic.

Though seldom visited by tourists and not known as an art center, Tabanan is actually rich in dance and art traditions. There are classical poetry (kakawin) clubs, it’s been a woodcarving center since the 19th century, and the town is home to a famous ‘gamelan’ and the much acclaimed dance troupe Rama Dewa. Five km east of Tabanan in the village of Abiantuwung the dance masters (sarjana senitari) of the Sanggar Tari Warhatnala (“School of Dance”) train Balinese and foreign dancers. If coming from Denpasar, the school is on the right (16-km from Denpasar). See the sign by a big ‘pura’ and ‘waringan’ tree. Contact director I Gusti Ngurah Supartha, a well-known choreographer and musician.

Gedung Marya
Named after I Ketut Mario, Bali’s preeminent choreographer and dance master of the 1920s and ’30s who single-handedly created the ‘kebyar’ and ‘terompong’, this building is in front of the Puri Tabanan. Dances are staged here only in June during the art fair (pesta seni) and for Independence Day celebrations on 17 August. During the fair you may see the ‘kebyar’, ‘arja’, ‘wayang kulit’ and ‘lomba-lomba’ festival.

Accommodations
There are few hotels in Tabanan. Since the selection is limited and substandard, it’s best to push through and stay outside the city in more agreeable seaside accommodations at Yeh Gangga, Tibubiyu or Balian Beach. If you have to stay, on the east side of town is Hotel Sederhana, Jalan Saha Dewa, tel. 62361-811.708, right across from the police station. Clean and quiet. Opposite the Bupati office is the trader’s hotel Taruna Jaya, Jalan Dharma Wanasa 1, about the same price as the Sederhana. If coming from Denpasar, turn left at the Rumah Sakit, east of the Bupati office.

Food
Eat bargain meals in the ‘pasar senggol’ (open 1700-2400) east of Gedung Marya. Also good, simple food at Terminal Pesiapan, Tabanan’s bus/’bemo’ station. One of the best ‘nasi padang’ restaurants around is the Murah Meriah in the bus station. People from all over Bali associate Tabanan with a spinachlike vegetable called gondo (or sayur pelecing); try a dish in the ‘pasar senggol’. Tabanan is also a good place to buy ‘brem’.

In the ‘nasi padang’ restaurant Pura Bulia, Jalan Gajah Mada 45, a quite good ‘nasi campur’ is served. Reflecting Javanese influence, there’s another Muslim restaurant as well. Taliwang Bersaudara on Jalan Gatot Subroto specializes in ‘ayam goreng’, ‘ayam pangang’ and other Sasak dishes. On the other side of the road is the Indonesian restaurant Taman Senggulan, which is famed for its baked fish. Toko Makanan Sedia, on the main street Jalan Gajah Mada, is a small Chinese restaurant with tasty food.

Shopping
Tabanan is one of the best and cheapest places on Bali to shop for everyday articles. The big market for the whole regency is in the middle of Tabanan, selling even exotic items like avocados. This busy ‘pasar’ is neater and cleaner than most markets, and the sellers don’t hassle you. Shop here for clothes, shoes, ‘krupuk’ and household and electronic goods. Also for sale are sarong, ceremonial clothes and temple umbrellas.

Toko Swardana, Jalan Gajah Mada 41, tel. 62361-811.249, has a beautiful collection of reasonably priced clocks, watches, alarm clocks, perfume and sunglasses. Check out the supermarket Nanushka Utama Pusat Perbelanjaan, about three km before Tabanan on the way from Kediri. About 1.5 km from Tabanan on the road to Kediri is Miranda Fashion Clothing Store.

Services
The tourist information office is on Jalan Gunung Agung, tel. 62361-811.602, on the east side of Gedung Marya; see Pak Ketut Suaba. Change money at the BPD Bank, which accepts traveler’s checks at fair rates, on the main street Jalan Gajah Mada. For phone calls to Australia, Europe and the U.S., try the telephone and telegraph substation (Perumtel Telekommunikasi) on Jalan Anggrek in a new Balinese-style building. Tabanan has a big hospital-including an optometrist-on the main road coming into town from Denpasar.

Getting There
From Denpasar, take a ‘bemo’ from Ubung station or follow the main highway west toward Negara through the villages of Sempidi, Lukluk and Kapal, arriving in Tabanan after 20 km. Alternatively, take a ‘bemo’ from Denpasar’s Ubung station heading to Gilimanuk and get off in the town center.

Getting Away
The Tabanan bus station (Terminal Pesiapan) is on the west side of town. From this terminal big Isuzu vans head for Mengwi, Denpasar, Bedugul, Negara and Gilimanuk. All ‘bis malam’ leave from Terminal Pesiapan; arrive one hour before departure. A bus ticket office is in Warung Ani, Jalan Gajah Mada 128. If coming from Gilimanuk, the office is before the row of shops on the left. You use long-distance bus to Jakarta (departs 0700, 24 hours), Bandung (0700), Bogor (0700), Surabaya (1900), Malang (1800) and Yogyakarta (1530). Another ‘bis malam’ office is east of Bank Republic Indonesia.

Vicinity of Tabanan
Explore the paddies and villages around town. Almost any side road out of Tabanan to the south eventually ends up at the sea, with a wide sandy sloping beach and good surf. The Tabanan coast offers isolated coves and rocky outcrops, which provide shade and spectacular ocean views. The black sand is known for its curative, therapeutic properties, and is said to be particularly helpful for arthritis.

The Subak Museum is in Senggulan village two km east of Tabanan and about four km west of the road junction to Kediri. If you’re on an Ubung-Tabanan-Gilimanuk ‘bemo’, get out when you see the big sign on the road’s north side advertising the Taman Senggulan Restaurant, then cross the road and walk 350 meters up the hill. You’ll see the small sign for Mandala Mathika Subak. A single room houses exhibits on the history and development of Bali’s unique ‘subak’ irrigation committees.

This is the only museum on Bali to focus on agriculture, displaying farming implements for cutting, cleaning, and pounding rice; tools for leveling land, ploughing, weeding and digging water tunnels; various fish traps; tweezers for catching eels; wooden nets used to catch dragonflies; a miniature kitchen with utensils used for cooking rice; a scale model of a farming ‘kampung’; and old-style structures. Open daily 0730-1830, closed Sunday. By donation.