PENGLIPURAN BALI: WORLD'S THIRD CLEANEST VILLAGE

If you think Bali is merely all about sun, sand, and barreling waves, then you definitely need to explore a bit further because this enchanting island offers so much more. Among the picturesque landscape of lush rice paddies and breathtaking hills of her interior, you can also find a number of beautiful traditional villages with typical Balinese houses with an authentic traditional way of life that is still practiced by its people until today.  One particular village which stands out and was recently recognized among the top three cleanest villages in the world, is Penglipuran village situated in the Bangli regency.

As quoted from okezone.com and liputan6.com, Penglipuran is regarded  as one of the world's cleanest villages along with Giethoorn in the Netherlands and Mawlynnong in India.

Located not too far from Kintamani and set along a hilly countryside, the village of Penglipuran is a delightful, well-kept village composed of wide, brick roads, lined with rows of charming, antique traditional houses interspersed with neatly manicured gardens. The village is traditionally constructed,  remaining true to traditional methods of bamboo architecture. In this bamboo village, almost everything around you is made from the abundant plant; kitchens, majestic gates and doorways, furniture, roofs and gates. Many of the styles and creations, such as the bamboo roof shingles, are unique to this little community and not found elsewhere.

Most definitely, the beauty of the village radiates from its cleanliness. This is because, here the significance of environmental awareness is part and parcel of daily culture and is taught since early childhood for generations. Both local villagers and tourists are not allowed to throw trash carelessly, while smokers are only allowed to smoke in certain designated smoking areas. As part of the environmental friendly activities, every month all housewives of the village gather to collect and sort the trash. The organic trash will be processed into fertilizers while plastics and other inorganic trash are sold for recycling or collected in a “trash bank”.

Visitors may visit the village any time of the year, but the best time to visit Penglipuran is nearing the  Galungan  religious festivities. On these days, the village will be decorated with rows of “penjor” or decorative bamboo poles on which are suspended unique accessories. Atthese occasions, you will also see young girls in Balinese traditional dress carry towering banten  of trays of offerings on their head as they step gracefully from each home to the village pura or Hindu temple.