When you were a kid, did you like telling ghost stories and watching scary movies? Do you like a good vampire story and are you not afraid to enter abandoned buildings? Then you’ll love to find out more about Bali’s abandoned places, considered to be haunted…
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This 8-hectare amusement park near Sanur, southeast Bali, was once built with the aspirations to become the Southeast Asian answer to Disneyland. Rumor has it that the park never opened its doors for the public; disaster struck before anyone could enjoy this multi-million-dollar entertainment destination.
Different sources tell different stories; whether the laser equipment was damaged by lightning or that the developers ran out of funds before opening, the amusement park looks more like Jurassic Park than like Disneyland.
The park is open for public now, and though the ticket office is unmanned, a security guard will somehow show up and ask for an IDR 10,000 entrance fee per person. They will also tell you that you have to leave the park before noon because that’s when the ghosts appear and you’d rather not be locked inside with them. We believe the guards rather spend their lunchtime in a local restaurant and therefore want the premises to be free of tourists at noon, but that’s our theory, we didn’t test it and left the park before twelve.
One of the legends says that there used to be crocodiles in the park who were left abandoned together with the rest of the park. For a while, those reptiles were fed chickens by the local community, but at some point, they stopped doing this and the crocodiles resorted to cannibalism. Logically, one should still be around (survival of the fittest), but we didn’t run into it, thankfully.
The cinema is pitch dark and has plenty of holes in the ground; a flashlight comes in handy. Although you might not want to wake the hundreds of bats, residing in this abandoned building… Take photos with your flash on and you’d be surprised to what you see on the image. You’d feel like a real ghost hunter! Or perhaps you want to leave the building as fast as you possibly can.
Walking around the park makes you realize that in the end nature always wins. A lot of buildings are overgrown with trees and plants and are now home to bats, mosquitos, lizards (some very big ones) and a few stray cats and dogs. Visiting Taman Festival makes for a nice experience, but we wouldn’t recommend taking children here. Best be accompanied by a few good friends, who love to add-on to the freaky experience by exaggerating the scariness of abandoned places.
All the way up in the mountains in the highlands of Bedugul, an abandoned hotel can be visited for a scary afternoon out. The hotel is also known as the Ghost Palace Hotel and was built by Tommy Suharto, the youngest son of former Indonesian President Suharto. The aforementioned was sent to prison though, and construction of the hotel came to a halt and was never finished.
In the spirit of ghost stories, we also share some of the other theories. A few say that the project became cursed because of corrupt business practices by the real estate developers. Another story tells us that the hotel was fully operational, but that all staff and guests mysteriously disappeared on the night of the opening.
Some people believe that wandering around the hotel grounds will lead to encounters with spirits of the victims; either laborers who died during construction or competitors who were cursed to horrible deads… Don’t we all love abandoned places?
To enter the hotel, you’ll have to jump over the fence as the main entrance is closed. But no worries, the security guards will spot you early on and they will guide you to the point of entry, happy to take your entrance fee, which is IDR 10,000 entrance fee. The hotel is overgrown by vines, trees, moss, and bushes and the once so beautiful tiled-floor is filled with dust and mud. You are free to walk around and we recommend going to the terraces, the lobby, and the rooms. If only this hotel had been finished, it would be a great place to sit back and relax while taking in the spectacular mountain views. We’ll guess that’s a privilege of the spirit- and ghost- residents now.
If you ever wished for a doll, it certainly wasn’t for a jenglot; a mysterious doll of the likes of a vampire. Locals say a jenglot is a terrifying beast that resembles a human fetus. It drinks blood and takes fully control over its victim. Legend has it that when someone is controlled by a jenglot he or she could be put up to suicide or even to commit murder.
Muaya beach in Jimbaran is known for its white sandy beaches, and popular among tourists. Not only for sunbathing and swimming, but also for jogging. Until… a couple of runners found two jenglot on the shoreline. Luckily, Jero Mangku, a traditional healer, managed to neutralize the power of the mysterious creatures and ever since no jenglots were spotted on this fine beach again.
After 15 years of visiting Bali as a tourist, Karlie moved her family to Bali 4 years ago. She loves helping others to enjoy Bali and founded Bali Buddies to encourage others to explore the island she now calls home.
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