Pura Ulan Danu Beratan

The Dieng Plateau is actually a large cauldera surrounded by volcanoes where active fumaroles add to the mists laying on the marshy land.

As we explored the fumaroles, local women

and men carrying firewood on their backs descended from the hills on their way to the local market.

Standing unattended and bleak on an old lake bed, backdropped by the mist shrouded slopes of surrounding volcanoes,

the Arjuna cluster of temples

and a headless sculpture marked the remains what was once a large but now abandoned temple complex.

The subtropical highland climate combined with rich volcanic soils can grow crops unique to the region

and crops like carrots, potatoes, onions, and fruit trees step far up the slopes on hand carved terraces.