Some of them are huge, some of them are small, but all of them are intimidating, darn... Located in the very centre of Bali, Ubud offers all that you need to enjoy the Indonesian flora and fauna. The Monkey Forest is situated in the centre of the city and is a good escape from the crowds (if the forest isn't too busy with other tourists btw). We were lucky for having a quiet time in this beautiful place full of old tropical trees, Hindoo decoration and huge amounts of MONKEYS!
Photo: Ubud on the map of Bali
Monkey Forest
As we entered the Monkey Forest it felt like walking into a lion's den. Monkeys on the left, monkeys on the right and they were staring at me like they knew exactly what was going on in my mind, like they were mind readers. Some larger monkeys, probably the older and more important ones were sitting in the background. Some locals were selling the Indonesian bananas (pisang) for a good price so we could feed the monkeys!
Photo: me and one of my little friends
I think these creatures are amongst one of the most special ones I have ever seen. They're so human like and to be in contact with them is very weird and exciting at the same time. One of my days in Indonesia I had one of the smaller monkeys was sitting next to me and started to softly bite on my hand. I responded to that by making a bit noise, talking to the monkey and looking him into the eye. One of the locals told me to never do that again because it will make them feel threatened.
How to survive monkey contact:
1. Never show your teeth, 2. Don't make noise, 3. Don't make (too much) eye contact!
Did you know..? In touristic areas monkeys are trained to steal wallets and phones from tourists. When they deliver them to one of the locals they get food rewards in return. Many tourists are yearly being robbed by one of these little bastards, such a joke...
