Ubud’s Sacred Monkey Forest

Day Two at school and we’re still the only teachers to be seen! Looks like I’ll be able to get another post in:).

One of the names you’ll see again and again when you start doing research on Ubud is “Monkey Forest Road.” It’s one of the central points that makes a big loop through one of the more popular areas to stay in Ubud (where we stayed, as it were), and it’s true: at the very bottom of this loop there is indeed a Monkey Forest. Not just any Monkey Forest, mind you– a Sacred Monkey Forest. We walked by it on our first day, but waited until the following day to splash out and spend the 20,000Rupiah ($2) to actually enter the forest. For another 10,000Rupiah you can purchase bananas with which to spoil the little primates, who are much nicer than the ones Laura and Wayne encountered in Hampi. It’s actually quite a big place, with a temple and some intricate stairs leading down to a stream of allegedly holy water.

the shnozzberries taste like shnozzberries.

this monkey was pretty relentless... kept tugging wayne's pantlegs for bananas.

monkey getting fresh with me...

still begging.

happy monkey with his 'nana.

little baby.

i'm excusing the severity of my double chin for the otherwise pricelessness of this picture.

friends again! or are we?... what you don't know is his sneaky right hand is removing my pearl earring as i'm snapping the photo. he proceeded to put it in his mouth, and then kept showing it to me as if to tease me until wayne distracted him with a stick and he dropped it!