Monkey Forest
Today we had the day off because Pak Alit's nephew is getting married. So no classes. We did however, get to watch three pigs being slaughtered yesterday.
At any rate, today I opted not to go to the wedding in order to spend a day writing. However, at breakfast this morning Steven and Barney (my roommate) mentioned going to the Monkey Forest, so I invited myself along. They both have wheels, but I've come to enjoy walking so much I just told them I'd meet them there. We ended up at opposite entrances so I spent some time in there by myself, but we eventually met up.
The Monkey Forest is just that. A section of forest that has been set aside for four troupes of Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to live in. It is NOT a zoo or anything of that sort, it's simply a place for the monkeys to live, and though they are accustomed to human presence, they are still wild animals.
What I quickly discovered is that most tourists, when presented with a monkey that is approaching them, squeal and run, or at the very least, panic a bit and scamper away. Just having half a clue as to how monkeys communicate helped me a lot. So much so that one of the guys that works there (a park ranger of sorts) asked me if I had been there before, since I was clearly not frightened of the animals.
So, the monkeys liked me. The small ones especially. The big alpha males didn't really even look at the people (me included) but the babies and the young adults did not hesitate to climb up my arm and all around. I have some wonderful video of a baby pulling on my pant leg and thinking about climbing up me.
So, you're welcome to bring in food (of an approved sort) or can buy bananas from the temple that located within the forest. The few other tourists that did this tended to gently toss the fruit towards the animals or perhaps very gingerly allow the monkeys to take it from their hand. Not me.
Encouraged by the park employee who found me to be fearless, I sat down on a low wall and let the monkeys come to me. These are some of myy favorite photos of the whole trip so far. Again, these are wild animals, not trained or at a park...
I actually have ton more from today, but I currently lack the patience (and bandwidth) to upload any more. :)
Yeah, by the end of my time in the monkey forest I was well covered in mud, smashed banana, a bit of poo, and more than a bit of monkey piss, but it was worth it. Walking home, I spotted some local Balinese playing chess by the roadside in Ubud. I stopped to watch for a bit, and when the game ended, I was invited to play. I sat down and hung out for about an hour, playing chess and chatting in broken English/Indonesian with them. A Frenchman by way of Australia stopped by and joined us at some point. Eventually I got up and continued my walk, and the skies just opened up. POURING down rain. I figured, fuck it, I was covered in grime and monkey piss the rain could only help. So while the locals and tourists ran into shops or under eaves, I had the road to myself and walked through Ubud in the pouring rain. I stopped for a bit to talk to two Australian girls here for a bit of a 21st birthday getaway, and I later stopped for a drink at a little warung and had a chat with the guy running it, but mostly I just walked in the rain.
I've got to say, most of the people I'm here with are pleasant enough, but I have the best times by myself. Nobody else would have stopped to play chess, or chatted with the Australian girls, let a alone walk home in the rain like that, but for me it was total bliss. It was a real "in the now" moment, and I was happier than I'd been in a long time walking home like that, completely soaking wet in a crazy tropical downpour, smelling like dirty monkey.
At any rate, today I opted not to go to the wedding in order to spend a day writing. However, at breakfast this morning Steven and Barney (my roommate) mentioned going to the Monkey Forest, so I invited myself along. They both have wheels, but I've come to enjoy walking so much I just told them I'd meet them there. We ended up at opposite entrances so I spent some time in there by myself, but we eventually met up.
The Monkey Forest is just that. A section of forest that has been set aside for four troupes of Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to live in. It is NOT a zoo or anything of that sort, it's simply a place for the monkeys to live, and though they are accustomed to human presence, they are still wild animals.
What I quickly discovered is that most tourists, when presented with a monkey that is approaching them, squeal and run, or at the very least, panic a bit and scamper away. Just having half a clue as to how monkeys communicate helped me a lot. So much so that one of the guys that works there (a park ranger of sorts) asked me if I had been there before, since I was clearly not frightened of the animals.
So, the monkeys liked me. The small ones especially. The big alpha males didn't really even look at the people (me included) but the babies and the young adults did not hesitate to climb up my arm and all around. I have some wonderful video of a baby pulling on my pant leg and thinking about climbing up me.
So, you're welcome to bring in food (of an approved sort) or can buy bananas from the temple that located within the forest. The few other tourists that did this tended to gently toss the fruit towards the animals or perhaps very gingerly allow the monkeys to take it from their hand. Not me.
Encouraged by the park employee who found me to be fearless, I sat down on a low wall and let the monkeys come to me. These are some of myy favorite photos of the whole trip so far. Again, these are wild animals, not trained or at a park...
I actually have ton more from today, but I currently lack the patience (and bandwidth) to upload any more. :)
Yeah, by the end of my time in the monkey forest I was well covered in mud, smashed banana, a bit of poo, and more than a bit of monkey piss, but it was worth it. Walking home, I spotted some local Balinese playing chess by the roadside in Ubud. I stopped to watch for a bit, and when the game ended, I was invited to play. I sat down and hung out for about an hour, playing chess and chatting in broken English/Indonesian with them. A Frenchman by way of Australia stopped by and joined us at some point. Eventually I got up and continued my walk, and the skies just opened up. POURING down rain. I figured, fuck it, I was covered in grime and monkey piss the rain could only help. So while the locals and tourists ran into shops or under eaves, I had the road to myself and walked through Ubud in the pouring rain. I stopped for a bit to talk to two Australian girls here for a bit of a 21st birthday getaway, and I later stopped for a drink at a little warung and had a chat with the guy running it, but mostly I just walked in the rain.
I've got to say, most of the people I'm here with are pleasant enough, but I have the best times by myself. Nobody else would have stopped to play chess, or chatted with the Australian girls, let a alone walk home in the rain like that, but for me it was total bliss. It was a real "in the now" moment, and I was happier than I'd been in a long time walking home like that, completely soaking wet in a crazy tropical downpour, smelling like dirty monkey.