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...
Ubud Monkey Forest is definitely worth a visit! If you're planning a trip to Bali you should visit Ubud for sure! In 2 weeks I'm heading back to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. I hope to keep sharing my travel stories with all of you. Please follow @chrisadventures if you're interested in travelling, photography and adventure. Read my previous travel story here: Travel Story #8, Valencia, First Night Out In Spain Nearly Ended Up Disaster And Being Chased By The Police - by chrisadventures
Haha yep, that's exactly how they are, intimidating ! :')
great, hahahaha
A great share of some funny monkeys @chrisadventures
Thank you
Ha, excellent post. Love the pics and Monkey facts. Followed/upvoted
Ha, thanks for your reply @legions! And nice that you're following me. More stories incoming!
Looking forward to it...and more pics!
Thanks! :)
They are very naughty here where we live I have to chase them, they steal my avocados off the tree then we have nothing. Yet they are cute as well.
Well, maybe inject some vodka into your avocado's? Like @fproductions explained down here!
LOL not a bad idea.
ahhh bali <3
i know this place.. @chrisadventures
Thanks for the great pics! I come from South Africa so I am very accustomed to monkeys as there was hundreds of them in my area. They used to cause all kinds of chaos breaking into our homes and stealing stuff. When I was a kid my friends and I used to inject Vodka into oranges and leave them next to the house. They would eat them and pass out. I would then help my father relocate them into the neighboring reserve. For those of you who think it is cruel, we chose this method instead of shooting them like most of our neighbors did. Great post thanks for sharing.
Haha that's awesome. No I believe they would enjoy eating those oranges. Just like we humans would :').
Great pictures. Upvoted.
Yuhuu cool man
Been to Bali 3 times as i live in Malaysia. But never did i went to see the wildlife,.. awesome.