The Monkey Temple

Entrance to the Sacred Monkey Forest. There he is on the grate

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Today was my first day to walk to Ubud by myself. I needed to go to the laundry to drop off a special shirt to be cleaned and pressed for tomorrow. It was part of my Hindu Temple outfit. I am invited to join Traditional painter Made Arka and his family to a Hindu Temple ceremony in their village. He and his family are good friends of my hosts and landlords Wayan and Richard. I got to know him after hiring him to take me on a rice field walk for a few hours. He is also a rice farmer as are almost everybody else. I also am a proud owner of one of his paintings.

With the map memorized, my backpack on, my glasses and earrings off and the Hindu temple shirt in a black plastic bag, I set off. Soon I got to the Sacred Monkey Forest. I was noticing that a lot of the monkeys were not in the forest, but on the road hanging around. This was disconcerting, as I had heard horror stories of monkeys stealing people’s earrings and glasses. Wayan also warned me to be careful because if a motorbike hurt a monkey and you were the only human standing in sight, they take it out on you, as the motorbike doesn’t wait around for anything. I calmed myself thinking that the tourists hadn’t arrived yet with all the bananas, so perhaps the monkeys were just waiting for the Forest concession to open. As I turned the corner, a small monkey was on the path. I just about got past him when he grabbed my black plastic bag and tried to get it out of my hand. I pulled back and swung him around in the air to shake him off. He tried to tear the bag, but then decided to let go. We glared at each other, showing our teeth.  I was quite shaken and saw a café on the corner and went in fast and sat down on a couch at the entrance to shove my plastic bag into my backpack. It had taken a few days to find just the right one.

I just didn’t have the courage to set out just yet. Didn’t want to have a second round with that monkey. The waitress came over and I ordered breakfast-the second that day and a cup of ginger tea. I watched the monkeys interact with the each other and people. This gave me more courage for my next try. When I left, the Monkey Forest was open and sure enough most monkeys ran in to be part of the show. I followed to see how much it was and found some rules to follow. Rule # 1: Do not bring any food, bottles or plastic bags into the Forest.  Oh……

First day in Bali

Wayan, Richard and I met in NH at a going away party for Ayu and Jimmy's exchange student. Dolores Siik who placed all of my families exchange students with us, brought me along so that I could meet some Indonesian people. Last Thursday Ayu was in Jakarta and we shopped and had dinner together along with her daughter and the driver's daughter. Last Sunday I arrived in Bali and was met by Wayan and her brother to take me to Wayan and Richard's home near Ubud. I'm staying upstairs in a large room and bath. It is breezy and has incredible views all around. It even has a good luck Gecko (8 inches long) that lives in the high ceiling board above. I haven't met him personally yet.

They are very gracious hosts and I don't think I could comfortably come to Bali by myself and spend three weeks. Because they have many friends here, I am getting to know and enjoy the village Nyuh Kuning, near Ubud less like a tourist and more like a local. I have met many of their friends and they are all patiently helping me learn Bahasa Indonesia. They have a lot of patience.

Tomorrow Wayan and I are going to Gde, an artist friend whose gallery and one painting is in the posted photos, to drive us to another artist friend who also is a rice farmer, to take us on a 2 hour rice field walk, followed by a trip to his gallery to buy one I liked last time we visited. Following this, we'll go to buy a Balinese bedspread that Wayan and Richard export (check out their website: The Pondak) for my guest room bed in Jakarta and then off to an art gallery and lunch. We'll be able to walk home from there. Check out the next to blog entries that are all photos.

Ubud, Bali- A walk to town with Wayan Part II

Dropping off  the laundry

Inside the laundry: 10 items for RP 15,000

Main Street (Jalan Raya Ubud)

Aesthetically pleasing, but no customers

I like the art in this juice bar.

EMS-like store-Bali style

These offerings are in front of every store daily

Hindu shrine with offerings of flowers and spice

Offering to the god of trees

Street scene with rice stalk decoration on right

Monkey Forest Road

Valuable bird usually kept under basket till fighting or mating

The Balinese love bright colors

Entrance to a family compound complete with temple

Offering to god who brings protection to homes

Custom made home of a Dutchman

Another entrance to family compound

Motor bike (sepeda motor) service man

Service master sign

Family compound entrance

Wayan at the fabric store

Expat drives a hard bargain on making a blue dress

Order given for sheets to be made

Roof tiles that stay with out fasteners except when monkeys through them off your froof

Offering of rice and flowers in front of store

Front door to family compound with offering

Family compound under construction

Terra cota roof tiles

Endless variety of family entrances

So many stray dogs in Bali-Almost none in Java

Creative Family dwelling with temple

Typical sidewalk hazard

Family compound with temple roofs peering above wall

Hamonon Street Pillow shop

This Ibu sews linings in Wayan's baskets

Her shop

The family compound with temple is attached in a typical arrangement

Ibu's storefront: something for everyone

Sidewalk hazards: Wayan prefers the street

Balinese woman making offerings to the house protection god

Wayan and anak-anak on their way home from school

One of three public temples

Palm tree Star of David?

School boys having lunch

Lunch vendor

Bank Customer in Balinese garb

Part of private temple where family dead are laid out for viewing

Post Office

This store sells wooden Buddha's to Wayan for export

School girl in uniform

Temple master who blesses you before you enter one at a time

Waiting their turn at the Post Office Temple

This man is just about to go in. Hindu's only!

Balinese art shopTemple

Temple extraodinaire

Many women can carry bags of goods and food on their head

Market where the Indonesian tourists from Java come

Europeans come looking for a bargain too

Behind and downstairs is the food market

Football field our restaurant overlooked