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| Monkeys looking innocent. Are they well behaved or are they cheeky? |
occupies '27 lush, green acres at the lower end of Jalan Monkey
Forest in the village of Padangtegal. Home to over 600 long-tailed
macaques (Macaca fascicularis) which are divided into 4 troups
that occupy different areas of the forest.
http://www.monkeyforestubud.com
According to Hindu belief, the monkeys are the holy protectors of
the temple of the forest, preventing evil spirits from entering.
However, they are also a daily nuisance, stealing shiny objects like
jewelry, cameras, cell phones off the and occasionally even biting
them. Plus they run rampant on the streets stealing from shops and
restaurants. The Balinese will never hurt them or restrict them,
because they are considered holy and it would be bad karma to do
so.
the temple of the forest, preventing evil spirits from entering.
However, they are also a daily nuisance, stealing shiny objects like
jewelry, cameras, cell phones off the and occasionally even biting
them. Plus they run rampant on the streets stealing from shops and
restaurants. The Balinese will never hurt them or restrict them,
because they are considered holy and it would be bad karma to do
so.
I visited a Balinese temple with monkeys hanging out of
the trees on both sides of the entry path. When a monkey jumped
down from a branch onto my shoulder, using me as a spring board,
he 'snatched my glasses and ran into the forest, like a naughty little
bandit. Soon afterwards, the monkey took his fist and smashed
my glasses on a rock, scratching the glass, biting and tearing off
the nose pieces, while all I could do is to watch him helplessly.
The glasses were torn apart and basically a worthless piece of
trash. One of the temple guides finally rescued the glasses from
the monkey with his secret bribes and then afterwards, he came
running after me with my broken glasses, like he had golden
treasure in his hand. And then what??? ......he wanted a tip!
the trees on both sides of the entry path. When a monkey jumped
down from a branch onto my shoulder, using me as a spring board,
he 'snatched my glasses and ran into the forest, like a naughty little
bandit. Soon afterwards, the monkey took his fist and smashed
my glasses on a rock, scratching the glass, biting and tearing off
the nose pieces, while all I could do is to watch him helplessly.
The glasses were torn apart and basically a worthless piece of
trash. One of the temple guides finally rescued the glasses from
the monkey with his secret bribes and then afterwards, he came
running after me with my broken glasses, like he had golden
treasure in his hand. And then what??? ......he wanted a tip!
Tips Before Entering The Forest
1. If you want to feed a monkey peanuts or bananas, stand near
a forest guide.....sometimes they jump on you (the monkey, not
the guide) and it is handy to use the guide to get rid of the "monkey
on your back".
2. Don't carry food such as candy, trail mix, fruit, in your backpack
or purse....monkeys can smell food a mile away.
3. Take off anything shiny, earrings, watches, glasses, including
sun glasses. Monkeys love to snatch items and run off.
4. If they jump on you, don't swat at them, they might bite if they
are alarmed. They will eventually jump off or call for a guide to
help.
5. Beware of getting too close to the baby monkeys, as his large
mother is watching and ready to protect.
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| Ohhhhh.....No you don't! |
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| Keeping my distance from the monkey behind me. ' |
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| Wonderful little acrobats |
Has anyone out there besides me had a bad or good
monkey experience??
