Bali 2013: Monkeys and More!
Ubud and the Sacred Monkey Forest
While anchored on the north shore of Bali in Lovina Beach, we made a trip down to the center of the island and spent a few days in Ubud, the art and cultural center of Bali.
On Sunday we hired a car and driver to take us to the town of Ubud, which started as an artist community and has grown to be the cultural center (and a tourist center) of Bali. We crossed over the mountains on the way, and we stopped at a lake, a strawberry farm (yummy berries) and then a temple on a lake.
We walked around town, got some local gelato (coconut for me, of course) and then bought tickets for one of the many Balinese dance performances. This one was located in the Ubud Palace and was called the “Legong” dance, presenting the Legong of Mahabrata Epic. It was great despite our not really understanding the story.
The following night we went to see the “Monkey Chant Dance” in a village about 30 minutes outside of Ubud. This was performed in front of a temple and around a fire. It was a little hard to see some of the dancers… a bit more light would have helped, but it was great anyway.
We took a car to visit several other temples, including the Tirta Empul, or Holy Water Temple. There, people go to heal body, mind and spirit.
One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to the Sacred Monkey Forest. Words can’t tell the story as well as the following photos do!…
On the last morning before heading back to Lovina Beach and the boat, we did a bit of shopping in town. Neal was on a mission to get some high-quality batik shirts… not the lower-quality things that Ruthie and I had made in Lovina (nice, but the tailoring wasn’t the best and the fabric was only fair quality… garments that won’t last more than a season at best). Our driver recommended a shop called “Bamboo” and we were dazzled by the beautiful handmade fabrics and the exceptional tailoring. The hardest thing was to decide what not to buy. Roger got 4 short-sleeved and 4 long-sleeved shirts, basically updating his entire wardrobe (thankfully)! I am having them make two custom tops and one shift dress from a green fabric that transitions from light to dark. These will definitely last long after my little “bargain” outfits have fallen apart.
We’ve only seen and experienced a little bit of Bali, but look forward to another visit sometime to see more!