Bali is a deeply religious place. There’s no doubt about it.
To me the energy feels heavy, in a loaded, full way. I think it’s because of nature’s intimacy. Coming from Singapore (a different kind of heavy), the complex and intertwining flow of nature’s being can be overwhelming and daunting. At least, at first, when you step out of the busy-ness of an urban life and into stillness once again. Then it begins to wrap around you and lead you into beauty.
Perhaps it’s the spirits and the gods of the Balinese I feel. Of the sea, trees, mountains, rivers… maybe without the distractions of modern life, the invisible world is more accessible, more tangible.
To experience this, visit Ubud. Walk in the Padantegal Monkey Forest.
The land is held sacred by the Balinese. No less is Wenara Wana or what we tourists call the Monkey Forest. Inside sits one of the three main temples of Desa Pakraman Padangtegal (“people’s village” of Padangtegal), Pura Dalem or death temple. Prayer and rituals of offering are simply part of everyday life for the Balinese, the evidence seen in the flowers, woven palm leaves, food, and incense that is everywhere.
In 2007 my husband and I hopped over to Ubud for relaxation and brain-rest. We stayed mostly in our Kupu Kupu Barong villa, doing nothing. Yes, il bel far niente. The beauty of doing nothing is, indeed, beautiful and seductive. And addictive…when you can truly let go.
As urbanites, it did feel slightly out of joint to do absolutely nothing, aside from floating in our plunge pool, napping, reading, and getting luxurious oils slathered and massaged into our bodies with long firm strokes (just in case the other nothings we were doing weren’t relaxing enough). And it was our first time in Ubud, and Bali, and we wanted to see where we have come to. To see why Ubud is such a treasure.
We opted out of the elephant ride and rice field walk. The Monkey Forest was calling to us. I think the monkeys needed more bananas. Those cheeky monkeys.
And so we went. We strolled through Ubud to the southern end of Monkey Forest Road, past art galleries, boutiques, and a melange of tourist shops. Softly making a mental note to check these out later. Before we realized it, we were already in the sacred space of the forest, a shaded sanctuary that breathed mystery and held its own secrets. It felt like a blackhole, pulling us into its depths, revealing to us its splendor and openness within.
There are wild monkeys in Singapore – strolling in the middle of Nassim Hill Road, sitting in the trees in the Woodlands Waterfront parking lot, Dairy Farm, etc.
And monkeys in Japan we’ve seen and they also like the Batu Caves outside Kuala Lumpur. The monkeys we’ve “met” just do their own thing. The ones at the Batu Caves even throw you a somewhat disdainful look when you interrupt them in their grooming. Sorry, I had to pause, to breathe, on this 272-step climb.
The long-tailed monkeys (crab-eating macaques actually) at the Monkey Forest reserve also do their own thing, except their thing is find-the-banana. Apparently there are over 600 residents now, from four different troupes. I am thankful they weren’t all playing that game when we visited.
My husband loves it, this real-life animal encounter thing. A snake at the Marrakesh souk. Lemurs in Madagascar. Deer in Miyajima. Elephants in Phuket. Turtles and sting rays in Bora Bora. Camels in Morocco. Wallabies in New Zealand. Some, animal whisperer moments.
His favorite was this older monkey who actually tugged at his shorts for attention, just a “hey I’m down here. I’d like a banana too please.” He walked around a bit with us, still holding onto the shorts, as if to show us his home, warding off the pesky juveniles. One monkey he chased away ran off to a tree, from which he launched himself onto my husband’s head and sat contently on his shoulders. Of course he got some banana.
For many people, and for us too, seeing the tiny babies was amazing. Mesmerizing. And very precious. Judging from their hair colour, these infants were less than six months old, their wrinkly faces making them look older and more concerned than the adults.
And yes, the mothers are protective so be sure to bring a good zoom lens to capture closeups of these pretty babies. The monkeys are generally quite relaxed; just be aware there are a lot of babies!
I’m not sure how long we lingered in the Monkey Forest. We fed the monkeys, sat and watched them play for a while, and continued our walk. A gentle breeze and the shade of the magnificent trees carried us through with ease.
I love trees and stopped frequently to touch them. They are old, their branches wrapping around the trunks, stretching out far beyond. The forest has over 100 different species of trees, some very sacred to the Balinese. It was a quiet afternoon, even with the merrymaking of the monkeys and the squeals of the (human) kids. A perfect way to wind down. With the monkeys fed, we headed back into the human world to feed ourselves.
