Okay, folks. Try not to squeal too loudly.
Believe it or not, I spent two whole months in Bali before finally venturing to Monkey Forest …and, let’s be honest. It really wasn’t that far away (I rode my back to and from the tourist attraction).
Joined by my friend Jared (who had already gone twice before), I finally committed to venturing through it and am GLAD I did.
As a lover of monkeys, it was seriously amazing.
I’d read a lot online about how a lot of monkeys are super aggressive (a byproduct of being exposed to humans?) and that if you bring bananas, you will get mugged. So I was somewhat anxious when I showed up to the stone gate entrance…
I paid my 40,000 rupiah fee ($2.86 US), met Jared, and then we walked into the park…
Imagine Jurassic Park, but exclusively for monkeys. That is what Monkey Forest is. It’s a humanized jungle where monkeys are everywhere; you can’t touch them, or they’d likely hiss or bite you, but you can let them curiously climb on you and try to pickpocket what goodies you’ve stupidly left in your pockets.
It’s like a game. A fun one, of course.
The monkeys below stole a receipt from my bag and then tried to eat it… One got away with a chapstick I had in my bag too. At least it was organic! 😉
I took so many pictures. Many monkeys were picking bugs from each other, some were hopping on tourists – or leaning on their heads as they lazily reached for a banana, and others were fingering each others’ butts to keep any crawling things out (at least, that’s what I suppose).
It was hilarious, and adorable, and too freaking fun.
And, let’s not ignore the GORGEOUS scenery and architecture.
If you make it to Bali, definitely check out Ubud. I’ll post an article on my top favorite raw & vegan restaurants soon (as there as some GOOD ones there)… And be sure to take a walk through Monkey Forest!
