Bali III: A Lot of Monkeys Acting Like Royalty

Open With Caution
Swiped from williamnyk.

Early in the morning, we headed out to Pura Taman Ayun, Mengwi. According to our guide, it was originally a small family temple for the royal family there, but it was slowly expanded to attract more subjects to come as to consolidate their political power. A beautifully-manicured green field can be found at the entrance, together with a fountain and a dais where the king used to watch military parades go by. Moving in past the main gates was a drum tower that gives a fantastic view of the grounds. The inner temple was surrounded by a moat. Moving around it, one can see many thatched, pagoda-like shrines (meru) to the mountain peaks. All of them had odd-numbered roofs, except for one which is said to house a spirit of a very capable prime minister who was at odds with the king. Before we made it past the split gate, my batteries died. The same problem that I had in Melbourone-- my charger can't charge outside of Malaysia!!! *&^^%$#@^*&(*)(. Anyway, we go the driver to stop us at a market in Pacung to buy OBSCENELY-PRICED batteries. But beggars can't be choosy lo.



The next destination was Ulun Danu Beratan at Bedugul. The flowers, mist and cool air surrounding this temple at the crater lake's edge really makes for some breathtaking views. Interestingly, the temple was flanked by amphibian guardians, not the usual checkered sarong-clad raksasa. Lunch was a restaurant in Pacung with a fantastic view and natural air-conditioning. While having the delicious tuna satay, blanched melons, string beans and banana fritters, we took in the beautiful view of tiered rice terraces below. At the bottom were several thatched houses that were said to be honeymoon suites. Alas Kedaton was our next stop. The so-called monkey forest with the tamer monkeys as compared to Uluwatu. No entrance fee, but one of the 200 odd guides will bring you into the forest to have a close encounter with the primates.



According to our forest guide, they're 3 troupes in the forest, each with their own patriach. They're constantly fighting each other for territory. For IDR1k, one can buy a pack of peanuts and the guide would go "Mut, mut, mut, mut....". Pavlovian instinct kicks in, and a whole bunch of monkeys would come to be fed. They're so spoiled for choice that they'll take the nicest peanuts and discard the rest. We did not venture far into the forest as we were being shadowed by one of the villains of the forest. Notorious for grabbing stuff and going all gaga on tourists, even our guide threw the pack of peanuts and asked us to flee when it came a-grabbing! Walking back out, we had more fun at the nearby temple. I produced a pack of Mentos, and the park guide used it to lure the monkeys onto our shoulders. SK had a shock when a monkey leapt onto her back from behind and kinda used her head and face as hand holds. :P.



The forest also had bats, and some of them were domesticated or more likely drugged with lotsa sugary drinks. The hyperglycaemic bats (with a wingspan of one depa!) seem content hanging upside-down from their perch and letting tourists take buddy-buddy pictures with them for IDR30k. I stayed far-far away! The catch of Alas Kedaton is, after the guided tour, you must stop by the guide's shop to take a look. They will give you a sob story and you'll be compelled to buy at least something at an inflated price. Oh well. Next up, was a leisurely drive down to Tanah Lot. We had plenty of time to kill ther before the sunset. Starting out at the west end, we saw the splendour of Tanah Lot and Batu Bolong. Then we moved closer to Tanah Lot. The beach is ridden with rock and the water is so cool and clear. It was thronging with people wanting to a closer look at the holy snake (very zebra-like) and holy spring. The whole of Tanah Lot is not exactly natural as some of its aspects were renovated and reinforced with cement and given a natural look.



The sun was scorching, so by around 5:30pm, we scrambled back up to the east side of the cliff to sit at one of the cafes there. Perfect place to have a beer and wait for the sunset. As the sunset came at around six plus, it was a bit difficult to take a clear shot as there were a lot of tourists. And to make things worse, the horizon was covered by a layer of very thick clouds, making the sunset a let down. :(. However, when we were walking back to the parking lot, we caught a fantastic sight of hundreds of bats flying out of their cliff-side caves! Dinner was Chinese food! Back at the hotel, we claimed our welcome drink (after 3 days!) and had a party at the poolside with a pack of Lays and sweet strawberries from Bedugul. We camwhored and laughed the night away... No skanky-skanky that night as had to conserve energy for Turtle Island the next day!