Bali is full of fascinating creatures, all real but some also mystical. We had some close (sometimes all too close) encounters with these on our September trip.
First, the monkeys. As many travelers before us, we read about the monkeys while preparing for our trip to Bali. Especially because we were planning a trip to the Uluwatu Temple, which is surrounded by a forest full of monkeys, and also knowing we would be staying a short distance from the Sacred Monkey Forest while in Ubud.
The species of monkey most ubiquitous in Bali is the long-tailed macaque. This is a pretty large gray monkey with, yes, a long tail. I can’t testify to how they act in more wild places, but near tourists they can be very, very naughty. And aggressive. They are also considered the guardians of the temple at Uluwatu, so you don’t want to disrespect them. But they have no trouble disrespecting human belongings, grabbing sunglasses, wallets, hats, cameras, cell phones, or whatever you’re not watching closely or keeping zippered up.
In Ubud, monkeys come out in the mornings. No, they do not all stay within the confines of the Sacred Monkey Forest, even though it seems like a perfectly nice place to live. They like to scale the amazingly tall and sturdy bamboo and climb onto your hotel balcony. (We were warned to always lock our balcony door, because they know how to slide open the door and get into your room!) Every day, the hotel housekeepers would put a candle and some matches on our balcony table, and every morning the monkeys would come and scatter the matches all over the place, try to eat the candle, and generally look kind of menacing. (I thought so at least, since I confess to not being a big monkey fan in the first place!)
Okay, enough with the monkeys and on to the bees. We had a much more brief but pleasant bee encounter, which lasted about an hour during a visit to the historic village of Tenganan. The village is known for its indigenous culture and its intricate double ikat weaving, but has also become a tourist attraction and marketing opportunity for its inhabitants. After a stroll through the village and a visit with one of the weavers, we took a short trek outside the gates into the bamboo forest.
We heard there were beekeepers nearby, but we walked right past the entrance to their enclave and had a fine time communing with the bamboo and butterflies. Finally turning back towards town, we found the amiable beekeepers who are happy to show off and explain their bees.
One type of bee feeds on mango flowers and makes a fragrant honey which I loved. The other, a very small black bee which really looks more like a fly, makes a sour honey which is quite unique (I didn’t really love the taste, but it was interesting!). First, the wife of the beekeeping family showed us the hives, and then sat us down to try some tea with the honey of our choice.
The tea is made from a piece of wood, which turns red when steeped in boiling water. Then it turns yellow when you put the honey into it, like a magic trick! (This wood is called secang and you can buy it on Etsy and elsewhere apparently.) We learned the husband of the family wove small items our of a local grass, and ended up buying some honey, plus several small woven items, and got a piece of the tea making wood thrown in for good measure.
Next stop, bats. Our driver, the intrepid Made, had asked if we wanted to visit the Bat Cave Temple and of course M.E. was all over that idea as she loves bats and all other creepy beasts. (Those of you who do not know her wall, her birthday is October 30 and she has always embraced everything Halloween related.)
Pura Goa Lawah, the Balinese name for the temple, has nothing to do with Batman. The temple, considered one of the six most holy places in Bali (Ulawatu is another), is built around a cave teeming with bats. You can stand to the side of the soaring entrance to the cave and get mesmerized by watching the bats flitting around the murky interior, jockeying for some ceiling space to tuck themselves into.
They all fly out at dusk, or so we hear because much to M.E.’s chagrin, we could not wait the several hours to find out. There was a waterfall calling our names… but that is another story!
Monkey slide show: 1. Warning sign at Uluwatu. (I was too afraid to take my camera out and try to actually take a photo of a monkey there!); 2. Naughty monkey wood carvings, somehow appropriate to their behavior; 3. Family monkey group at the Ubud Sacred Monkey Preserve; 4. Monkey munching on leaves on our hotel balcony in Ubud; 5. Cultural performance at Uluwatu Temple, featuring the Hanuman (Monkey God) figure throwing fireballs. He also acted cheeky, climbing up into the audience to pretend to get fleas out of people’s hair!
Bee slide show: 1. Wide view of Tenganan Village (with cow statues).; 2. Unassuming entrance to the beekeepers enclave, just outside the village gates.; 3. One type of bee hive; 4. Tiny black bee hive row; 5. Honey and tea wood; 6. Tiny black bees in situ inside their hive, working away.
And, last but not least, bats! Slideshow: 1. Big monument to the bat cave temple, showing how close we were to the coast/beach at that point; 2. M.E. checks out the bat cave with temple structures in the background; 3. Bat (?) carving at the temple; 4. Sorry, this is blank as I tried to insert the video (directly above here) in the slide show and it didn’t work. Then I couldn’t figure out how to get rid of the blank space. So, skip on to the video in which you see and hear the bats and M.E. speculates as to what they are trying to communicate to us.