The Sacred Monkey Forest, Ubud

Just on the edge of downtown Ubud sits Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana, better known as the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, conveniently located at the end of Monkey Forest Road, one of the main roads in town. The name itself would have drawn me in, but I had also heard stories of the very outgoing, almost domesticated inhabitants from others, so I stopped at the park on the way out of town on my first morning with the motorcycle. After paying the small entrance fee, I found sellers of bunches of bananas, warning people to hide their food after they bought it. Just down the small path, I entered into the semi-thick forest, shaded by a large canopy of greenery, slowly revealing the resident monkeys, one by one at first, hidden amongst the trees and shrubbery, then almost overtaking the main trail by the time I got to the center of the small park. These long-tailed macaques are medium sized greyish-brown monkeys, and they are certainly accustomed to humans in their domain. Lounging on the trail and around the fringes of the paths, these monkeys keep their eyes (and noses) open for passing tourists, hoping to find some free handouts. There are stories of the monkeys getting very aggressive, climbing over people, ripping open bags and even biting people, so it really was important for people to hide any food on them before entering the park. Also, I noticed that once a person had fed a monkey, the other monkeys remembered that person, even much later, perhaps smelling the food residue or just being that perceptive, hoping for another free meal.

As I passed through the park, I arrived near the back at a temple semi-hidden in the foliage, surrounded by a bunch of monkeys laying around, munching on nuts and even opening a small water bottle and pouring it out, so that they could drink from it. A few young babies poked their heads out from behind their mothers, though retreating quickly back into her arms or onto her back at any sign of danger. In the meantime, the adolescents played, fighting with each other, chasing one another up and down the trees, every once in a while angering the dominant males who would announce their displeasure with a few frightening snarls, baring its teeth and chasing away the playful younger members of the group. In order to actually enter the temple, I had to borrow a traditional sarong and waist tie to be properly dressed in the Hindu shrine. Similar to many of the other temples in Ubud, this was a stone creation with intricate carvings and a few elaborate doorways, though not too much else. While inside, I found another tourist to take a picture of me in front of the temple, so I set down my backpack and got ready. Within seconds, one of the medium-sized males had appeared out of nowhere, tugging powerfully on the large water bottle extruding from the side of my backpack. Not willing to just give it away, I ran over and grabbed the water bottle from the other end, resulting in a bit of tug-of-war with the surprisingly strong monkey. He bared his teeth and hissed at me, which I probably should have taken as a sign to just let him have it, though I didn't let go, eventually winning out and snatching the bottle out of his hands as he walked away defeated, probably moving on to his next target. Fortunately I didn't have any food in my bag, as I think he wouldn't have given up so easily if that were the case.

Further in the park, a few trails passed down through a massive grove of trees, a few of which had hanging vines and roots nearly 100 feet tall. Beyond that, there was a tiny concrete path along a small creek that may have been scenic if not for a few bits of trash stuck in the water. Two concrete Komodo dragons also lined the path where I met a few friendly locals before moving back towards the entrance of the park. Passing through the center again, I found one of the park 'rangers' explaining to a few tourists that you have to let go immediately when a monkey grabs for the food, as they will otherwise become very aggressive. Taking that advice to the extreme, I saw a few people who just threw their bunch of bananas to the ground and backed away as the monkeys approached, which also worked out safely for both sides. Seeing literally one to two hundred of these monkeys was great, but it seems like they are really way too accustomed to and unafraid of humans, and I'm surprised that there are actually not more reports of people being bitten or attacked by the animals, as they still are instinctively wild.

(Pleasantly chomping away on an orange, one of the many monkeys of the forest named for them.)

(Some of the hundreds of monkeys, just lying around, eating the nuts and water stolen from nearby tourists.)

(This tiny little guy finally ventured out from his mother's arms to try a few nuts that might have been a little big for his mouth.)

(After a short excursion out, the little guy was ready for another hug and the comfort of his mother.)

(New and potential parents take note - interesting child control method here.)

(Taking a break from terrorizing the tourists.)

(Me and my traditional sarong and sash. There was a worker just outside showing us how to tie these correctly before we were allowed to enter the temple in the middle of the sanctuary.)

(As I was posing for the previous picture, this cheeky little guy appeared out of nowhere and tried to steal my water bottle from my backpack, and I had already witnessed them opening and drinking from another water bottle, so he knew what he was doing.)

(But I wasn't going to give up that easily. I instinctively grabbed the water bottle back. Here you can see the monkey snarling and swiping at me.)

(After winning the struggle, I apparently admonished the monkey for his behavior. Fortunately the guy taking my picture the first time managed to capture this whole episode.)

(Standing triumphantly over the 20 pound monkey. He looked much bigger in the heat of battle.)

(One more shot of one of the babies on the way out of the park.)