Heading to the northeastern part of Bali, I made a stop at Bali’s most well-known Sacred Forest in Ubud where monkeys are well-fed and dwell freely. Unlike the ones in Uluwatu who often steal things from people, monkeys in Ubud behave much more nicely toward visitors. We can watch them very closely without having to worry that they might grab any of our belongings. Under the lush green canopy of the forest, they play around, show affection to each other, eat fruits and leaves, sleep and even fight while us, humans, watch them and giggle every time they do something funny.
Like other places in Bali, there is of course a temple inside the Sacred Forest. As expected, the temple is adorned with many monkey statues and also the statue of Hanuman. However, like most temples in Bali, the temple at the monkey Sacred Forest is closed for the public because it is considered as a holy place where only Hindus can enter. Nevertheless this place is worth a visit when you are in Bali, whether you are a monkey lover or not.
One thing that we can learn from this place is that human can choose to live peacefully side by side with animals by respecting their needs. We are here on earth not to destroy what’s in it. But we are responsible to keep the planet a humane place for all creatures.
Featured writer: Bama
I love the picture of the monkeys hugging. I recently went to the monkey school in Phuket, and had a terrible experience and came away feeling I had contributed to animal cruelty simply by paying an entrance fee…
I hope that nobody else will go there-this is the post I am referring to: http://emmasbucketlist.com/2012/03/14/thailand-part-4-phuket-monkey-school-a-seriously-uncomfortable-experience/
Great blog! I loved the monkey forest! I have written about it too, feel free to have a look! 🙂 http://lifeasabutterfly.wordpress.com/2011/10/15/medicine-man-crazy-monkeys-sarongs-and-a-few-perfect-days-ubud/