Our first trip to Bali was back in 2012. In the middle of the week long trip, we drove to Ubud. It is up in the hills of Bali.  Now, Ubud is known for spas and restaurants. It is generally thought of as a more spiritual location than the beaches or the coast of Bali.  It’s located in the central part of Bali. There are a lot of rice fields. You’ll find a smattering of yoga and meditation studios and other new age / hippy spots.  Many people call actually Ubud the ‘cultural center of Bali‘.

Also in Ubud is theSacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary.  Now this is basically a set of small temples which is also sanctuary for monkeys. Never one to let wildlife well enough alone, we went to the sanctuary to have a good walk around.  Specifically, these are Bali ‘long-tailed’ macaque monkeys.  They Sanctuary estimates there are around 600 living in and around the property.

Now, there are plenty of stories of where these monkeys have attacked people. They either try to steal food or possibly go for wallets or cameras. What monkeys who live in a forest would do with cash or a digital camera I have no idea.

We didn’t get attacked at all. If you’re in Ubud, I highly recommend carving out an hour. Walk through and enjoy.  Make sure you keep your wits about you, and an eye on the monkeys!!

Canon 7D  | Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 | 52 mm | f/4.5 | 1/180th | ISO400