Back in Indonesia

-A baby monkey learning to climb. Monkey Sanctuary, Ubud, Bali.-

-A gate at one of the Hindu temples. Ubud.-

For the past 3 weeks we've been chillin' in Indonesia; snorkeling in the reefs, reading in the hammock on the front porch of our beach hut, and jamming with the locals over our pineapple pancake breakfasts.

-Statue of a god. Our front porch, Ubud.-

-One of the many temples in Ubud. This one was crawling with monkeys.-

Our first few days back in Indonesia we spent in the bustling jungle art village of Ubud, Bali. We wandered through the streets and markets admiring the craftsmanship of the locals and watching the swarms of tourists haggle over 10 cents here and 10 cents there. It was such a different feeling for us as we watched the action from the sidelines not wanting to begin bartering and end up with more dead weight for our backpacks.

-Old ruins. Monkey Sanctuary, Ubud.-

-Fire dance. Ubud.-

Strewn amongst the cafes and markets were many elaborate Hindu temples. We were fortunate enough to be in Bali during their yearly temple ceremony and so we were able to attend an evening temple fire dance. While the production was quite dark and ominous (with everyone, good and evil, seething with fear) it was an interesting cultural experience.

-Thinking monkey. Monkey Sanctuary, Ubud.-

-Can you resist those eyes? Monkey Sanctuary, Ubud.-

At the end of the market road where the jungle meets the mountain village was a monkey sanctuary. For a dollar-fifty we walked below the ancient trees watching hundreds of monkeys of all sizes preen, feed and play. While we had seen monkeys our last time through Bali, they were different as they were wild, living high in the mountains and only a few in number. These monkey in their sanctuary reminded me of the apes from The Jungle Book, all sitting on moss covered jungle-eaten ruins, yet no song accompanied.

-Preening. Monkey Sanctuary, Ubud.-

It's been nice to be back in Indonesia, internet connection or not.