My first stop this morning was at Monkey Forest Sacred Sanctuary. In this small park of only a few acres there live over 500 Macaque monkeys. I was warned that people should not wear anything valuable when they go into the sanctuary in case the monkeys are naughty and grab things away from you. I found that the monkeys were not that bad. One of the sanctuary workers told me that these monkeys are not as bad as the ones in Lomboc because these ones are fed daily.
These monkeys have lots of natural food - figs, branches, etc. and they are fed sweet potatoes and bananas as well. I found them really interesting to watch. The giant old 'grey back' ones put up with no nonsense, teenagers covort around, nursing mothers and babies of various ages. All amazing to watch. I took some videos as well.
www.monkeyforestubud.com
It had rained earlier this morning and I mistakenly thought that it might be a cooler day; not the way it works in Bali. Rain in the morning only means very hot and humid during the day. My 4 km walk provided me with a lot of sweating!! Ultimately ended up with a migraine. Darn. But a great massage on my shoulders and neck minimized the headache.
Bali really is full of wonderful spas and masseuses for very reasonable prices. When I paid I also gave the lady who did my massage a little gift of a makeup bag with lipstick, blush and a Canada pin. She was so amazed and touched that she hugged me over and over again!! The Balinese people are so warm and friendly. I asked a young man one day if he wasn't sick of tourists in his country. He looked at me as if I was nuts, shook his head and said that he liked tourists; he explained that tourists need to keep coming, it is important to his country's survival.
Bali is only one small island in the large country of Indonesia. However because Bali is largely Hindu (over 80% of the population), whereas the majority of the rest of Indonesia is Muslim, Bali doesn't get much assistance from the Indonesian government. The head of the Indonesian government is in Jakarta, Java, which is only one island to the north west of Bali. The government will pass laws that say that all children will have free education, but in reality that is not the way it is in Bali. The Balinesians are very discouraged with the federal government and do not trust it as it is very corrupt. The people of Bali are very community minded and work hard to make sure everyone within their community is taken care of. This sense of community comes through the Hindu religion. However, if a person is outcast from this religion, by stepping outside of tradition (lets say to divorce a husband) they will get no assistance. Thus you do see the occasional beggar. Invariable a woman with a baby.
I only have one sleep left! Tomorrow I will meet up with Renee to receive my silk kimono jacket. Then I will be off to Kuta (probably over an hour ride through traffic even though it is only 18 kms away) to catch my flight home. Jet lag and cold here I come!!
These monkeys have lots of natural food - figs, branches, etc. and they are fed sweet potatoes and bananas as well. I found them really interesting to watch. The giant old 'grey back' ones put up with no nonsense, teenagers covort around, nursing mothers and babies of various ages. All amazing to watch. I took some videos as well.
www.monkeyforestubud.com
It had rained earlier this morning and I mistakenly thought that it might be a cooler day; not the way it works in Bali. Rain in the morning only means very hot and humid during the day. My 4 km walk provided me with a lot of sweating!! Ultimately ended up with a migraine. Darn. But a great massage on my shoulders and neck minimized the headache.
Bali really is full of wonderful spas and masseuses for very reasonable prices. When I paid I also gave the lady who did my massage a little gift of a makeup bag with lipstick, blush and a Canada pin. She was so amazed and touched that she hugged me over and over again!! The Balinese people are so warm and friendly. I asked a young man one day if he wasn't sick of tourists in his country. He looked at me as if I was nuts, shook his head and said that he liked tourists; he explained that tourists need to keep coming, it is important to his country's survival.
Bali is only one small island in the large country of Indonesia. However because Bali is largely Hindu (over 80% of the population), whereas the majority of the rest of Indonesia is Muslim, Bali doesn't get much assistance from the Indonesian government. The head of the Indonesian government is in Jakarta, Java, which is only one island to the north west of Bali. The government will pass laws that say that all children will have free education, but in reality that is not the way it is in Bali. The Balinesians are very discouraged with the federal government and do not trust it as it is very corrupt. The people of Bali are very community minded and work hard to make sure everyone within their community is taken care of. This sense of community comes through the Hindu religion. However, if a person is outcast from this religion, by stepping outside of tradition (lets say to divorce a husband) they will get no assistance. Thus you do see the occasional beggar. Invariable a woman with a baby.
I only have one sleep left! Tomorrow I will meet up with Renee to receive my silk kimono jacket. Then I will be off to Kuta (probably over an hour ride through traffic even though it is only 18 kms away) to catch my flight home. Jet lag and cold here I come!!
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