Bali, part 2 monkeys, markets and minor theft

Somewhere along the way, this visa run stopped feeling like bureaucracy and started feeling like an actual vacation. If you missed the earlier posts: This link follows our time in Western Australia and this link covers our first days in Bali.

Part 2 picks up just before the monkeys attempted to improve their hat collection.

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary was another highlight of our time in Ubud.

Parts of it were crowded with tourists lining up to pose dramatically with monkeys climbing on them for photos, but if you wandered farther down the paths you could still find quieter corners where the monkeys simply went about their business.

Pausing to fix his "do"

The Balinese long-tailed macaques were clearly intelligent, opportunistic, and very accustomed to humans. We watched one monkey using rocks to soften leaves before eating them. Another decided Bob’s hat looked worth investigating.

If you look carefully you can see the small rock in the monkey's right paw

First the monkey climbed up Bob’s back and lightly bopped him on the head with a small rock, which seemed rude but not especially threatening. Then it grabbed his hat and jumped to the ground with it. Bob, however, maintained a firm grip while repeatedly informing the monkey, “Oh no you don’t.”

The monkey had one more theft attempt, but by then Bob had learned his lesson and denied the monkey access to his back entirely. Apparently even monkeys appreciate persistence, because after that it simply gave up and moved on to easier targets.

Unexpectedly we stumbled upon a Balinese performance at the monkey sanctuary.

Dancers and musicians and costumes. It was lovely storytelling of which we had no idea what story was being told.

Another unexpected pleasure in Bali was the food. The sheer number of vegan restaurants was astonishing, one of the highest vegan restaurant concentrations we have ever seen. The food was homemade,  thoughtfully presented and consistently delicious. 

One evening we were even presented with an amuse-bouche before dinner, which felt wonderfully strange after years of casual cruising meals and dockside restaurants. 

We also spent time wandering through the Ubud Art Market where thousands upon thousands of items seemed to be for sale. 

Bargaining there felt almost ceremonial. Prices regularly dropped as we slowly walked away, sometimes by impressive amounts. It became difficult to tell whether we were shopping or participating in a very polite competitive sport.

Toward the end of our stay we moved closer to the beach and airport before flying back to Rhapsody.

The beaches were crowded and lively, filled with enormous traditional Balinese kites preparing for the upcoming kite season. Some required multiple people just to launch them.

Brides and grooms posed dramatically for photographers along the shoreline while influencers attempted to capture the perfect sunset selfie nearby.

It was crowded, touristy, and still enjoyable to walk around.

By the end of the week we understood why Bali has captured people’s imaginations for generations. Even after seven days, it felt like we had barely scratched the surface. There are entire parts of the island we still want to explore, and we are already looking forward to returning by boat within the next six months for our next visa run.

So for all of our friends who have talked about visiting us in Bali someday: you absolutely should. We’re already looking forward to returning by boat and exploring more of Bali, preferably with some of you along for the adventure.

And so we return to Rhapsody, visas in hand, ready to explore more of the beauty of Indonesia.