Monkey Forest

We got smart today, returning to the Monkey Forest. This time, walking a different route we found the main part of the temple in addition to what was obviously the nursery section. There were small groups of mums suckling new babies everywhere. One of the babies would have been lucky to be one week old. Others might have been two to three weeks. They were tiny and mum wasn't about to let them out of her reach. It was absolutely incredible to be able to be so close to these wild animals, yet watch them interacting with each other, unconcerned by our presence. Watching the humans interact was interesting also. From the woman who pulled a monkeys tail, to those getting close to have their photo taken with the monkeys, it was easy to see why the warnings were in place. These animals are wild and as such they are unpredictable. One look at the size of their teeth was enough to make me conscious of the potential dangers. That said, I really enjoyed having more time to explore the gardens and temples with the monkeys as guardians. 28.5.13

Ubud

Today was a day to revisit previous destinations.  We returned to Ubud, walking from the Monkey Forest back up Monkey Forest Road, looking at shops as we went.  This road boasted more new shops and businesses and as such the architecture was less interesting.  The traffic was equally frenetic with motorcycles going both ways even on one way roads.  Crazy stuff.  There is little to do other than shopping, so it helps to enjoy going in and out of numerous shops, most of which sell very similar items.  Even the "art galleries" seem to stock similar work, the quality of which is fairly questionable.

We turned off the main road and cut across to the back streets we explored the day previous and again enjoyed the quieter pace.  Stopped for a drink, had some lunch and generally enjoyed our morning.

One of the things unique to Balinese men and women is their capacity to carry bundles on their heads.  From buckets of building rubble, to trays of food and bundles of banana palm fronds you see them carting gear this way quite often. Many of the women go bare headed to do so.  Those using a round of cloth seem eminently more sensible to me.  That said, there is still some skill involved I am sure.

Dog count for the day was 22.  With 23 dogs for yesterday's count it seems Ubud dog counts are pretty close on any one day.  The security dog at the resort did change today though.  So far this week a golden retriever a gorgeous toffee colour had been on bomb sniffing duty.  This afternoon however a black lab had the honours of checking our vehicle.  Then it was back to snooze until another car came in to request access. 

28.5.13

Pay as you go

One of the things I am struggling to come to terms with is that you must pay for everything. Rice paddies are in abundance - where we are staying there are ornamental, but working fields, and by the roadside they are a common sight. So when our driver asked whether we would like to stop and see rice paddies, take photos etc on our way up the mountain we readily agreed. Only to arrive and be charged a fee to view the rice paddies from a variety of viewing platforms located opposite and amidst yet another, tacky roadside selection of stalls selling crap. These rice paddies are set up as a tourist trap, and while you can see them across the hillside quite plainly, the view is nothing compared to some of the others we have seen while driving around Ubud. Further up the mountain we were also charged to enter the network of roads surroundings e of two active volcanos in Bali. Only problem was it was pouring rain, and with the fog, visibility was nil! What a rip off! Luckily for us we had a great lunch at a traditional buffet styled restaurant. 27.5.13

Bali bird park

Luckily for me we stopped to see the Bali Bird Park late in the morning. If we had waited until the afternoon which was the original plan, we would have been washed out. Quite a good collection with Budgerigars, Galahs, Pelicans, Eclectus Parrots and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos representing Australia. International species included, Hornbills, Toucan, Flamingos and Crested Cranes amongst the less common species. Seeing the birds was another highlight of the visit to Bali so far for me. While there are many birds in cages, there are also two free flight aviaries. One of local Balinese birds which was good. There was also a selection of Birds of Paradise. Very exciting to see after recent research I have undertaken following the travels of Tim Laman and Ed Scholes and the work they are doing through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Greater Bird of Paradise was incredible to see as for the first time ever I saw for myself the iridescent colours on his throat as the sun shone directly onto his feathers. This little guy came right over to the edge of the cage to say hello and I will be eternally grateful. Even though Tim Laman is a master in the art of bird photography, seeing this for myself was beyond description. It was a great moment to see this effect for myself. Other high lights were the birds that were free roaming on trees which you could walk straight up to....often without a human guide nearby. So, African Grey Parrot, Macaws, Eclectus Parrots (quite rare in Australia) and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos could all be seen at close quarters. The best thing though was the chance to hold (or be stood on by) a variety of birds. Hornbills are not a common sight in Australia so having a photo with both a male and a female was amazing. As was holding not one, but two Macaws, and a variety of parrots. The photo says it all. I was one happy girl. Dog count for the day was a respectable 62. 26.5.13

Balinese temples

Temples in Bali appear predominantly Hindu.  As such they are uniquely different to temples I have seen so far.  Full of stone carving, statues and brickwork. They remind me more of the ancient village in Thailand than any of the temples we saw while there.  Not surprising really given that Thai temples tended to be Buddhist.

The thing that intrigues me with Bali temples is the sheer number of them.  They are literally everywhere.  Look on any map and the most evident mark is a temple site.  Most private dwellings also seem to have them.  Houses generally appear to be situated behind high brickwork fences, with tall stone doorways as entry points.  The more elaborately carved and decorated the entry way, the more wealth of the family living within.  

Once you enter the doorway the "house" is usually made up of a number of "pods" - each used for a distinct purpose.  Kitchen separate to food preparation, separate to sitting area, separate to sleeping.  Each complex has a separate temple area also.  Many businesses have a temple pillar installed out the front, for those that don't, it seems a small banana leaf receptacle, filled with rice and flowers will suffice.  These are often placed directly onto the footpath adjacent to the gutter.The idea then is to cleanse the tribute with water or smoke and pray. Women and men can both be seen doing this.

We visited one traditional home which our driver took us to.  While it was interesting to see the kitchen still functioning, with fire, but no electric light - and the well with its cover out the back.  Being chased out to the car and asked for a "donation" was off putting.  With "grandpa" in his wheelchair eating his lunch it hadn't seemed appropriate to intrude with the camera so I had taken no photos, walking respectfully around the compound and then leaving.  For me, being hunted down for a payment was an uncomfortable way to do business.  I much preferred the situation in Chiang Mai, where when we visited a tribal village area, we paid up front, but then were free to interact and take photographs without being harangued.

26.5.13

Monkey forest

Sitting on the deck this morning, having breakfast, we ended up with unexpected visitors.  With only a rustling of leaves to announce their arrival we  saw a squirrel - followed by a friend or two.  Moving at the speed of light they raced across the tree branches, flinging themselves across gaps and running up and down the trunks.  Not sure whether it was a game of chase or whether it is how they keep out of the reach of predators, but it was lovely to watch.  We will have to keep an eye out for them each morning....capturing them via vp camera will be a challenge.

We decided to spend the day exploring the areas around Ubud, so taking a car and driver for the day, we set out early to explore.  We are based at Sayan, an area famous for its arts, village life and culture.

First stop was the Monkey Forest.  Although we are both aware of the potential dangers of interacting with monkeys we decided to brave it.  Turned out to be a great decision as it was a highlight of my day.  Arriving early, the ticket office wasn't yet open, was the best decision we made.  The monkeys were feasting on breakfast, fairly mellow, and with few tourists yet to get them going were well behaved.  We walked the park within reach of them, but had no issues with monkeys climbing on us, stealing glasses or hats or any of the elements we were warned about.  Having removed my ear rings as a precaution I was a little nervous as to what to expect, however things went well.  The area is quite beautiful with seemingly unspoilt forest, lots of mature trees, paths, a temple and of course the monkeys. 

Long tailed macaques, it was interesting to observe the monkeys interacting.  The juveniles spent much time harassing each other and play "fighting".  A couple of the females had quite young babies, but even they were quite happy coming close to you.  The trick was to keep an eye on all of the monkeys while simultaneously photographing your monkey of choice.  At one stage, distracted by a mother and her baby, another couple of monkeys came close to me from out of sight. Frank though was on standby in case things escalated.

As we left the monkey forest, more people were arriving and things were getting busier, so we timed our visit well.  Paid retrospectively for our ticket and kept going.

27.5.13

PS the collective noun for a group of squirrels is a colony or a dray....my favourite option though - a scurry!

Bali adventure

Incredible though it is to believe we awoke in Brisbane, then bedded down for the night in Bali.  Ubud in the mountains to be precise.  So off on another adventure and I am yet to be disappointed.

Airport etiquette hasn't changed much since we last travelled.  There is always someone queue jumping, using their gold card status.  I must admit I was pleased to watch them then go to their seats in Row 23.  How spoilt am I?

Arrival at the airport in Denpasar was chaotic to say the least.  There is major redevelopment of the site going on and it seems to impact on everything.  The new airport should be finished by October and it seems that it really is needed.  We heard the arrival of over half a dozen flights announced just in the period we were waiting for our bags to come out.  This took the longest time.  Even our allocated guy was on his walky talky trying to see what the delay was.

I can highly recommend the express airport process.  You pay a fee, then you are allocated a staff member from the airport to walk you through the visa process, the bag collection and customs.  Then we were passed on to a Four Seasons guy, who took our luggage and escorted us to the vehicle (quite a hike given the redevelopment process) then yet another guy was our chauffeur.  Seems complicated but it worked.

We are staying about  an hour and a quarter from Denpasar, in the mountain area of Ubud.  Watching the frenetic activity from the safety of the car was an eye opener.  The place is crazy.  There seem to be more vehicles than Thailand, certainly more cars and an equal number of motor scooters.  It wasn't long before we saw the usual tally of multiple people, children (including babies and toddlers), overloaded cargo - from bamboo cages, to bundles of stuff, armfuls of pipes, vegetation etc.  the sight of the afternoon however was the girl riding pillion who had a bright orange swim tube around her stomach as she clutched on to her friend and zipped past us in the traffic.  If you get bored with watching the world pass by, the car has its own wifi hot spot!

Roadside stalls sell everything from car tyres, to food.  Bali is known for its artisans and so far it is a toss up between stone carving and wood carving for the ultimate position.  They are everywhere.  Apparently the teak now comes from another island and a lot of the timber pieces we saw were a much lighter timber than teak - both in weight and colour.  Everyone proclaims items are "made to order" but I have my doubts.  Why Balinese artisans would carve giraffes is beyond me, especially given the 1000's we have seen.  Can't help but think they come in from China, then are finished off on site.

Arrival at our destination went smoothly.  After we passed through the security check point and had a bomb check of the under carriage of our vehicle carried out.  Another first, it seems this is standard practice on entering the resort.

We went through check in, did the intro to our suite, then decided to eat dinner.  Bali time is two hours behind Australia.  So, for us, arrival was 6.30 or dinner time, where for locals it was late afternoon.  Dinner was not served until 7.00 pm so we compromised with a drink and snack at the bar first.

Dinner Saturday night is a  traditional Ubud feast.  Made up of numerous courses the food was great.  The meal started with a selection of salads, then duck soup, followed by a range of choices from the  wok station fried rice, beef, chicken etc, then the grill station with chicken, prawns, fish followed by suckling pig roasted on the spit and a range of deserts.

Dog count for the afternoon was a respectable 32.  Not bad given we had limited time on the ground.  The dogs here are all very similar to those in Thailand.  A specific colour and look to them, they are a typically generic dog.  

As our friends in Thailand would say "same same but different".  It's hard not to compare Bali with Thailand, but for me so far  I think Thailand is winning.

25 May 2013