More Monkey Business!

Where the sun never sets on beauty

The picture says it all

The island's active volcano

Poised and ready to ride!

Local villagers encountered on my bike ride

Day 112: Thursday, November 19th

Ahh… Another beautiful day in breathtaking Bali! After the usual morning studies, the family wanted to go bike-riding along the beach. And as tempting as that sounded, I was feeling the need to go visit what I have named the Sugar Shacks – those ever delightful little stands situated on the beachfront that sell everything you can possibly imagine for next to nothing. I went to one of the furthest ones first and ended up getting a bracelet and necklace. The two men in the shop wanted to talk about, of all things – Julia Roberts. Apparently, about a month ago she left Bali, having spent a good two months there filming her next movie. The locals here are quite enamored with her. It was quite adorable to hear them talk about dear Julia and their attempts to get a glimpse of her, let alone actually talk with her. Next I visited the shack next door and bought the belt for Tori. I must have tried on a billion dresses, but settled on two dresses and two shirts – priced at just $5.00 each! Ahh! I could redo my whole wardrobe for a measly hundred bucks! My appetite for frugality and bargain shopping has been well-satiated here, almost to the point of gluttony (which is actually quite ironic!).

After shopping, I met up with the family to go visit another temple inhabited by monkeys. We were told that the monkeys here would be more aggressive due to the fact that they lived in a drier habitat where food was not as plentiful. Before we were allowed to enter the sacred grounds, we had to fasten sarongs around our hips out of respect for the holy place. We started up a narrow pathway and were blocked by two male monkeys who immediately started hissing at John. We threw them some bananas and quickly passed them. To be honest, I was quite scared! I had remembered what that other monkey had done to Tori, and I was fearing the same for me – or worse! Tori and I walked side by side. Our eyes were pealed. We figured that we were better off following the whole safety in numbers approach. And then I saw it! The ocean! The glorious ocean! We were very high above it, but there was that endless beautiful blue trimmed with lacy white ruffles along its edges. I momentarily forgot about the menacing monkeys and simply stopped and stared. The beauty was almost overpowering.

I was in Heaven as long as we were walking along the ocean, but as soon as we arrived at the temple gates, I grew wary once again. I looked around, but I didn’t see any of them. But I KNEW they were there, and that they could see me, that they were, in fact, watching me! I quickly snapped some pictures of the temple, shifting my eyes to the left and right to check on my creepy friends between the frenzied frames. I started on the path again, and then spotted the gathering crowd of them.

Although these monkeys are small, they are vicious little creatures, and they are quite unaware of their diminutive size! Concerning them – their bark is as bad as their bite! The boys and Tori more or less threw the bananas at the monkeys rather than let the monkeys come to them! At one point, I was leaning against the stone wall that lined the cliff and was simply enjoying watching all the shenanigans. All of a sudden, I was pushed from the side by a monkey who had come from out of the blue. After pushing me he jumped onto Dan’s back and stole his glasses! We could not believe how quickly it had all happened! The monkey immediately jumped over the wall and hid somewhere on the cliffs. Naturally, Dan was fuming mad! The locals tried to throw the monkey food so that he would return the glasses, but he only hoarded the food and continued to play with the glasses. Finally, a Balinese woman climbed over the precarious wall and threw piles of food in front of the monkey. At last he relinquished the glasses and the lady returned them to Dan (for a small donation!). After that incident, we decided to leave the Temple. Enough was enough!

We drove to the Ayana Bali Resort, formerly the Ritz-Carlton, to have drinks on the beach and watch the sun set. The grounds were some of the prettiest that I have ever seen!. Fountains, flowers, and infinity pools overlooking the ocean were everywhere. Tiki hut bars and open aired restaurants spotted the lawn. I opted to skip the vermicular and take the stairs down to the beach. Each step brought its own unique vantage point and view of the sky. My heart leapt as the sound of the waves’ roar grew louder and more ominous. By the time I reached the bar, there was already a glorious blueberry mojito waiting for me! The mix of fresh lime, fresh blueberries, and fresh mint was pretty much the most refreshing beverage that I have ever had! I kicked off my flip-flops and headed for the deserted beach. Wading in the water, I studied the ocean floor in search of nature’s treasures. The flashes of pink, blue, green, and purple caught my eye but eluded my hands! It was high tide, and the waves came fast and furious. The ocean had clearly won our little game of cat and mouse. Nonetheless, the waters were warm and wonderful, wrapping around my legs like a watery winter blanket. It was from this position that I watched the waning sun and all the pinks, peaches, and golds quietly escort it away. Much like the sun’s light, my time here was nearing its end as well. Two weeks to go before this sun rises and greets a new day back home.