Sacred Monkey Forest, Mr. Ketut, and Holy Snakes

Bali may be small in size – you can drive around the entire coast in one long day – but its prominence as a destination is huge, and rightfully so. Ask travelers what Bali means to them and you’ll get as many answers as there are flowers on a frangipani tree. Beautiful rice terraces, pulse-pounding surf, enchanting temple ceremonies, mesmerizing dance performances and ribbons of beaches are just some of the images people cherish. Small obviously doesn’t mean limited. The manic whirl of Kuta segues into the luxury of Seminyak. The artistic swirl of Ubud is a counterpoint to misty treks amid the volcanoes. Mellow beach towns like Amed, Lovina and Pemuteran can be found right round the coast and just offshore is the laid-back idyll of Nusa Lembongan. As you stumble upon the exquisite little offerings left all over the island that materialize as if by magic, you’ll see that the tiny tapestry of colors and textures is a metaphor for Bali itself. And those are just some of the more obvious qualities. A visit to Bali means that you are in the most visitor-friendly island of Indonesia. There are pleasures of the body, whether a massage on the beach or a hedonistic interlude in a sybaritic spa. Shopping that will put ‘extra bag’ at the top of your list. Food and drink ranging from the freshest local cuisine bursting with the flavors of the markets to food from around the globe, often prepared by chefs and served in restaurants that are world class. From a cold Bin-tang at sunset to an epic night clubbing in Kuta, your social whirl is limited only by your own fortitude, which for me no longer includes all-night clubbing but endless energy for exploring Bali's beaches, temples, and forests.

Monkey family

If you hold a banana over your head, a  monkey will climb up you to get it! The small guy was okay, but I did NOT want the big daddy on me!

Another amazing visit to Ubud, which is by far,, my favorite place so far in Bali. Ubud is the cultural hub of Bali's art world, featuring awesome paintings, batik, exquisite sculptures of wood and stone, and handcrafted artifacts. Ubud is also a spiritual mecca, offering yoga retreats, energy healing s, writers workshops ,cooking classes, sacred tours, alchemy, magic, and the sacred monkey forest.

This is the guy I did NOT want to climb on me.

They loved the bananas

It was okay to interact with the monkeys as long as you had food, however, I touched an unsuspecting monkey tail and the reaction was scary, as he snarled and threatened to bite me! In fact, a girl got bit while we were in the park because she did the same thing....I was lucky.

There was a river below me and jungle forest all around. The place was beautiful. The Dragons are stone but next week, Ron and i are going to Komodo to experience the real thing!

There is a holy man here in Ubud named Mr. Ketut Liyer; Palm Reader, Healer, Balinese Astrologer, Painter, Woodcarver, and Medicine man.Mr. Ketut is 99 years old and still able to sit in the lotus position while he reads for you. Ron and I paid him a visit and he told us some interesting things. You might have seen Mr. Ketut in the movie Eat, Love, Pray, as he is the very same holy man that told Elizabeth Gilbert she would lose all her money but get it back again. Which she did by writing her successful book, which became a popular film staring Julie Roberts. Mr. Ketut also read for Julia but he keeps everything confidential. Many of Mr. Ketut's visitors are local and want to have answers to their medical problems as well as love life problems. Mr. Ketut is a very vital and interesting character, who told me among other things, that I will live to be 100,  am good at many things, and will be rich from my writing! He told Ron that he is already rich, good at many things, and that we should not lose each other. He said some other personal things to remain personal! I snapped a few photos with him.

Stone bridge in the monkey forest

Mr. Ketut

 Tanna Lot Temple is the temple shown in most of the travel brochures for Bali. It is a breath taking structure that covers a huge portion of the coastline on west Bali. The main temple can only be reached at low tide. There is a huge lovely park surrounding the hillside and several nice restaurants with spectacular views. Just before you cross over to the temple at low tide there is a cave on the beach where lives a holy snake. What makes him holy, I have no idea, but I suspect it is because all of the ground here is considered holy ground and since the snake lives in the cave, that makes him holy! If you touch the snake you will have good luck so I opted to give him a stroke or two.

Tanna Lot Temple

Tanna Lot near low tide.

Enter the cave here

I had to pull him out of his hole in the rock to stroke him.

The holy snake in his hole.

Floating flowers at the restaurant near the temple.

Looks like Indonesia will require alot of posts to the blog. Capturing the true beauty on camera seems impossible but I will try. Next stop, Komodo Island to take a guided safari on foot, through the land of the Dragons! We will see thousands of them and perhaps catch them with a fresh kill, I hope so. Kamodo Island was once a place where Indonesia sent their criminals; much like Australia. The current villagers live in harmony with the Dragons and consider them sacred thus never killing them. Therefore, the Dragons live in abundance whereas they became extinct in other parts of Asia because they were killed off. Dragons can actually recognize specific people and at one time the local people would leave parts of the deer they killed for the Dragons to eat. The deer and water buffalo population is large enough on the island to feed all the dragons that eat only once a month. After a meal, they bask in the sun to aid in digestion. WOW. can't wait to see the dragons, a once in a lifetime experience. Stay Tuned.