9/13 – After four weeks at the beach, it was time for our last move within Bali – to the town of Ubud.  Further north and in the center of the island, Ubud was the setting of the last part of the book Eat, Pray, Love, where the heroine finds love among the rice paddies.  We saw plenty of young female travelers here, perhaps looking to reenact that chapter.

Ubud reminded us of Sedona, Arizona, in that it is a groovy place where groovy people congregate to practice yoga and meditate.

We are staying at a small guesthouse with an outdoor kitchen and a tropical pool.  What to do during our last week?  We walked down the main street to visit a Hindu temple, and watched a procession in progress.

  

Lots of shopping opportunities, of course.

  
Artists with a sense of humor:

There is a mural on the road to our guest house that shows in comic form some things we may expect to encounter when we visit Ubud’s main attraction, the Monkey Forest, tomorrow.  Can’t wait!

9/14 – The Sacred Monkey Forest Temple, an ancient Hindu burial temple complex, welcomes about 15,000 visitors a month. The actual temple areas are closed to visitors, but make a lovely backdrop for an afternoon of monkey viewing.

The monkeys are tubby and tame from accepting bananas from tourists, but we were warned not to make eye contact, and not to tease or try to hide food from a monkey. No peanuts are permitted, as they make the monkeys aggressive.

Brave tourists tried to get close for photo ops:

This little guy rushed the young man and snatched his water bottle:

There were Balinese handlers who would place a baby monkey on a visitor for a small fee:

This curious fellow wanted whatever was in that pocket:

The adults spent their time grooming one another and doing what monkeys do.

Mamas and babies:

As much fun as a barrel full of monkeys!