☞ Yes, We Have No Bananas

As we walked into the forest, we felt something was not right.  It was a little too quiet.  Something was off.  We held our backpacks a little tighter, as we knew there were creatures here.  Creatures that would snatch away our precious belongings, and search ravenously for one thing…

We walked carefully. A twig snapped, our eyes darted left to right, but there was nothing.  We felt the trees watching us, and laughed nervously as our fears seemed to be unfounded.  But then, we spotted one…

In the heart of Ubud, Bali there is sacred ground, home to hundreds of  entertaining and tenacious long-tailed macaques.  If they suspect you carry bananas with you, they will quietly stalk you, waiting for the opportunity to pounce and steal the sweet treasure.  If you do not posses the desired offering any consolation prize will do…perhaps your sunglasses or water bottle will catch their eye.

Indeed, on this visit to Monkey Forest, I saw a worker trying to unclog the fountain that sits along a path in the sanctuary.  As he reached into the drain pipe, he pulled out a pair of glasses,  a slingshot, and a plastic toy–items the monkeys had snatched and hidden.

The monkeys are fun to watch as they play and vie for treats.  As I took a picture of this monkey, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in my lens and was fascinated by what he saw. My camera has no zoom power at all, so I have to get really close to my subjects to get a good portrait.

*A word of advice–>Whatever you do, don’t hide bananas under your shirt or in your pockets.  I’ve seen too many tourists try to get away with this (like the monkeys haven’t seen this a hundred times before), and let’s just say, a hungry monkey will go to any length to get a banana. Any length.  And, there are many humans there with cameras ready to thoroughly document your hazing.  Videos like that are youtube gold.*