monkeys

while in bali we went to a place called monkey forest.  it is a large sanctuary in the middle of the city where wild monkeys live.  people can walk through the forest and explore while watching monkeys go about their daily routines.  

before entering the forest there are tables set up with women selling bananas for people to buy and feed the monkeys.  since monkeys are ryan's favorite animal, we thought we had better have a real encounter with them.

we were warned that the monkeys can be very aggressive if you have food, or they think you have food.  at one point i took off my earrings and opened my back pack to put the earrings inside and a monkey must have thought that i had food, so he quickly climbed onto my shoulders and hung out for a few minutes.

since visiting the forest, we have a new running joke in our family.  it goes something like this: "hey, remember that time we went to bali and had the most relaxing vacation ever, except for when ryan got rabies."

yes, it's true.  the monkey sitting on ryan's shoulders in the picture below bit him on the head and neck because ryan wasn't giving the monkey all his bananas.  he was throwing some bananas at a smaller monkey a few feet away who looked very hungry.  apparently it's a known monkey forest fact that the larger monkeys have first dibs.

shortly after our monkey forest visit, we went to the hospital so that ryan could get rabies shots, just to be safe.

despite the whole rabies thing, i would still recommend visiting the monkey forest.  just don't feed the smaller monkeys first if there are larger monkeys present.

bali bed and breakfast

in bali we stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast.  we originally didn't want to stay anywhere too extravagant in order to save some money, but after we arrived at the sunti villa and resort we realized that it was more than we expected.  open spaces, lovely views and the sound of the breeze made it one of the most serene places we have stayed.  our room had an amazing view of rice fields, a spacious deck and a window from our bathroom to our bedroom.  breakfast was pretty good as well.  every morning we had a choice between a traditional balinese breakfast of fried rice or noodles with meat and vegetables or an american breakfast of toast, eggs, meats, jam, fresh fruit and smoothies.  

a taste of bali

balinese cuisine is packed with flavor and spice, yet it is simple without trying too hard.  it seems that most restaurants we went to had the same items on the menu, but all of which had different sauces combined with a different variety of side dishes.

meat, meat, meat.  someone once told me that bali is known for its arrangement of meats and spices; more specifically duck.  we ate some of the best meat we have ever had in bali.

aside from the menus, it seemed that every restaurant in ubud was told they had to make the most beautiful atmosphere ever known.  the reason i say this is because i have never been to more beautiful restaurants in my life.  every restaurant had an outdoor atmosphere with a ceiling and a floor, but no walls.  this way the consumers could take in the beauty of the rolling hills, fountains, ponds, lily pads, flowers and rice fields that surrounded them on all sides.

here are some pictures from our favorite restaurants.

bali part 1: bali offerings

we went to bali, indonesia last week and enjoyed the most relaxing vacation possible.  we were surrounded by a lush green oasis accompanied by the warm sun, a cool breeze, massages, yoga and wonderful balinese food.

every day as we walked around town we would almost trip over beautiful offerings created by the locals and placed in front of their stores on the sidewalks for good luck and wealth for the day.  these offerings ranged between flowers, rice, incense, crackers, candy, and sometimes all of the above placed in a bamboo or leaf bowl.