Today was the first day I left the area surrounding the bungalow as 18 of us rode with locals on their scooters over 7 butt-numbing hours. We covered a lot of ground, and it was a nice way to see the varying levels of live and work lifestyles in each of the villages we passed through.
"Everyone find your driver and scooter"
Valeria gets a scooter-selfie
Ready to roll
Cruising through villages and jungle
Stop for a quick snack of fried banana crepes
Taman Mumbul Sangeh
Water Temple
Water Temple. Cannot access unless dressed appropriately
An offering to the gods
A family feeding fish
Jatiluwih
At the foot of Mount Batukaru is the largest rice terrace in Indonesia.
Harvesting rice is hard work
"Subak"
A water irrigation system that maintains these terraces and has been used since the 9th century.
Balinese scarecrow
Warding off evil spirits around the cow's shed
Thunder start to crack and roll, a sound uncommon in Indonesia at this time, and not long after, gumball size raindrops started to come down. We sought cover for a moment to ensure everyone was ok with continuing to ride in the rain.
Feeling the tropical rain pelt through my linen clothing caused both a quick sting and yet was incredibly refreshing. Extending my arms to my sides as if I were flying while we cruised on the bikes, life was a solid 10.
Sangeh
Monkey Forest
A sanctuary of grey long-tailed macaques, the nutmeg monkey forest was swarming with these creatures.
Fun Fact:
Women during their periods, or those who are mourning the love of a deceased loved one, are considered by the locals as being in an impure state, thus making access to the sacred site prohibited.
Please only proceed to scroll if you are pure.
They eat all the things, but love peanuts
Nuno receives a visitor
Each of these forests with macaques monkeys has a monkey king, or ruler. The king of this group was twice the size of any other.
The macaques are notoriously mischievous and are pick pockets. If you have anything shiny, expect attention. And do not get aggressive with one, otherwise things escalate quickly. Someone from our group accidentally stepped on one's tail, made a noise, then the dozens surrounding us all started jumping and twitching, making sharp grunts.
The forest is made up of nutmeg trees, rumored to be 300 years old, and was initially planted as a secret. Once news spread, the name became Sangeh, which means "openly known." It's said that attempting to plant this tree elsewhere in the world is almost impossible.
I'll be going back very shortly. Expect more monkeys!
Thank you for reading. :)
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During this whole trip in SE Asia, I'm sharing many of the little moments in my Instagram Stories: @KyleKesterson. Follow & interact!