Uluwatu Monkey Temple, Bali

Those are my sun glasses!

Myles and Jack on the precipice

   A nice trip to get some Balinese culture turned into a wild treasure hunt when one of the temple monkeys took a swipe at my eyes, snatching my sunglasses right off my face, and bolting into the thorny bush side. We finally got them back after the monkey dropped them and we doubled our caution around these little thieving pickpockets.

Cliff hanging temple at Uluwatu

Cute face, Cunning Thief

  The temple at Uluwatu (Pura Uluwatu) was built in the 11th century. While not as big or majestic as some other temples in Bali, the location, atop a huge sea cliff, is a sight to behold. Upon entering we had to don purple sarongs so we would be properly dressed. We quickly found out that the temple is overrun with monkeys. Since they are considered descendants of the famous monkey god they are protected and fed here at the temple. However behind the cute face lies a cunning thief. They have learned to pickpocket, grab hats and purses, and as I found out, rip sunglasses right off your face. They can usually be persuaded to exchange their prize for some food, however this just encourages more thievery in the future.
  After walking through the temple and stopping at incredible overlooks we came across a freshwater pool where a large group of monkeys were cooling off. I was amazed to see monkey not just jumping in the water, but actually swimming underwater for long periods of time. It was just the younger monkeys doing this but they would stay under for quite a while. Every once in a while a monkey would venture over to where we were sitting and search for something to steal. We were on to their game by this time though so we remained unscathed.

Colors of Uluwatu Temple

Entrance to the inner grounds

  One of my favorite things about this temple is standing on the cliff's edge, watching huge waves roll in below. They would be a surfer's delight but are totally inaccessible except by boat. 400ft cliffs separate you from any beach access. After seeing these waves we hurried back to our place in Padang Padang and caught some of the best waves of the trip so far at a break called Impossibles. Some of the bigger waves had 10ft peaks and an overhead wall that steamed left for what felt like forever. All three of us had big, long waves and finished our surfing in Bali with the biggest smiles.

Jack feeling the monkey on his back

This monkey pulled off the green velcro strap

Snorkeling monkeys!

Monkey stare down. He wins.