Capturing the Moment

 For our last Bali adventure with Ed and Jamie we headed inland for a little culture, beautiful rice terraces, monkeys, good eating, and shopping in the art town of Ubud. Heidi and I had been here back in 2014 and even though it is away from the surf and dive scene we still had a great time. The massages are cheap, think $5 for an hour massage, there is a great walk set up through the many rice terraces that surround the town, and the center of town is a vibrant spot filled with art, shops, shrines, and restaurants.  The lack of rain could be seen in a lot of the dry rice fields although there were still a couple places where the fields were lush, green, and picturesque. We saw lots of ducks and skinks in the fields but no snakes like last time. By the time I morning walk was done the sun was beating down hard and hot. Heidi and I escaped it by heading to the pool while Ed and Jamie continued into the Monkey Forest where they had some very up close encounters with th...

  We kept hearing about the monkey forest in Ubud, Indonesia. Apparently it is a temple complex where monkeys are safe and fed. It is about a ten minute walk from the city center of Ubud. I was a bit skeptical at first because of my encounters with these same species of monkeys, called crab-eating macaques, at another temple down south in Uluwatu. At that temple the macaques will jump on you and steal your sunglasses as well as picking your pockets. Sometimes they give the glasses back in exchange for food, other times they are lost to the Balinese monkey gods.   As usual my curiosity got the better of me so Heidi and I found ourselves paying the $3 entry fee to enter to the fabled monkey forest. Our instincts paid off as these monkeys have yet to learn the art of thievery and are just going about their own thing. Lots of adorable baby monkeys watched us with their little eyes as they clutched to their mothers. At one point a monkey gathering happened in the center circl...

Ancient Statue Balinese Temple   For me Bali is the ultimate adventure getaway. You can immerse yourself into an ancient and mysterious culture, the scuba diving is world class, the waves are warm and some of the best in the world for surfing, the food is delicious, everything is inexpensive, and the people are very nice. The only drawback I can think of is the fact that Bali is a long way from pretty much anywhere, unless you are Australian. But that may be why it has retained such an exotic aura. Into the mouth of the elephant cave temple Shrine at night   After some amazing flights in business class with fully reclining seats and six course meals, Heidi and I landed in Denpasar. This is Bali's busy capital in the southeast part of the island. Wanting to steer clear of the moped choked streets we jumped in a taxi headed for Ubud. Located north and inland of Denpasar, Ubud is the cultural and artistic center of Bali. Traditional dances are held nightly and t...