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The pace of our exploration here in Bali has been slower. Whether it is the overall atmosphere (laid back) or that maybe we're just tired, I'm not sure. It is not a bad thing - I enjoy the hours by the pool and strolling for meals at whatever we stumble across. My stomach has not reacted well to the cuisine here either and I'm not even drinking the water like I normally would despite warnings. This has not stopped me from eating everything in sight, however.
Yesterday, we ventured to the Bali Zoo and Monkey Forest. The first thing we do in Bali Zoo is have lunch. The restaurant itself is in the center of the lion's den and a mother and her 3 cubs are lounging right by our table. The zoo has a lot of different animals than home; many endangered or threatened and native to Indonesia. It was fun to see different species that I've never seen before. Many of the exhibits are not fenced; for example, the lemurs are roaming around in the bird aviary alongside us. One breed of monkey has its own island with tree houses that aren't enclosed either. A group of people walked by us smoking cigarettes and these monkeys threw something at them. I don't know what prompted these monkeys to throw fruit at them, maybe it really was a real-life PSA...or maybe monkeys are just a******s.
Monkey Forest was a #1 on our list of things to do this trip, and it didn't disappoint. First off, I can confirm what I suspected at Bali Zoo: monkeys are little a******s. Yes, they're cute and small and furry, but they're a******s. You're heavily warned prior to entering NOT to make eye contact with them, especially the adult males or adult females with children - it is seen as you challenging them. The males are giant jerks and the females are instinctively very protective of their young. They will reach into your pockets, they will take your stuff, and you're told in advance as well that you may get scratched if they leap on you.
The very first thing that occurs is a monkey takes Wilder's bottle. Not only does this monkey refuse to give it back, it hisses off at a small pack of monkeys that approach it. This draws quite a crowd of people enjoying watching a monkey try to get in to an Aventi bottle - even Wilder thought it was amusing. Eventually, the monkey gives up and tosses it aside in favor of a small banana and we continue. We purchase quite a lot of little bananas to feed them. Kristine sticks one in her pocket only to find her pocket empty a short while later - monkeys are slick.
It takes Georgia a bit to work up the nerve to not throw a banana the other way as a monkey approaches, but after both Kristine and I are climbed on, she allows a baby to climb up her. Despite warnings, the monkeys are actually very gentle and soft when they climb up you to the banana. They're surprisingly light too. One monkey took a seat on my shoulder and disposed of the banana peel on my chest. Then, proceeded to eat the banana in my ear. Banana chewing noises give me the heebie-jeebies, but I guess I can give the little monkey a onetime pass.
The car and driver we rented for the day was well worth the price. They take us anywhere we ask, provide assistance with the kids as well, and were with us for 8 hours. All this for about $75, which included a large tip. This isn't me being Beyonce again either - it is absolutely the way to go when travelling with kids.
Tomorrow is our last full day here on vacation before our long flight back.
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