Balinese Temples, Coffee and Monkeys – Oh My!
Today we were off for a little history & culture as well as learn about coffee and exploring the famed monkey forest in Ubud.
As with all full day tours, we headed off nice and early with our private driver and minivan.
Our first destination was the Batuan Temple. This was an impressive Hindu temple, one of three major temples in this area. Out of respect and local custom, we were asked to wear sarongs as we entered the gates, and wandered through the grounds, surrounded by many shrines covered in intricate stone carvings – so much artwork with amazing detail.
We then headed off to the Teba Sari Bali Agrotourism, a plantation which specialised in Kopi Luwak coffee. This exclusive type of coffee consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten then defecated by the Asian palm civet – a small carnivorous mammal. Sounds bizarre, but as these animals are very fussy eaters; they select only the very best coffee cherries. The coffee produced is delicious and one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Crazy but true!
Our last stop was to visit the famed Monkey Forest in Ubud. Having visited Bali many times before, I was always reluctant to visit this place, mainly worried about being attacked by the monkeys – I have heard stories! I was pleasantly surprised as it was like walking through a rainforest garden, with asphalted walking paths zigzagging in different directions, and plenty of places to watch and observe the monkeys from a reasonable distance. The key thing was to not have food in your hand or shiny objects as they are very quick at grabbing things if you get too close. I must admit, the monkeys were very cute!
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