In an effort to catch up (because there’s so much to show you) I’m throwing 3 trips into one post today. But I have not cut out the good bits so nothing worth seeing has been culled.
Anyway the first trip we did (in this post following Uluwatu) was to the Bali Zoo. Shane and I taxied over to Adrian, Lin and Joy’s hotel and from there we caught a taxi to the Zoo. As we were about to leave Adrian’s landlord decide against allowing them a late checkout so they hurriedly packed their suitcases and left them in the owners office for collection when we returned from the trip.
I’m not normally a fan of zoos however over the years they have become more responsible in the care they give their animals and the environment they are kept in. Bali is no exception and while there is room for improvement they do a pretty good job. Not surprisingly Joy was overjoyed. Apart from a period before we had lunch when she got hot and hungry she was smiling the entire day and rarely showed any signs of fear around the animals. This was never more evident than at the elephants where she hand fed one jumbo without hesitation. The only other thing she attacked with more gusto was an ice cream which she wore most of.
As we moved through the exhibits we had lots of fun. I got to feed a white tiger, Shane got to wear a live parrot hat and Joy made friends with a curious Lemur who inspected her stroller. Joy also loved the petting area where she hand fed some deer, goats and other animals. Fortunately the roof of the sun bear cage was enclosed in wire as Joy would have climbed in if allowed to play with the big ‘teddy bear’. Jacky, the huge male Orangutan was my favourite. Until you are close to these creature you can forget how large they are. Jacky’s hands were humungous and he was a good shot to boot as we found out when he hurled a lump of mud at me hitting my camera/phone. Joy was spellbound by him also. Finally after a feed in the café (where a female lion sized up Joy as a snack with only a pane of glass between them) we headed for a water park within the zoo grounds (free) for a cooling dip before heading home again.
On return to Sanur, Adrian collected his bags and moved in to the Svarna Hotel in the room next to ours. For the next week or so Joy flittered from room to room having a great time with Nanna, Grandy, Dad and Mum and winning over the hotel staff.
A few days later we went on a tour with Aufa (the best tour guide in Bali – Google “Asmara Tour Bali”) where our first stop was the Elephant Cave otherwise known as Pura Goa Gajah. This site is estimated to be almost 1000 years old.
Once at the car park (with the mandatory market/souvenir stalls) you descend down a series of steps to the cave which you can see in the centre rear of the second photo below. If you read the stone in the first picture you’ll get the story. This site is not deluged with tourists (though it is popular) and being in a valley morning is the best time to visit to beat the heat. After you’ve inspected the cave and looked over the first level where the pond and shrines are there is a second gully worth exploring. There’s quite a few stone steps to navigate but it is worth every step. The gully was cool, clear, silent and gorgeous. I was fascinated by the maze of buttress roots spread out for hundreds of meters from the Banyan tree and the pond was beautiful. A short climb up the far side takes you to temple a where people often pray in the coolness of an ancient shrine.
Having to move on we left Elephant Cave for our next stop, Ubud Monkey Forest.
Finally we ended the tour with a visit to the Monkey Forest at Ubud and lunch overlooking the rice terraces of Tegalalang.
The Monkey Forest at Ubud is definitely worth a visit for all who visit Bali. As you walk along the paths throughout the park there are constant shrieks emanating from the (mostly female) visitors. Some are shrieks of laughter. Others shrill cries of fear.
Before you even enter the park you see wild monkeys roaming the streets and clambering over rooves and electrical wires. Once in the park you must ensure that nothing loose is on you and that you have no food, even in your bags, as the monkeys can sniff it out and they will steal ANYTHING they can. Again Joy was our constant centre of attention. She loved the monkeys. That is until one climbed up the front of Lin and on to Joy and wouldn’t get off. Happily that feeling passed quickly and she laughed her head off. Aufa as usual took control of Joy as much as possible so we could enjoy the park worry free and we all had a terrific time.
After an hour or so here it was time for lunch so we made our way back to the car and on to the rice paddy terraces of Tegalalang where lunch at a Cliffside café awaited us. We took the obligatory photos and ate lunch before driving back to Sanur.
On the way back Adrian commented to Aufa about the number of silver jewellery shops beside the road. That was enough for Aufa to pull over at one of the outstanding stores which as you can see was spectacular. The staff took us under to shop to the ‘factory’ where the silver jewellery was created from scratch. Have a close look at the last few pictures and notice the statues and creations that abound this shop. We had to pose for the last two photo’s. Who wouldn’t?
Well that’s it for this post. Keep watching. There’s much more to come with Joy, Adrian and Lin before they shoot off to China and Shane and I pop up to Singapore for a 4 day visa run.
Cheers from Garry and Shane.