#18175 Getting Frisked in the Forest in Ubud, Bali

As you walk into Ubud’s Sacred Monkey Forest, you may be so stunned by the hordes of monkeys that you forget about the banana you bought at the entrance. Entranced by their proximity, out comes your camera to snap the baby clinging to its mother’s belly on your right, the two mates lounging as they groom each other on your left. Your reverie lasts until the alpha male behind you jumps up your torso, onto your shoulder and—before inducing complete panic—grabs the banana out of your hand and jumps off. After your bananas are gone, walk around the temple where the monkeys bathe, enjoying the peaceful cool of the verdant grounds and the almost-human dramas that unfold before your eyes. The sanctuary feels like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, but with friendly Balinese guides who wait around to keep the humans, and sometimes the monkeys, under wraps.