In the heart of Ubud, Bali, a group of Macaque Monkeys lives in the sacred monkey forest.

More on the Monkey Forest from MonkeyForestUbud.com:

The Sacred Monkey Forest of Padangtegal is owned by the village of Padangtegal. Village members serve on the Sacred Monkey Forest’s governing council (The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation). The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation has historically strived to develop and implement management objectives that will both maintain the sacred integrity of the monkey forest and promote the monkey forest as a sacred site that is open to visitors from around the world.

A few pics from my time there:

First of all, the monkeys like bananas. I arrived in the early morning, and had intended to buy a bunch of bananas and eat them myself as my own breakfast, while I peacefully watched the monkeys. However, as soon as I walked into the forest with my bananas, the monkeys were all over me, and stole all of my bananas before I could eat them myself. Lesson learned.

The monkeys hang out all day, and are fairly accustomed to human visitors. However sometimes, they need their own space.

In addition to monkeys, the actual grounds of the forest are beautiful – Hilary and I spent the morning exploring the hidden temples, streams, waterfalls, and alcoves hidden all around the forest.