Beware of the Thieving Monkeys @ Uluwatu Temple [Bali]

There's an infamous monkey forest in Ubud, Bali and although i didn't get to visit it, i bet visitors can still get a preview by checking out Uluwatu temple, specifically the end of the long trail in the above photograph.

Honestly, i didn't feel that there were a lot of long-tailed macaques and thought the number was much higher along devil's bend in Singapore. However, unlike the peace-loving monkeys we get in Singapore, the ones in Bali have a different attitude. 

Despite their supposed bored, nonchalant expression, they have the tendency to snatch / steal whatever they fancy; to the extent that a local actually forewarned me before my arrival. Why me? 

Because the monkeys there love spectacles! That's not my glasses, by the way. They were not afraid of strangers; likely the result of humans giving food freely to them. That's why in Singapore, there's a hefty fine if you were found to feed the monkeys in the nature reserve.

In mere seconds, a bag of food appeared from nowhere and the naughty monkey appeared to deliberate if he should forgo one for the other; or to keep both! Being opportunistic, taking both would be the preferred option. 

I don't understand their wide-eyed fascination for glasses! Not as if they were attempting to put them on their nose! I was just thankful it wasn't mine as i couldn't do without my spectacles!

Breathtaking view of the Uluwatu temple in the background.

The gentleman who lost his glasses to the monkey was lucky for two reasons; (1) someone threw the macaque a piece of fruit and it released the spectacles in its haste to catch it. (2) the pair of glasses almost fell down the cliff! 

So rule of thumb - be careful of your belongings when you visit Uluwatu Temple and guard yourself against the thieving long tailed macaques! 

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To know what i did on my 4-day, 3-night Bali trip, click here.