Monkey business

Monkey business got a whole new meaning for us when we visited the Ulu Watu temple in Bali.

At the gates of the big seaside gardens of the temple complex we were firmly warned to keep our bags, cameras, glasses and other things safe in case they are grabbed by the monkeys. We were also told and later reminded by many signs around the temple that the monkeys could get aggressive and feeding them was not a good idea. That’s why it was surprising to see some people selling little portions of fruits and nuts to feed the monkeys around the gardens. After all the warnings none of the tourists seemed to dare to do that anyway but then we realized the fruits were a part of a more sophisticated business.

While we were enjoying the views of the high cliffs by the main temple we were aware that many monkeys were scrutinizing us in case we were carrying something interesting. That’s when we heard someone scream. A monkey had grabbed the glasses from the eyes of a Japanese tourist and was sitting on a rock by the high cliff staring back at us. One of the kids who were selling fruits quickly approached the owner of the glasses and asked if he needs his help to retrieve his glasses. Then he jumped on the rocks and approached the monkey waving a little bag of fruits towards him. The monkey holding the glasses tight on one hand approached the boy, and grabbed the fruit before the boy could snap and take the glasses back. Then he went a bit further where he felt safely away from the reach of any humans and ate his fruit, still holding the glasses on one hand. When he was finished he came back within the reach of the boy and got another portion of fruit. This scene repeated few more times while the boy got closer to the deadly heights of the rocky cliff, trying to imitate the agility of his rival. When the monkey was finally bored of the game or filled with fruit he let the boy take the glasses which were a mess of crushed metal with one lens missing. Nevertheless the boy was paid for his fruits and was tipped for his heroics.

This is the way we learned what the monkey mind was capable of. They had silently made a business deal with the fruit sellers of the temple and although it was surely a monkey business, it was profitable for everyone but the unsuspecting tourists.