I wanted to see the monkey forest of Uluwatu Temple because of a beautiful shot of a monkey perched on top of a post, with the cliff and beautiful blue sea as its backdrop. So it was part of our itinerary on our second trip to Bali.
Alright this isn't the exact one, but it will have to do because I can no longer find the actual pic =P It's a lil' monkey watching the sunset, isn't it cute?
(image: Vin and Pri’s Credit Crunch Escape)
Our fab friend Ted, who also happens to contribute to an Indonesian travel magazine, also told us we must watch the Kecak Dance in Uluwatu. Perfect – it will be two monkeys with one stone!We got there quite early at about 4pm because we wanted to take some pics and get good seats. Things to note:
- Take off your glasses, shades, dangling jewelry or any food in your bag or pockets before you enter – the monkeys are known to aggressively steal them from you. You’ll either have to pay one of the locals to get it back for you or, even worse, you wont ever see it again.
- There is an entrance fee to go into the Uluwatu Temple compound (Rp 3,000)
- If you are wearing something short, you will have to borrow a sarong for a fee. We didn’t need this because my husband’s shorts were covering his knees, and my skirt was quite long. They just gave us long pieces of cloth to tie around our waist (for free). When asked what it was for, they said it was a sign of respect. (Can anyone confirm this for me?)
- There’s also a fee for watching the Kecak Dance (Rp 70,000). Be sure to get one of the pamphlets with the summary of the story so you can refer to it while watching the show. It comes in many different languages.
The Uluwatu Temple perched on a steep cliff
This is the view as you walk towards the Kecak Dance stage
The stage is perfectly situated. Sunset serves as a dramatic backdrop.
One day I'd like to go there
The dance started at around 5 pm
The 50 or so men serve as the choir and props of the story. The vocal chant "Cak ke-cak ke-cak ke-cak ke-cak..." changes pace with the mood of the story. It is quite riveting.
The dance tells the story of Ramayana
The monkey provides comic relief to the story
Often interacting with the audience and making us laugh
As the story gets more intense...
...so does the sunset!
It ends with an exciting fire dance, that leaves the audience's pulse racing.
After the performance the dancers stay so audience members can get their picture taken with them. But we rushed out to try to get a picture of the monkeys. Too bad the light was quite low already and with all the people rushing out, it was hard to get a clean shot. Next time, I'm going to forgo the performance for better pics of the monkeys!
[…] You should arrive early to get good seats (2 or 3rd from the bottom at the center). Click here to see pictures. There are also other Kecak dances all over the island, make sure to get the […]