Sunday, March 25, 2007

Bali Mokey Business - Uluwatu Temple

While recently visiting Asia to shoot panoramic images for Panoramic Earth.com I found myself coming face to face with the Macaque monkeys of Uluwatu Temple.

Uluwatu Temple is on the southern end of Bali, situated on high cliffs and, as it turned out, inundated with monkeys. These are considered sacred and honoured residents of the temple and as such roam freely around the compound.

Being very used to humans, naturally inquisitive and totally un-shy, They also have a habit of knicking anything that is not tied down, be it a water bottle, hat or pair of glasses.
Shortly after this picture was taken, a scream from an assaulted tourist confirmed the fact as she was relieved of her straw hat. The monkeys at Uluwatu are considered sacred, and therefore allowed to roam the site and hassle the tourists freely. Of course, it is possible to buy some food from a number of vendors to entice the monkeys close. Not, it seems, that the food is needed for this purpose, but it may placate the animals and afford some temporary protection.

The panoramic images taken form Uluwatu Temple and other places in Bali will shortly be available on the new version of Panoramic Earth, to be launched in the near future.

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