The cultural side of Bali

When people hear of Bali, the first thing that comes to mind are the incredible beaches. Well, that's true but there is a cultural side to Bali most who visit never have a chance to experience. This past Monday, I hired a driver to take me to some of the more educational sites. We began with a visit to a monkey park where you can buy peanuts and bananas to feed them.

There are caretakers all around keeping an eye on things but the alpha-male in the pack decided I wasn't feeding him enough so he jumped onto my shoulder from a tree above and scratched me on my shoulder until a keeper batted him away. Needless to say, I had to get antibiotics because who knows where his hand was last! Following this experience, I went on to tour several local temples including Tanah Lot, an absolutely breathtaking temple built on a huge rock in the sea. Thankfully there were no more monkeys in sight. Click here to see more photos from this off-the-beaten path excursion.