Working across from the Monkey Forest & Ubud temples
We have decided that we are going to get a month's worth of work space access at Hubud (the main remote work hub here in Ubud). Josh has so far used it a little bit more often than I do (I quite like working from anywhere, and not necessarily always at the same place), however it is so great and I am excited to have a space like this to come into. There is a little cafe here and it looks out over some rice fields. I initially was cautiously optimistic about buying a month pass for myself, but honestly it is so worth the money. It's nice working in the same space as other expats and getting to have a designated place to really focus when we need to. The whole place is constructed using bamboo, which is so cool and unique. It is maybe ten minutes scooter ride to get there from our villa (if that). We love it.
There is also this great little wall on the stairs leading up to the second level where you can get your polaroid taken and write down your profession and contact details, so others can get in contact if they want to reach out about your work. It is a great little networking tool. And then there are the monkeys (yes, you read that right!). The work space is on the other side of the street that houses a main entrance into the Monkey Forest. So, as you can likely imagine, the monkeys are not at all shy about running along the roof of the work space, or even being cheeky and trying to steal your food or wallet if you are working in the outside courtyard next to the rice fields! It is such a great little space, and everyone is so friendly.
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."
Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past
Because we work so close to the Monkey Forest itself, we have approached the Monkey Forest from the perspective of "its so close, we can go later". Until yesterday. We finished work just early enough that we could make a quick trip through the forest. I don't think that either of us really realised just how big the forest actually is, so honestly we probably didn't even see the entire thing. Even so, it was so cool to see the forest for ourselves. There is a sign as you enter telling you not to feed, taunt or even look the monkeys in the eyes (yes, really!). The trees are so lush and the forest is peppered with amazing stone statues, structures and ornate temples. And then the monkeys came. We were there at feeding time, so there were groups of anywhere between ten to thirty monkeys (that we could see...they blend into the trees!) chilling out and getting their afternoon feed.
When we were walking down along the forest's deep valley downwards, it finally happened. A little monkey ran at a guy with a camera, reached right down into his pocket and took off with his camera lense! Luckily, a man who worked at the forest saw this and made a loud noise to the monkey, at which point the little guy promptly dropped the lense and ran off. I feel like if we had gone to the forest at the start of our trip, it might have made a bigger impression. By the time we did go, we were honestly so used to monkeys that it was not as intense an experience for us as it was for some of the other people there. Even so, this was such a cool little adventure, and well worth doing if you are in Ubud. Just make sure to protect your belongings, don't look at the monkeys in the eye and you will be right as rain!
