Uluwatu - Dance and Mischievous Monkeys in the Temple (Bali Part 10)

After a relaxing morning at the hotel, we drove to Uluwatu Temple in the afternoon. It is located on a 70-meter-high cliff above the sea and was built in the 11th century.

Before the visit, our tour guide warned us not to bring sunglasses, hats, or similar items into the temple, as mischievous monkeys roam around there.

In the sacred area inaccessible to visitors, we saw a monkey that had fled there with its stolen sunglasses.

The monkeys here seemed to be even better fed than their counterparts that we had seen elsewhere in Bali. Apparently, they often steal the food that visitors unknowingly bring into the temple...

Our tour guide urged us to go to the seating area for the Kecak dance performance. It was already quite crowded when we arrived, so we were placed on the stairs. More and more spectators streamed into the open-air theater and later sat on the floor and behind the stage. Apparently, there are no regulations in Indonesia regarding maximum capacity and escape routes - or they simply don't interest anyone...

This Kecak dance originated in the 1930s and is performed exclusively by men without musical accompaniment. They create rhythm and song with their voices while sitting in a circle and moving their bodies to the music.

During our performance, the story of Rama and Sita from the Ramayana was told, a tragic love story in which the white monkey Hanuman appears as a helper. This section of the story was also depicted with the help of additional dancers.

After the performance, we had dinner. The originally planned restaurant was fully booked, so we were allowed to dine at "La Cuca," listed in the Michelin Guide.

At the airport, we encountered the first major shock of our trip: at check-in, we were told that we couldn't fly to Cairns because our ticket wasn't fully paid.

We had booked all the tickets through the Karawane travel agency, so we were informed that only they could pay the amount due for a supposed change. After two hours of phone calls and emails, we were able to initially pay the difference with our credit card on the spot, so we could still catch our flight.