Bali is a great location and I am sure you’ll find plenty of reviews about visiting this lovely spot. A spot in Bali that most travellers visit is Tanah Lot. It has a very unusual temple that people flock to see and photograph especially at sunset or sunrise (see photos).
However, this review is specifically about the monkeys you will meet if you visit. Unfortunately, the monkeys have unintentionally been trained to steal loose items from visitors. By loose items, I mean anything that is easy to grab especially sunglasses.
Over the years, vendors have been selling peanuts for tourist to feed the monkeys. The monkeys have caught on that people will buy the nuts as a lure in exchange for any possessions they (the monkeys) ‘steal’. And so the vicious circle of snatch and grab, and wait for the peanuts. You will find that the vendors very often acts as the go between (hostage negotiator). Obviously, you’ll have to buy their peanuts.
My suggestion is to follow what the vendors do– they carry a stick. That alone is sufficient to deter the monkeys from coming near. I was fast enough to remove my glasses but to slow to prevent one from jumping on me, looking for something else to grab. Only when my colleague picked up a stick did the monkey jumped away.
Don’t get caught out. Follow the signs posted to remove glasses and ear rings etc. Or, carry a stick.
