The Southern route was rarely a point of interest for running. The psyche of initial downhill before finally uphill was pretty tough to start with. The traffic from at the Raya Pengosekan St. from the hotel to Alfamart usually is a mess. But one thing I learn about hardship that it usually is followed with good outcome (or karma, or benefit, whichever you think is appropriate for you).
I ran south, and once I turned right (westward) to Singakerta, the scenery changed. It was amazing. It still downhill from the intersection, but with a lot of beautiful trees. Up until the intersection of Nyuh Gading, you could see a lot of big trees. One of the big building with on your left is Ubud Yoga Center. The story about yoga, yogis, and yoga classes will come in some other article in the future.
Upon entering the Gapura (gate) Nyuh Kuning, all you can see is silence, peace, and a very happy refreshing morning. I stopped so many times to take pictures. I ran up to a community football field and saw school children do gotong-royong (working hand-in-hand) to clean the surroundings of their school. There will be another article about gotong royong also in the future. The Nyuh Gading road, continued by Nyuh Bojog, seemed like a dead end. It is actually not, instead, there is a small alley. A very small one only about 1.5 m (5ft) wide enough for two persons, or two motorcycle. The end of the road, and the little alley is actually encircling the southern side of Monkey Forest.
Known by locals as Wenara Wana (Monkey forest) or Mandala Suci Wenara Wana (Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary), it is located in the Padangtegal Village. Wenara Wana is an effort to expand the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana (there will be another article on this philosophy) to create harmony with nature. This is also in accordance to the belief of Padangtegal people, who owns the Monkey Forest, it is as an important spiritual, economic, educational, and conservation center for the village. The sanctuary covers 12.5 hectares (27 acre) and a home to 605 crab-eating macaques (Macaca fascicularis) (2011 census), they are also known locally as Monyet Bali Ekor Panjang (Balinese Long-Tailed Monkey). Other than monkey, they also has a section of enclosure for Rusa Timor (Rusa timorensis), a deer native to the island of Timor. The sanctuary also a home for 100s plant species native to the area.
There are three temples inside the sanctuary itself, i.e. Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal (The Great Temple of Padangtegal). It is the main temple for the people of Padangtegal and located in the southern part of forest. From the end of Nyuh Bojog Road, you can peek in and saw it from far away. The temple was built for the personification of the God in the form of Shiva, the Destroyer and The Transformer.
The second temple is Pura Beji, in the northeastern part of the sanctuary. It was built for the Goddess Gangga personification of the God (Sang Hyang Widhi). With the holy spring available, the temple usually used for cleansing and purification ceremony.
The last temple is Pura Prajapati. This temple was built to worship the Prajapati form of the Sang Hyang Widhi. Prajapati is the protector and creator. Beside the temple there is burial ground for the deceased before going through Ngaben (the final mass cremation that was held five-yearly). These sacred areas are not open for public except for those who come to pray with proper attires.
The Wenara Wana open daily from 0830 am - 0600 pm with entrance fee as low as IDR 50,000 for adults and IDR 40,000 for children. For further info about the sanctuary you may visit the website at www.monkeyforestubud.com.
I ended the monkey forest trip at the front entrance of the sanctuary. I ran back directly through the monkey forest road and turn right to the south at the Raya Pengosekan Street to NamaStay.
The total distance back from Monkey Forest to NamaStay is only 750 m (820 yard), with a little bit uphill half way. The total distance for the whole loop of run was 3.5 km (2.2 miles). I should have added some more distance. The view was beautiful and I feel too happy with the nature.
