Monkey Mania

Throwback Thursday to one of the most unforgettable (and unexpected) moments from our Bali adventures…

We were staying in this beautiful villa in Uluwatu. The kids were so little—our youngest was only about 8 months old. Hubby had gone out for an early morning surf, and I was soaking up the peace and quiet by the pool, watching the kids play. It was one of those calm, golden moments where everything just feels perfect.

Then… out of nowhere… a monkey appeared. It climbed right over the concrete wall beside the pool and perched itself like it belonged there. I thought, aww how cute!—a real little Bali moment.

But then came another.And another.And another.

Within seconds, we were surrounded. And not just any monkeys—these ones had attitude. The leader of the pack didn’t waste any time. It leapt from the wall to a nearby tree, made its way into our outdoor living area like a seasoned intruder, and casually entered the kitchen. I’m not kidding—it unscrewed the lid off our peanut butter jar like it had done it a hundred times before.

At this point, the "aww cute" moment had well and truly passed. It was full-blown monkey mayhem. The others started following the leader, swarming the area like it was feeding time at the zoo. I told the kids to run straight to the bedroom and lock the door. Meanwhile, I bolted to the office screaming for help.

Security came running—with a slug gun! Clearly, this was not the first time this had happened. I led him back to the villa, breathless, pointing wildly like some mad woman from a comedy movie. He fired a warning shot into the air, and just like that, the monkeys scattered. Gone.

Hubby came back from his peaceful surf, all sun-kissed and chilled out, only to be met with a chaotic monkey recap and peanut butter carnage.

We didn’t see a single monkey for the rest of the week. But the story? Oh, the kids still talk about it like it was yesterday. It’s one of those holiday memories we’ll never, ever forget.