Monkey business threatens US president’s Bali visit
The last week in June may be a good time to avoid Bali if – as predicted – US President Barack Obama pays a visit to the island at that time.
The island is expected to be in a security lockdown as the president’s entourage – including a swathe of secret service officials – visits key sites.
Bali Update (www.balidiscovery.com) says the Uluwatu area on the island’s southern peninsula is getting a spruce up in anticipation of Obama’s arrival.
Local leader the Regent of Badung wants the airport, hotels and other elements that come into contact with the US President to use the opportunity to showcase Balinese culture.
“I hope Obama will not only come to Uluwatu as a tourist, but also encounter the special ambience of the sacred temple by witnessing the daily religious rituals of the Balinese,†he said.
The regent has devised a strategy for dealing with the maraudering monkeys who populate the temple.
He has suggested the monkeys be seduced with large amounts of food in the three days prior to Obama’s visit.
If his plan to pay off the monkeys fails, extra guards will be placed at the site to keep the “snatch and run” monkeys – who will grab cameras, pens, mobile phones and glasses from temple tourists – a respectable distance from the group of official visitors.
Ian Jarrett
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