A beautiful red dragonfly in Bali

               

This particular red dragonfly we saw in Bali

Unfortunately, I couldn`t find more information on this dragonfly

Dragonflies are among the fastest flying insects in the world

Dragonflies can fly backwards, change direction in mid-air and hover for up to a minute

Dragonflies are major predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, wasps, and very rarely butterflies

They are usually found around marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic

About 300 different species of dragonflies (Odonata) are known in the world

Though dragonflies are predators, they themselves are subject to being preyed upon by birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, fish, water bugs, and even other large dragonflies

There was a big crab in the garden in Lovina Beach

                  

The son of the gardener (of the villa we rented) called us to take a look

He had caught a big crab 

After we filmed the crab, he brought him to sea

Some species are found mainly on land, usually in moist forests

For reproduction crabs depending on surface water

The larvae of crabs are microscopic and live as plankton in the open sea

The adult crabs live almost always on the sea bottom

There are about 8,600 described species, found scattered all over the world

Snorkeling and diving at Menjangan island (near Bali and Java) ... one of the best-preserved coral reefs in the area

         

Click on the photo to enlarge

In Lovina we arranged, at a dive center, a trip to Menjangan island to go snorkeling

After a ride of 2 hours and 45 minutes we arrived at the port

If you want to dive or snorkel in a pristine area you must be at Menjangan Island

Around this island there are several diving areas, each with its own underwater world

The best spot is probably Anchor Wreck named after the rusty anchor on the rock

The last boat to Menjangan Island departs at 11:00 o'clock in the morning

At the "Menjangan restaurant" you can change clothes

All the rules you must follow if you want to snorkel or dive

After a journey of half an hour on a troubled sea, we arrived at the

back of the Menjangan island

Here the sea was calm and the water very clear ...a great snorkeling spot

So many different types of coral and fish we hadn`t seen before

We got one hour to snorkel and then we had to come on board for a hot meal

After the meal we went to another snorkel spot

Here it was deeper (about 5-6 meters) and we saw other species of coral and fish

I can definitely recommend this place if you want to snorkel

At the left Menjangan island and in the distance Java

The Menjangan island is considered to be an important part of the local tourism industry, because its marine fauna incorporates one of the best-preserved coral reefs in the area

All scuba-diving shops arrange daily trips to the island

Menjangan Island is a small island, located 5 miles to the north-west of Bali island and is part of the Indonesian archipelago

"Menjangan" in Indonesian means "Deer"

The name was given by the local population observing wild deer herds swimming to the island every spring and covering a distance of approx 1.2 miles

Even though the island is a significant part of Bali Barat National Park, it is assigned to the Javanese administrative district and falls under its jurisdiction

On the island is a Buddhist monastery where still live a few monks

Furthermore, the island is uninhabited

Unfortunately, the island is full of waste left by tourists

Sail to Bali..

Padangtegal Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana "Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary" in Ubud

                 

The Ubud Monkey Forest is a nature reserve and temple complex in Ubud, Bali

Its full name as written on a welcome sign is the

Padangtegal Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

The complex houses approximately 605 Crab-eating Macaque

(Macaca fascicularis) monkeys

There are four groups of monkeys each occupying different territories in the park

The Sacred Monkey Forest is a popular tourist attraction in Ubud, and is often

visited by over 10,000 tourists a month

The forest comprises approximately a tenth of a square kilometer and

contains at least 115 different species of trees

The Monkey Forest contains the Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal temple as well

as a "Holy Spring" bathing temple and another temple used for cremation ceremonies

The Monkey Forest is owned by the village of Padangtegal, and village members serve on the Monkey Forest's governing council

The Padangtegal Wenara Wana Foundation manages the Monkey Forest and serves to maintain its sacred integrity and to promote the sacred site as a destination for visitors

The forest has been populated by monkeys in greater numbers than an environment undisturbed by humans would allow for a number of years, with the

population density now higher than ever

The visitor will notice the interesting phenomenon of numerous obese monkeys, a testament to the almost unbounded food supply the huge number of tourists entering in and near the forest provide

Tourists are bitten by monkeys daily and numerous of these attacks can be can found by a key word searches on YouTube

If the demanded food is readily provided the monkeys will usually not,

although occasionally will, bite the human owner

If the demanded food is not provided quickly enough, one or more of

the monkeys will certainly bite the human owner

Numerous bites occur because humans are not quick enough in

producing a desired food item

Monkey bites are a very serious medical event given the variety ofviruses monkeys

carry that can be transferred to humans

For example, Herpes B virus is very prevalent in crab eating macaques, should be assumed to be very prevalent in the populations in Ubud Monkey Forest,

and frequently causes death in humans