Vacation to remember

It was the perfect vacation. Elisa had booked their trip to Bali months in advance, found the most idyllic villa overlooking the rice fields, something out of a travel magazine, complete with a private pool and an outdoor shower.

Elisa, her husband Frank, their two children David and Sofia, and Frank’s parents, Jack and Mary, flew all the way from the United States to spend a much-deserved month-long vacation in Indonesia.

They had heard so much about Bali. The lush forests, the breathtaking beaches, and most of all the culture of the Balinese people.

The second they got there, they were swept up in the incredible energy of the island. The aromas of flowers and spices wafted through the air and the sound of the marimbas filled their ears.

Their holiday was off to a great start.

One day, while lounging by the pool, Elisa noticed a small monkey that had made its way onto a tree branch next to the pool. The little brown monkey was chattering away, its tiny fingers probing at the twigs and leaves near it.

“Guys, look! There’s a monkey by the pool!” Elisa shouted, getting the attention of the family. As they all looked over, they quickly realized that the distressed monkey was stuck in a branch.

“You should call the hotel management. They’ll probably have a worker trained to help take care of it,” Mary suggested.

But Elisa wouldn’t dare wait that long. “I’ll go get something to help,” she said, dashing away.

It wasn’t long before she found a small ladder and a fruit picker nearby. With the ladder, she climbed up the tree branch as the monkey watched her curiously.

Little did she know, the monkey was actually a mother, and her infant was hiding away nearby.

As Elisa tried to free the monkey from the tree branch, the monkey’s maternal instinct kicked into overdrive, and she pounced on Elisa, unleashing a barrage of angry screeches.

Elisa, paralyzed with fear, perched on the branch, afraid to make a move. Her family shot into action, where Jack tried using his cane to help get the mother monkey off of Elisa. Frank quickly went to get help, leaving Elisa and the monkey still stuck up in the tree.

David ran to open the door to the villa, when a group of monkeys snatched his phone right out of his pocket.

Finally, a local wildlife guide arrived to assist. “Wow, madam. You could have died! Mother monkeys can be so dangerous.”

Once they had gotten Elisa down, the family all worried about the fate of the monkey and its baby.

When nightfall hit, they were worried, as they heard more screeches from the monkey and noticed the baby was still in hiding.

“This is a huge problem,” Frank said, sharing their concern. As they kept the villa doors closed, they saw a monkey push down the tile on their roof of all places. “Did you see that? They are smart animals!” remarked Jack.

The family spent a sleepless night, worried about everything that could go awry.

In the morning, the family managed to get the junior monkey from the tree, making sure mama was nowhere in sight. All their cell phones and wallets were "liberated" by an interested troop, interested in having revenge for having their member stuck in the clothes line the day before, quick thinking helped them to cling to stray ropes near the villa, so they could hopscotch their way inside.

But the story doesn’t end there. When they returned home, they found out that David captured a video of them trying to get the junior monkey out of the tree. Slowly looking back on this scaring and thrilling day, they were happy about going with the flow and seeing whatever Bali threw their way, even if it came in the form of territorial monkeys.

To Elisa, Frank, David and Sofia, Jack, and Mary, Bali was more than just a vacation. It was an adventure they would never forget.