Monkeys are a very popular tourist attraction in Thailand. People enjoy watching and feeding them but should be careful, because monkeys can be very clever and steal food and belongings.
When you visit the monastery overlooking the thinnest part of in Prachuap Khiri Khan take a stick, a very big stick, and a word of advice – it ‘aint going to be for walking.
Above all, do not do what I did. That’s put your cash and your camera in the bag of bananas that you have bought to feed the monkeys. The monkeys are thieves – and they don’t just want one banana, they want the bag.
At first I was puzzled why the banana seller gave me a stick. I was young, fit and able, why did I need a walking stick? But it soon transpired the so-called stick was for other reasons entirely.
I had barely set foot on the first of the 365 steps to the temple – which overlooks the Burmese mountains and Thai bay – when I was lynched by hundreds of hairy hungries. Some with babies slung round their bellies, some small and skinny, but most, huge with big, pointy teeth.
It didn’t take long for the daddy of all monkeys to grab the bag. The immediate problem was that I had given my ‘walking stick’ to my companion. I had to resort to desperate measures. I vaulted the railings and chased the flea-ridden filcher.
Tiptoeing closer, I spotted him under a tree going through his booty. There was nothing else for it (without the stick) – I had to ping a tree branch in his face.
This is something not to be entered into lightly faced with a monkey twice the average size and big enough to give you a very nasty bite. As I found out, this breed of monkeys don’t recognize commands like ‘shoo’, ‘sit’ and ‘stay’. I got winded with as I gave what I thought was an authoritative ‘bad monkey’, when a grey-head jumped off a post and used both feet to bounce off my belly.
Fortunately for me, this massive monkey recoiled from the blow from the branch and dropped the bag with my belongings. He made off with the bananas though, disappearing into the undergrowth, bald bum in the air.
Moral of the story, if you visit the Monkey Temple in Prachuap Khiri Khan take the stick with you. Just don’t be scared off from seeing sunset from the top. Located about 175 miles south of Bangkok, this monastery is magic. The bats that circle the top at dusk are testament to that.
Photo of monkey in Prachuap Khiri Khan originally posted by Nicolai Bangsgaard
Topic: How to Tuesday |
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Tags: safety tips
About the author
Sarah is a freelance writer who has contributed articles to the Bangkok Post and Untamed Travel. She is now writing for Cosmotourist online.
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