Photos of Thailand: Monkey Business

Lopburi is a small, quiet town with a long and very rich history, but its small human population is augmented by a healthy and happy population of our little buddies, monkeys.

Rhesus Macaque monkey to be specific, and they enjoy all the freedoms and community accessibility of any Thai citizens and are subsequently the subject of any photos of Thailand.

Lopburi, Thailand “The Monkey Temple”
(Photo by Ilsphet Del Mar)

This all goes back to the pagoda there.  No one is really sure where they came from, but as far as anyone knows there have always been monkeys hanging around the place.

People believe that they were the servants of the holy man who had originally used the pagoda as his base of operations, and, since it is a very magical place, they have unquestioningly decided not to get involved in any monkey business.

The general acceptance of the monkeys as a part of the community has gone so far that rhesus wander the city as humans, stopping at food stalls to see what’s cooking, lounging in the shade on hot days when work is scarce, and joining in at feasts and celebrations like the Chinese New Year, even being offered little bits of angpao around that time of year.  This is all makes for unbearably cute photos of Thailand.

There is one problem, however:  rhesus monkeys, with all of their human-like qualities, can also fall victim to vice and be reduced to petty crime.  They have been known to slip down to the pub in the evenings and beg or steal a couple of drinks and a smoke.

And just like their friendly human Thai counterparts, they have a great love for practical joking and physical humor.  It is best to look up from time to time as they love throwing things, some of them unspeakably foul, from perches in trees and on buildings.

Many people, having thought their photos of Thailand would make great keepsakes and conversation starters when they got home have been delighted to find that the monkeys love to be in front of the camera and will ham it up like professional comedians.  Do be warned, however, that the some monkeys are in dire financial straits, and they will make off with your camera.

A friend of mine thought her best photo of Thailand would be the one she took of a monkey.  Tragically, she tried to take the picture with her phone which the monkey seized and took off into the trees with.  She called many times, but the hairy little thief never answered the call.

Note: This was No. 3 Winner of our Photo Contest Amaze Me Thailand No. 4 2011. The picture is taken by Ilsphet Del Mar.