Monkeys monkeys everywhere

Rebecca, you'll be proud of me -- I got off the train in Lopburi last night to see the monkeys.

For those of you who don't know about Lopburi, it is a smallish town in Central Thailand with some mildly interesting ruins, a train station, and monkeys. I planned to go straight to Bangkok on the train, but looking out the window at the train station I noticed dozens of monkeys swarming over an old wat near the train tracks. So I got off the train, befriended some guys from Holland, and found a hotel for the night.

In the search for dinner I saw my first Thai monkeys up-close. They come in all shapes and sizes -- small, lanky, round, furry, and hairless. The ling (monkey in Thai language) were hanging out on the electric and phone wires, on the tops of cars, and even on various buildings around town. Apparently they are a big tourist attraction (although a big annoyance...they bite and steal) so the city will not kill them. Plus it is very un-Buddhist to kill animals. Thus the monkeys have a happy existence, hanging out in the ruined wat during the day and in the town at night.

After a few too many beers with the guys from the Netherlands, I dragged myself out of bed the next morning to see the monkey temple and catch an early train to Bangkok. Here is a photo of a monkey with an iced coffee can -- he could almost pass for a caffeine-junky, no?



Now I am in Bangkok for the night, and probably tomorrow night as well, before going to Ko Samet (an island) for my last couple nights in Thailand.