Back in my college days in Washington DC, I stumbled across a rather unique company . Dedicated to providing the ultimate birthday party experience to kids, its slogan was the particularly catchy “Food, Fun and a Monkey.”
The company in question might have since abandoned their trademarked phrase but the town of Lopburi, Thailand, might want to consider tacking it on to their tourism brochures. For on the last Sunday of every November, this tiny city 150 kilometers north of Bangkok celebrates its most notorious denizens – a troupe of macaques – with truckloads of food and (for the monkeys, I suppose) a whole lot of fun.
Monkeys in Lopburi feast on a selection of fresh fruit and veggies (Source: Visit Chiang Mai Online)
It’s certainly one of Asia’s stranger festivals and not one that makes it onto many traveler’s itineraries. But if you find yourself in central Thailand around this time of year, be prepared for parades, large crowds and a monkey “tea party”. Forget china cups and finger sandwiches, however – last year’s macaques plowed through nearly 2000 kilograms of bananas, cucumbers eggs and other assorted delicacies. Though human noses may wrinkle at the smell, the apparent simian favorite of the banquet was the durian fruit.
All kidding and lighthearted entertainment aside, Lopburi and its monkeys are caught in a somewhat vicious cycle. While the simians originally confined themselves (for the most part) to the Pra Prang Sam Yot Temple in the town center, they have since ventured further and further afield, emboldened by their status of “revered citizens” of Lopburi. Indeed, many human residents of the city feed and care for the monkeys in order to assure their continued presence, viewing them as a tourist draw and economic boon for the provincial capital. Yet these same monkeys are now known to “terrorize” the steady stream of visitors, stealing anything from plastic water bottles to lunches to Rolexes and digital cameras. After years of living in close proximity to humans, these temple dwellers seem to have lost all fear of interaction with humans, a trait that is not necessarily a good one for their species’ continued survival. Yet without the monkeys, Lopburi fades into relative obscurity, just one more pitstop on the traveler’s highway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
So while watching the monkeys cavort around town with your travel companion’s camcorder may provide for a laugh or two, it’s also an eye-opening lesson into the complicated relationship between man, animal and the drive for tourism around Asia. If you come to Lopburi at any time of year, try spending your baht at the town’s small shops and restaurants rather than at Pra Prang Sam Yot temple. Perhaps with other sources of income, Lopburi’s citizens will soon find that monkey business is not necessarily the best business.
Written By Mandy Bartok.
