Monkey Business

Welcome to Monkey Town.

Unlike the groomed grounds of Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, or Chiang Mai, the old town of Lopburi is built right on top of and up against the ruins of building that date back to the 11th Century.  Noodle stands and shop-houses butt up against Khmer Empire ruins or later remnants of the Ayutthaya regime.  This gritty little town is not picturesque.  The old city of Lopburi is, for most travelers, a photo-op.  Hop off of the northbound train, snap a few pictures of the monkeys, make it back onto the next train and head for the big attractions at Sukhothai.  Oh, yeah, did I mention the monkeys?

Lopburi ain't called Monkey Town for no good reason.  The little furry buggers are everywhere.  Local legend has it that the monkeys are here because of Rama.  It all goes back to that great Hindu epic, The Ramayana.  As I am sure you remember, Rama's great love, Sita, is kidnapped by the bad guy named Ravana.  Ravana runs off with Sita to an island that is probably modern day Sri Lanka.  In the very long and incredibly epic battles that follow, the monkey god Hanuman aids Rama in recovering Sita.  As a reward for his help, Rama gives the Hanuman the city of Lopburi.  That is one possible explanation for the monkey population.  Another plausible explanation for the simian hordes is that the monkeys are fed, twice daily, at several of the ancient Wats.  

 

 Essential Monkey Gear.

The monkeys don't just hang around the temple grounds.  They dangle from overhead electrical wires, ledges of buildings, and awnings over shops.  In fact, when walking the town, it's a good idea to keep one eye up and one eye down.  Monkeys and monkey poo adorn the sidewalk while overhead, the aerial monkeys love a good target.  The local shopkeepers have monkey poles, six-foot long bamboo staves with rubber flails on one end.  When the furry beasts get too bold, the merchants chase them down the sidewalks.  The only thing more fun than watching the shopkeepers is watching a tourist run screaming from the monkeys.  The Macaques, as the monkeys are more properly named, have a comfort radius that varies with their mood.  A camera-wielding tourist who trespasses into that comfort zone may experience the instantaneous transformation of a cute furry photo-op into a fanged and furious demon.  Then comes the running and screaming, the dropping of cameras, and a smug looking monkey hauling a shiny new Canon G-16 back to the monkey family.  On my honor as a Homo Sapiens, I have seen it happen.  I love this town!!

One of the coolest and strangest ruins in Lopburi, or the rest of Thailand for that matter, is Ban Wichayen.  Back in the late 1600's, the Ayutthaya Kingdom was at it's zenith.  A Greek trader, one Constantine Phaulkon, became a favorite of King Narai.  Phaulkon was eventually promoted to high office at the court of Siam.  When the King fell ill, however, Phaulkon lost his head to some jealous Siamese ministers.  Literally lost his head, as in they chopped it off.  To wander the ground of Ban Wichayen is to be transported from Thailand to a medieval ruin in northern England or France.  Except for the heat, there is nothing to remind one of exotic tropical locales.  Before Phaulkon lost a foot off the top, Ban Wichayen served as a residence for foreign traders and the occasional dignitary.  I marvel at what it must have been like to be a European trader dealing with a Siamese kingdom in 1680.  Just the effort it would have taken to travel here boggles the mind.  I am really, really jealous.  

Dipping nets on the river.  Drop them on the bottom, have a nap, raise them up.

When one tires of monkeys (yes, it can happen) or ruins, there are the small lanes that lead outside the crumbled city walls to the river.  The quiet streets and alleys are lined with old teak shop houses baking in the sun.  Before the rise of the modern concrete shop-house, these old teak buildings were the standard structure for most Thai businesses and dwellings.  

 

Phra Prang Sam Yod, the City Icon.  Try saying that name three times in a row.  This ancient Khmer-style (Angkor Period) building was originally a Hindu temple until the Ayutthaya kingdom turned it to Buddhist uses.  This place is monkey-central.  The monkeys are not allowed inside the ruin, but visitors are.  This offers a traveler the strange vantage point of looking out through the bars at the monkeys, rather than the other way round.

Inside Looking Out

Here is a link to a video from inside the temple (Warning:  There is a bit of Monkey Porn in the video):

https://youtu.be/X9McReupu8U

Yeah, you want monkeys?  They got monkeys.

The coolest guys in Lopburi, the ice crew and their custom ice cruncher-upper.

The Nett Hotel.  You don't really want to stay here.

Lopburi does have ruins and it does have monkeys, but other than that, this is not the most luxurious of destinations.  The accommodations are basic at best, even by my standards.  The town is dirty and gritty (hello, monkeys running everywhere!?!) and it doesn't smell very nice (see previous parenthetical comment) so why go?  More to the point, why return?  I don't have a great answer to that question except to say that something about Lopburi pulls me back.  It's a silly place, weird and quirky, unlike any other town in Thailand.  I suppose what I like most about Monkey Town is that the folks here live right up against the history of the ruins and right amongst the damn monkeys and they act like none of it is any big deal.  Ruins?  What ruins?  Monkeys?  What Monkeys?  Something like that.  I don't have a better explanation.  

 

So, that's it, no further insight available.  Sorry, that's all I've got.  I just like it here, furry thieving bastards included.  Later on today it will be the afternoon train to the Big Mango, closing the loop on this incredible journey.  Our time comes to an end.  Travel well, travel often, be well, be happy, and Ciao for Now!