Monkey business part I

April 3rd, 2013

Queenstown, New Zealand

Song of the Day: Brass Monkey by the Beastie Boys

Mood: Relaxed

Monkeys

When I was 13, I went on safari in South Africa. Every morning, I would walk to breakfast and would have to dodge bodily fluids that monkeys tried to shower upon me. Despite their attempted "gifts", I fell in love with monkeys and love to watch them play. Luckily, I have had a lot of opportunities to see monkeys during this trip.

Restaurant in Myanmar

There are two main types of monkey interactions. The first type is when monkeys are in captivity, such as in Guilin, China. The second type is when monkeys are free to roam. The monkeys in the "wild" are so much more interesting, even if it is harder to get a good picture. Luckily, my first experience involved free-range monkeys in Myanmar.

Mount Popa, Myanmar

Mount Popa is a dormant volcano near Bagan, Myanmar. It is best known for the Buddhist monastery and long staircase to reach the top of the mountain.

 

The monkeys live in the area around the monastery, but flock to the tourists because they give them food

The more monkeys congregate, the more dung accumulates. It can be hard to avoid:

The Professor's face after realizing where he had just stepped

Although I liked them, the monkeys on Mount Popa looked more sickly than the monkeys I have seen in other places.

I really enjoy all kinds of animal babies and especially family pictures:

Monkeys are wily creatures who are fun to watch whether they are eating, tussling, or just hanging around:

    

 

Now I finally understand what my parents meant when they said stop monkeying around:

Guilin, China

I have seen monkeys at many other places on my journey, including Moon Hill and the Seven Star Park in Guilin. They lacked the same sense of authenticity that was present in the monkeys from the other areas.

If I were chained up, I would be sad too...

The stone monkeys of Guilin