Thailand > Monkeys, monkeys, and especially monkeys in Lopburi

At six o’clock the alarm already goes off again for the second travel day. During breakfast, I receive a text message from the Netherlands. It’s half past midnight there. At seven we’re back on the road with our minibuses. We drive toward Lopburi. Lopburi is also known as the monkey city. Already upon entering, I see monkeys everywhere in the streets. Without glasses, earrings, or any other loose items, we step out of the minibuses and visit the Lopburi temple. Geert is the first to have a monkey on his neck as he bends over.

Thailand - Geert has visitors in Lop Buri

A guard quickly chases it away. I go inside the temple. Behind me, the iron gate is closed. From inside the temple, I can observe the monkeys well. They are not allowed inside. It feels a bit strange to be behind the bars inside while the monkeys are outside. In many zoos, it’s exactly the other way around. At the feeding place, the ground is littered with food scraps. The monkeys play and try to beg food from tourists. Again, Geert gets a monkey on his neck, this time pulling at the buttons of his shirt. It has already pulled off two before the guide manages to chase it away. By the pond the monkeys are playing. From a rope ladder above the water they try to push each other in. In New Lopburi, a few kilometers further, lunch is served. Afterwards, we drive on toward Bangkok. On the way to Jomtien Beach, we pause at McDonald’s. Isabelle accidentally leaves her bag there as we depart. She only realizes it later. When we contact McDonald’s by phone, it turns out her bag is already gone. Around half past five we drive into Pattaya. Our hotel is in Jomtien Beach, a place just south of Pattaya. In the hotel room, I watch a bit of TV and take it easy. In the evening we walk into the town. Via the boulevard we try to walk to Pattaya, but it turns out to be farther away than expected. The road is also dark and doesn’t always feel very safe. Halfway we turn back and walk between the hotels and resorts back to Jomtien. We have dinner at an Italian restaurant. At the sports café in Jomtien we finish the evening with a coffee. They serve a nice cappuccino here.