LOPBURI, Thailand - As a party, it was a disaster: almost all of the guests of honor were too frightened to make an appearance. Those that came ate and ran. But the monkeys arenât known for their good manners, to the delight of hundreds of tourists who converged Sunday in Lopburi for its 17th annual monkey banquet.
| And Burmese monkeys would be better mannered? |
The party is thrown by local hotelier Yongyuth Kitwatananuson, who is thankful for the business the monkeys bring his city, which is 112 kilometers (70 miles) north of Bangkok.
| Lopburi's a nice little city. They do have a monkey problem, though... |
The long-tailed macaques are regarded as disciples of Chao Pho Prakarn, a four-armed deity whose likeness is enshrined in the heart of the town. With such status, they are given free rein - often to the despair of human residents. They can be seen dropping peanut shells on street vendors from building ledges, relieving themselves off awnings onto curious onlookers, and making merry on the electrical wires they use as footpaths as they roam the city. A sign at a local park says, âBeware of monkeys snatching your purse.â
| Didn't Indiana Jones have one of these? |
Even on their special day, they behaved badly. Three monkeys swarmed five teenage girls carrying bags of fruit to the temple, causing them to run into a telephone booth screaming. When one of the monkeys clambered up the side of the booth, the girls screamed again and ran, leaving the monkeys to feast on the sidewalk.
| Thai monkeys don't hate us, they find us amusing. |
| And it sounds like both the girls and the monkeys were having great fun... |
Meanwhile, at least 1,000 human onlookers gathered to watch the monkeys eat three piles of fruits and vegetables beside the ancient temple where they live. But by the time bleachers were erected, a sound system put into place, and dances performed in the monkeysâ honor by vegetable-draped college students, Thai classical dancers and a troupe of ponies, there was hardly a macaque in sight. The crowds and noise scared them all off - except for one or two dozen brave ones who stuffed themselves, leaving a terrible mess behind.
"Hey, Jocko! Pass the fruit, will you?"
[Pooooooop!]
"No, I meant hand me some!" |
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