Thailand Jan 2009 (2 of 5)
Lopburi is a town north of Bangkok known for its ancient ruins and resident monkeys.
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The ruins of Prang Sam Yot are from the 12th or 13th century. This is home base for the wild monkeys that inhabit the town.
The monkeys roam freely through the area around town close to the ruins. All nearby buildings are appropriately fortified for protection, and all nearby shopkeepers are armed with bamboo sticks to keep the monkeys out of trouble.
The monkeys are quite inquisitive and eager to investigate. This one is quite interested in trying to remove the button from the top of Zane's hat. Tana lost a map and some chapstick to monkeys. A curious youngster jumped on Zane, which was not to his mother's liking. She proceeded over and nipped him on the leg. Then it was off to the clinic for the requisite rabies vaccine. Sure it's funny, till someone gets hurt!
Although the monkeys seem to cause more than their share of trouble, the locals continue to feed them. The woman on the right has just dropped off some food at this shop, drawing quite a crowd.
We visited the ruins of Phra Narai Ratchaniwet, which served as the king's palace in the mid 1600's. It must have been quite something is its day. The site also includes the Lopbur National Museum, which has a terrific collection of artifacts collected from various ruins in the area.
Who is inside the cage? Actually, the monkeys are on the outside. The gates are in place to keep them out of the ruins. Now we know what it's like to be on the inside of a cage being stared at!
The monkeys make themselves quite at home, without regard to religious symbols, or anything else for that matter. When traffic backs up nearby they hop on and in to the vehicles, helping themselves to whatever they find.
The ruins of Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahaathat cover a considerable area, and include numerous structures built between the 12th and 15th centuries. Although most of the external decorative features have worn or fallen away, it is easy to see that this would have been a spectacular place long ago.