Macaque Monkeys of Thailand

Posted at 7:10 PM, Sunday 13 January 2008

On my recent trip to Phuket my first encounter with the delightful Macaque monkeys was at Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don Island. I took so many photos knowing full well they would most probably be the only creatures I would see in the wild. Looking at these photos you will think I was the only person on the beach but believe me when I say I wasn't. What I did find difficult, was finding a macaque that wasn't being touched or fed by a tourist. Strict instructions were given but some people live in their own world of what they should do and what they shouldn't.…………Don't you love the eyelids!…………………………………………………My next encounter with these mischievous monkeys was on the mainland of Thailand in an area in the south called Phang Nga, at a place called Monkey Cave or Wat Tham Suwankhuha. Here the locals have food stalls where you can buy food for the macaques.……………………………………………This little chap just couldn't get enough in his mouth.…………………………Wat Tham Suwankhuhua is a cave temple full of Buddha images. The shrine consists of two caves, the largest one containing a 15 meter reclining Buddha.………………………………And the second and smaller cave displays a statue of the monk Phra Reusi. When I first laid eyes on the statue, I thought it was a real monk.On leaving the caves, the macaques climb down from the cliff top trees to put on another beautiful performance.………………………………