For an experience slightly off the beaten tourist trail, spend a morning exploring the temples of Lopburi. The town is located 150 kilometers northeast of Bangkok and is known for its many ancient ruins, most of which are have not been restored. Unlike the historical parks of Ayutthaya and Sukothai, the ruins of Lopburi are more spread out and will require more effort to see them all. The temples draw visitors, however Lopburi’s resident monkeys are the main reason people stop here. The town is literally overrun with hundreds of feisty, rambunctious crab-eating macaques. Most of them are concentrated around the two main temples – Phra Prang Sam Yot and Phra Kaan Shrine (across the street from one another).
The macaques are everywhere! Dangling from the light poles, crossing the street, scaling the temple walls, and constantly on the lookout for scraps of food. The monkeys are fed regularly at Phra Kaan, which is where many like to hang around. Across the street at Phra Prang Sam Yot, the monkeys have more space to play and bully tourists out of their snacks. You can’t leave anything on the ground that you wouldn’t want a monkey to grab. Locals will try to sell you juice and food to feed to the monkeys, but I would not recommend this. If you’ve got food, pandemonium will ensue, and these monkeys are not scared to jump on people’s shoulders or snatch food right out of your hand. The best thing to do is come an admire the monkeys… from a distance.
