Lopburi is small town about 3 hours north of Bangkok and while it’s one of the oldest cities in Thailand, in recent years it’s become a popular tourist destination for the monkey temple among other things. You can take a minivan to Lopburi from the National Stadium, you just have to ask around.

The old town section of Lopburi was once a vibrant hotspot for locals until one day it got taken over my wild monkeys. Desolate shops, buildings and streets was all I could see, instead of people there was monkeys everywhere. It kind of reminded me of the jungle book.

When I arrived to the temple, I was greeted by local vendors selling huge bags of peanuts. I was apprehensive entering the temple with my peanuts in hand but the local man gave me some advice –
• To get the monkeys off your body, shake your body instead of touching them
• Keep all your personal belongings safe
• If a monkey steals something, don’t chase it

Immediately as I entered the temple, I was surrounded by monkeys. The juvenile ones started climbing all over me while the adults stood a safe distance waiting for me to give them peanuts. One of the monkeys managed to grab my ticket for the temple to which I tried to offer a trade but failed miserably.

One monkey climbed right up onto my shoulder so I did what any tourist would do, take a selfie. He was desperately trying to steal my nuts so I had to start shaking my body which kind of turned in a twerk and then the monkey leapt off and ran towards a small group of kids.

Leaving the temple, I checked myself for monkey poo and then headed back to the minivan. The experience was fun but not recommended to anyone who gets scared easily by wild animals or anyone with a peanut allergy.