Monkey Business

Yes, we paid a visit to our furry relatives. To make it easier for us, they were all gathered in a fenced sanctuary called “Monkeyland”. It was a thrilling experience to walk among lots and lots of different monkeys and apes (science lesson 1: monkeys are the guys with tails, apes don’t have tails). A quick reflection is that this establishment is very un-American in the sense that we didn’t have to sign anything to move around with the half-wild creatures. “Two rules: don’t stand beneath a monkey in a tree (because you will ‘get blessed’) and move confidently and slowly.” Fortunately we didn’t get attacked or robbed by the simians, but rather had a wonderful time in the confinement.

It turned out that the fence around Monkeyland was not only about keeping the 13 species of monkeys and apes in, but also to keep the wild and particularly nasty baboons out. We have had many encounters with baboons on our trip. Baboons seem to be nasty, silly and intelligent creatures that are not shy to mate by the roadside, beg or rob tourists for food or even to hijack cars in their search for a snack. Keep doors and windows closed! Fortunately enough, David’s quick reaction saved a couple of juvenile baboons from a certain death the other day when they forgot to first look to the right and then to the left (yes, it’s left side traffic down here).

Note: Don't miss the adorable baby monkey on the picture of the feeding family!