Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Monkey mountain

Monkey mountain, Some 6 kilometers from Hua Hin centre, in the popular area called Khao Takiab, lies the famous and beloved Khao Takiab mountain, better known as ”Monkey Mountain”.

Recommended transportation to the Monkey Mountain is by Tuk Tuk. The price is around 200 baht.

If you have been to the zoo in a European country, or if you have traveled into jungles around the world, you should know what monkeys look like. But how close have you really been to them?

For 50 baht you get a sizeable portion of monkey goodies which consist of corn, bananas and peanuts. As you might already have guessed, bananas are their favorite of the three.
The food is bought at the small kiosk that also serves drinks and snacks.
Feeding the monkeys should be done with caution. Although they are used to people, they are still animals and they compete for the food as any other animal living in a pack.


Do not be surprised or startled if a monkey jumps on your neck and tries to eat of the bucket with food. Stay clear of trees and rooftops where the monkeys also sit, as it is from here they take their chances to get into the bucket. If you feel your self complete surrounded by monkeys and the start to get too close, simply empty your bucket of food and the ground and walk away.

If you get in any sorts of problems, the caretakers will gently slap the monkeys with a long stick, driving them away from you. The caretakers also have dogs that keep the monkeys at bay most of the time. So with a little self retain and orderly behavior, you should be in for a unique experience.

Please, Do not hit or kick the monkeys. Do not touch the monkeys in any way. They will bite you.Take care of any lose items, the monkeys are curious.

The view. Follow the street down From the top of Monkey Mountain you can see all of the Hua Hin beachfront. A spectacular view of Hua Hin not available anywhere else in Hua Hin. Just follow the path the sloping road, trough the monkeys and an amazing sight awaits you.

The temple. At the top of more than 100 steps lies a very important temple, called Wat Khao Takiab, holding an important relic believed to be a tooth of buddha him self. As the lead munk explains, it’s only seeable for those with pure merits and for those for pray intensly for it. For the buddha faith, this is a very important place. For the tourist though, it might be more interesting to climb the many steps and experience the view from the top of the temple entrance. Please, do not try this if you have a medical problem!