Lampuri, Thailand aka Monkeyland

The small town of Lampuri, just few hours north of Bangkok, is known for its few remaining temples and a quiet small town atmosphere.

However, he biggest attraction here and the reason why many locals and tourist alike flock to this sleepy town are the hundreds of monkeys that roam the streets freely here. Not only do they live here, they run this town. If you stand in the street for a few minutes, you will surely notice the caution locals use when simply walking down the street. These monkeys will steal your food but even worse they will grab anything out of your hands or hair for that matter, simply for their own amusement. They're cheeky little things! Each one of them with a character that's only theirs.

After waking up in Lampuri, I walked over to the fenced in balcony at the end of the hallway of the hotel and was greeted by about twenty monkeys just hanging out on the roofs below. After watching them for a good half hour, I started recognizing them and noticing how each one of them had its own personality. Some were very solemn and some were very playful and energetic. I could watch them for hours. I always used to watch those animal planet shows when I was little as well as an adult but nothing beats simply sitting in the middle of their natural habitat and seeing it all happen first hand. I could really get used to this.