The new Disney Nature trailer "Monkey Kingdom" - see post below or HERE - suddenly reminded me a trip that i did four or five years ago in South-East Asia in the town of Lopburi, Thailand. The town is known for the monkeys running everywhere and especially in the old and famous Prang Sam Yot Khmer temple located at the center of the city!
The city has a long history, dating back to the Dvaravati period more than 1,000 years ago. According to the Northern Chronicles, it was founded by King Kalavarnadish, who came from Taxila in Northwest India (now Pakistan) in 648 AD. Lopburi was under the rule of the rising Angkor power and became one of the most important centers in the Chao Phraya Basin from then on. Lopburi is also described in Book III of Marco Polo’s Travels.
But what amazed me when i was there was to see all these monkeys in this old temple which really looked like a set for a Jungle Book movie, and not in the middle of the jungle but right in the center of a town where are living 26500 people! I shot plenty of pictures that day and also a short HD video that you're going to see below, in this first episode of "Disney and more Nature"! Definitely choose to watch the video in 1080p definition.
Here are some shots of the Prang Sam Yot temple with its typical Khmer architecture. And don't go away as more amazement awaits you below!
Now, if you come one day in Lopburi and need a place to sleep, even for one night, don't miss the amazing "monkey hotel". The monkeys have became such a trademark of Lopburi that the hotel has a monkey theme with sculptures of monkeys everywhere, including in the restaurant or near the swimming pool.
But the most amazing are the giant monkeys sculpture, very accurate to different species of monkeys except that these are five meters high! The whole place is quite surrealistic as when you go out of your room or park your car you find yourself face to face with these giant monkeys sculptures! Have a look at the amazing pictures below!
Hope you enjoyed this little trip in Lopburi, Thailand!
All pictures and video: copyright Alain Littaye
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