Nov
25
2012
Nov
25
2012
The Lopburi Banquet, Monkey Suit Definitely Required
Published by Circumference Traveler 25
Country: Thailand 
The Experience
In the town of Lop Buri, located 153 km North of Bangkok, you can witness one of the strangest feasts going. That's right, only witness. The food is not for you. In fact the food is not for any human at all!
Every year on the last Sunday of November, the local people provide a huge feast for some 3000 long-tail macaque monkeys that inhabit this part of Thailand, the Lop Buri Monkey Banquet. Lop Buri has long been famous for the sheer number of monkeys that hang around the town. The monkeys practically run the place, even take the train to commute to where they know they can find food.
The local monkey population have always been a tourist draw. So in 1988 a local hotelier started up this crazy idea; thank the monkeys for the prosperity they bring the town by holding a feast in their honour. The Monkey Banquet takes place in the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple located on Vichayen Road about 200 metres from the railway station. This temple, also known as the the Temple of Three Towers, is a beautiful ruined Buddhist shrine that was converted from the original Hindu temple built in the 13th century.
The feast is strictly vegetarian, and done with amazing style. Bright red tablecloths cover all the tables, and huge blocks of coloured ice that hold fruit inside are placed all around the grounds. The tables themselves are loaded with platters and pyramids of every kind of fruit and vegetable you can imagine, all provided by locals. There is even Coca-Cola and napkins for the not so discerning guests of honour. Every year, almost 10,000 people go to observe the thousands of monkeys descending on the temple and devouring the incredible amount of food.
The whole event may seem a little hokey and contrived, but the banquet is simply a Thai tradition done large. Thai people believe that being kind and generous to a monkey will bring good luck. And especially in Lop Buri, where the monkeys bring wealth in the form of tourists, it's not hard to see that the locals feel that feeding these monkeys has in fact brought the promised luck.
Every year on the last Sunday of November, the local people provide a huge feast for some 3000 long-tail macaque monkeys that inhabit this part of Thailand, the Lop Buri Monkey Banquet. Lop Buri has long been famous for the sheer number of monkeys that hang around the town. The monkeys practically run the place, even take the train to commute to where they know they can find food.
The local monkey population have always been a tourist draw. So in 1988 a local hotelier started up this crazy idea; thank the monkeys for the prosperity they bring the town by holding a feast in their honour. The Monkey Banquet takes place in the Phra Prang Sam Yot temple located on Vichayen Road about 200 metres from the railway station. This temple, also known as the the Temple of Three Towers, is a beautiful ruined Buddhist shrine that was converted from the original Hindu temple built in the 13th century.
The feast is strictly vegetarian, and done with amazing style. Bright red tablecloths cover all the tables, and huge blocks of coloured ice that hold fruit inside are placed all around the grounds. The tables themselves are loaded with platters and pyramids of every kind of fruit and vegetable you can imagine, all provided by locals. There is even Coca-Cola and napkins for the not so discerning guests of honour. Every year, almost 10,000 people go to observe the thousands of monkeys descending on the temple and devouring the incredible amount of food.
The whole event may seem a little hokey and contrived, but the banquet is simply a Thai tradition done large. Thai people believe that being kind and generous to a monkey will bring good luck. And especially in Lop Buri, where the monkeys bring wealth in the form of tourists, it's not hard to see that the locals feel that feeding these monkeys has in fact brought the promised luck.
When to Go to Lopburi
Thousands of crazy monkeys all eating a huge banquet laid out just for them. How bizarre is that?
So head to Lop Buri for the last Sunday in November and take some pictures of a hugely entertaining extravaganza of horrible table manners. And when Aunt Martha complains about YOUR bad table manners... well, those photos should get you some peace and quiet.
So head to Lop Buri for the last Sunday in November and take some pictures of a hugely entertaining extravaganza of horrible table manners. And when Aunt Martha complains about YOUR bad table manners... well, those photos should get you some peace and quiet.
Odds n' Ends
Average weather in Lop Buri in November 22°C to 31°C, average 4mm of rain per day; this is the tail end of the rainy season.
The Phra Prang Sam Yot temple is normally open at 8.00 a.m. until 6.00 p.m. Admission fee is 50 baht.
The Phra Prang Sam Yot temple is normally open at 8.00 a.m. until 6.00 p.m. Admission fee is 50 baht.
Places to Stay Nearby
Search over 900,000 global hotel deals from over 30 merchants. Book via Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Booking.com, Priceline and the websites of popular hotel chains.
Discover all that Lopburi has to offer with Lopburi Inn Hotel as a base.All 140 rooms at the hotel are well-appointed with necessary amenities to ... 1 miles away
$621 THB+
Discover all that Lopburi has to offer with Lopburi Inn Resort as a base.The hotel provides all the amenities that today's travelers desire in all ... 4 miles away
$921 THB+
+ 23 others. Show all.
More Experiences Nearby
- An Afternoon Biking through Ayuthaya Historical Park, Thailand
- Ayuthaya is a small city about an hour and a half north of Bangkok. People come to visit because of the remarkable ruins in Ayuthaya Historical Park. As the sun sets, you can walk through the city centre to the nearby Wat Mahathat, built during the 14th century. Like many of the wats in Ayuthaya Historical Park, Wat Mahathat was subjected to destruction and degradation when the Burmese invaded in the mid-18th century (at that time, Ayuthaya was the capital of Siam). Structures were toppled and heads were lopped off statues of the Buddha. One of these heads left in ...31 miles away.
Books and DVDs
- Thailand Travel Guide
- Thailand blends the exotic with modern convenience: Bangkok is a gleaming city with a robust traditional cuisine and a culture of devout Buddhism, while the ancient city of Chiang Mai is spa central.
- Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009: 850 Trends, Destinations, Journeys & Experiences for the Year Ahead
- Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips (Hardcover)
- No one knows the world like National Geographic—and in this lavish volume, we reveal our picks for the world's most fabulous journeys, along with helpful information for readers who want to try them out.
Elsewhere on the Web
- Official Thailand tourism site for Lop Buri
- Lopburi sights and attractions - travelfish.org
- Construction of Narai Ratchaniwet Palace was commenced during the rule of foreigner-friendly King Narai of Ayutthaya in 1665 and completed 12 years later.
- Lopburi - Wikipedia.org
- Lopburi is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is located about 150 km north-east of Bangkok.
Media References
- Thailand Travel Guide - NYTimes.com (newspaper)
- The Thais often compare their land to the shape of an elephant's head, seen in profile, facing west.
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Language Guides
Japanese 
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Lao
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Malay
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Mandarin
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Thai
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Vietnamese
are some of the languages spoken in Thailand. If you know of a freely available phrase book or podcast for one of the missing languages, let us know!
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