Monkey Island

Our first full day in Sam Roi Yot, we set out on an adventure, on a private tour arranged through our resort, The Beach Village.  Our driver picked us and drove to the spot at the beach where there was a long-tail boat waiting for us.  The plan was a boat trip around Sam Roi Yot's lovely islands, with a stop at Monkey Island (Ko Ku Rum), and then a trip inside the national park for a hike up a mountain to Phraya Nakhon Cave.  The weather could not have been nicer.

What's funny is that the island that was in most of our photos we took yesterday afternoon was Monkey Island.  We just didn't know it!  The video I made shows us arriving at the beach and preparing to get on the boat.  It also reveals the festive atmosphere on Monkey Island. The Thai word for monkey is ling, so I am not exactly sure why the island name is Ko Ku Rum.  Ko is island, but what about Ku Rum?  I will have to consult my wife, or Google.

Monkey Island ahead!

 

Behind the captain and me is the beach from which we departed.  The Beach Village Resort is just beyond those coconut palms.  One of our activities was riding the resort's bicycles up and down front beach road, with the mountains on one side, and the sea on the other.

Will The Real Slim Shady please stand up?

The monkeys are crab and mussel eating macaques, and there are two main families on the island.   Our guide said these macaques also love oysters.

Click here for some close-up shots of the monkeys.