Glad we don’t have monkeys!

Like most tourists who spot monkeys for the first time, Stan and I were thrilled when we found them here.  We snapped photo after photo while exclaiming, “Wildlife!”

Now, after spending 9 months in this part of the world, seeing a troop of monkeys, especially macaques, is almost like seeing a flock of pigeons or a pack of rats.  On the flip side, what a delight it is when we find Proboscis, Thomas Leaf Monkeys, or other cuties, but macaques, the most often seen here, is not so thrilling.  Without a doubt, they are cute, but these guys are smart, too smart for their britches, and they are dangerous.  They sit in troops scratching, picking, and looking cute, alongside a road, where they know tourists are likely to toss out peanuts or fruit.  They, however, frequently terrorize tourists when they seem to magically pop out to snatch a plastic bag of food.  They will fight a man, six feet tall, for a bag of Cheetos.  And here is the worst.  Macaques have discovered dumpsters.  We watched the strongest male of a big troop outside our apartment hop to the top of a closed dumpster bin and single-handedly lift the lid all the way back until it flipped over.  All eleven of the group hopped into the dumpster, choosing a bag for themselves to open and sort through.  Anything worth eating, they ate.  Unwanted items were tossed here and there, and left strewn all over the road and its shoulder.  I have to give credit to the people here; most are diligent in trying to keep their country clean.  They bag their trash and deposit it in designated dumpsters, but like rats, the monkeys are almost impossible to control.  They live in every small forest, between streets and between apartment buildings.  Macaques rule!  And in the animal world, there is an established hierarchy.  After the monkeys open all the bags, get their fill, and toss the refuse, a pack of obviously related yellow dogs usually comes cruising by looking for tidbits.  I think others farther down the food chain might come by late at night.   None clean-up the mess.

Langkawi, Malaysia, is our home for now and the next two weeks. This island, known as the Jewel of Kedah, was developed by the government as a tourist destination during the 1980s; clearly, though, it is time for a refresher investment.   Its location, just 20 miles off the coast of NW Malaysia, makes it an easy destination for Europeans, Thai people and others on this side of the world seeking its beauty, wildlife and water adventures.  Plus, the entire island is duty-free—buy what you like: it is tax free and duty free.  A bottle of Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon costs about  25 MYR, that’s about $6. 

Langkawi has been recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark since 2007 for its geoheritage.  Rocks on Langkawi date the beginning of this island to the Cambian Period (550 million years ago), making it the “birth place of Malaysia.”  Many of its creatures, including some monkeys, are not found anywhere else in the world.

After months of hot, humid weather with no rain, the rainy season has arrived.  It has rained nearly all day for the past three days here in Langkawi.  Activities have been canceled.  We’ve stayed in the apartment some, giving us a nice rest, but that’s not something we can do for more than a day.   Between the downpours, we walked to the Eagle Square, where a giant eagle dominates the waterfront plaza and modern ferry terminal.  Our path to the square took us through Legenda Park, a unique folklore-themed park filled with colorful statues and mythological stories of Langkawi — mostly written in Malay; the park, though, is where we learned about the significance of this ancient island.   

In the park and at the waterfront, we found more wildlife!  Wildlife is everywhere here.  We met a couple from England when we all heard a flock of hornbills flying in to take a rest in a nearby tree.  Our new friends were especially excited to see the big unusual-looking birds, but Stan and I, self-proclaimed hornbill experts, assured them that they were hornbills.  (We have seen so many on this trip that we can now recognize them by their call.  Goodness!  That’s a little much!)   Naturally, this park encounter led to a fun and happy hour-long conversation.  Younger than Stan and me, but cut from the same fabric, this couple recently liquidated their home and property in England, bought a used RV, and now manage an RV camp near Peterborough during the summer and are setting out to travel months at a time in the off-season.. Hurray for them!

Speaking of wildlife, on this single walk (with rain slickers in our packs) to the Eagle Square, in addition to meeting new friends when we found the hornbills, we saw more monkeys raiding a dumpster, a pack of dogs, a 7-foot Asian water monitor lizard swimming in a lake, and a big turtle. . . and we are in a city! 

This morning we walked to the bay, again slickers in tow, and found that this island is not flat as we originally thought.  My calves are feeling the hills.  Again, we ran across monkeys: another large tribe of macaques was raiding yet another dumpster happily munching on mangoes, apples, and oranges.  Later we saw a small family of well-behaved, but curious-looking Dusky Leaf monkeys perched in a tree just off the pavement.  Dusky Leaf monkeys have dark fur with a white crown, but the white markings around their eyes and mouth give these endangered creatures a comical appearance.  These random wildlife encounters are almost as good as excursions we usually pay for. 

Stan and I were thinking about nuisance animals at home, i.e., chipmunks, squirrels, rats, opossums, and raccoons.  Yes, these rascals can occasionally be caught raiding a trash receptacle, digging up plants in a well-tended garden, or stealing seed from a birdfeeder, but thank your lucky stars, our country is not home to monkeys.