Hahaha… When I was going to college in the Northeast U.S. some 30 years ago, I occasionally fielded questions from what I can only refer to as country bumpkins, like “…you live in a village? Are there monkeys?, etc.” Part of it was in jest, I’m sure, but some of it wasn’t. If only they were with me this morning… :)
From the balcony of our hotel room in Palawan, I snapped a few photos of the sun rising, and heard a distinct rustling of branches and leaves in the mango tree nearby… then something hurled a partially eaten green mango towards the ground! It was a monkey, just 5-6 meters away from me… And soon, it was clear a whole family of 5-6 monkeys were within close range, and I was thrilled to have my camera ready… Notice the cute little baby monkey sitting on the sand and a sibling/friend on the tree trunk nearby…
Another monkey was in the branches, munching on unripe mangoes and hurling them away after a few bites.
It was just amazing to watch them climb and swing, and while I kept my distance, I think they were well aware I was watching them. At one point, they scurried across the beach, checked out the chaise longues and beach side tables, and ran around playfully. These are wild monkeys, but I am sure they are used to paying tourists a visit. Feeding the monkeys is discouraged, as they can get quite aggressive as they beg for more food…
It was just past 6 am, and no one else in the resort seemed to be stirring, so I ran back into our room, woke Mrs. MM and told her to wake up the Teen and her two foreign guests in the room next door. They emerged onto their balcony seconds later, clad in sleeping garb, staring face to face with a monkey about two meters away! Imagine the delight of our two guests who have probably never seen wild monkeys… and will probably return home with stories that will raise eyebrows to say the at least… :)
Here, the Teen (and friends to the right of her) watching the monkeys…
…and once they had recovered from the early rousing and got a camera to snap some of their own shots!
The top and bottom photos here were taken by the Teen, from her terrific vantage point. Stay tuned for more Palawan posts in the days ahead, it was a wonderful trip!
16 Responses
Reminds me of Peter Seller’s movie “The Pink Panther”. Is that you minkey??
such a tongue-in-cheek blog title! (^_*) that made me chuckle! hope my co-workers did not hear that! enjoy your summer, MM though i heard how uncomfortably hot it is down there..
Made our day!! Thanks
Netoy, ‘gets’ ko rin..teehee..oh, those chimp- imps..
Where is it?
I recognized that balcony! I stayed there in 2008- loved it. The bats that come out at night are a bit unnerving though.
Hi MM got an email yesterday from xxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com asking for a loan of 2,950 Euros. I am pretty sure it is not from you but from someone who is using your company email add. Hackers maybe.
enna, yes, the address has been hacked, please ignore any such emails, and I am removing the email from your comment above to prevent further problems… thanks. Josephine, Miniloc at El Nido, Palawan.
It’s more fun in the Philippines…
Say hello to Chris, Dodong, Noli, & the rest of the gang…. and yes, I remember that monkey! Enjoy your vacation!
aqua shoes on the doorstep…. it’s definitely beach season around here too!
Made my day!
Hello, MM. This is re your current poll, and I dont know where to post this but here. I remember commenting on your post on wine glasses, and my comments on this latest poll:
As I type, the ratio of those saying there’s no difference to yes is around 2.5 to 1.
1. The way the question is framed, the rational part of the mind will say no, since it’s just a glass, how can there be a difference?
2. If it were practical to do, I’d like to see the poll respondents do their own experiment with this setup of an expensive wine glass vs a “$3 pottery barn wine glass”. I presume the latter has the same shape and size of the former?
3. Wine enthusiasts who have spent time honing their sniffing skills do detect a difference when different vessels are used, but it is not “the more expensive the crystal, the better tasting and smelling it would be.”
Anyway, I think the crucial element is the shape, not the material used. If the poll was about a paper or plastic cup vs a proper wine glass (like in your original post on the Waterford crystal), and it asks the respondent to test it himself, I dont think the poll results would have been lopsided.
I’d love to hear from you re this. Tnx.
ariel, sent you a brief email… so as not to spoil the other poll answers… but post on the matter up in a few days… Thanks. :)
Still on monkeys in the Philippines and not on the least to steal the thunder of your post, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7AlwwoHfTo&feature=g-vrec&context=G2f26c51RVAAAAAAAABQ
Nutty monkeys. Oh yeah! Probably not intended. Excellent pun monsieur. Cover pic says it all. Indeed they are.