Lopburi is a city in Thailand a popular tourist destination located 140 kilometers north to Bangkok and 260 km to Pattaya. The population of Lopburi is just 54,000 and is the capital of the same name province.
Tourists usually come here for one or two days. However, there is a lot to see in the city. After all, this is one of the most ancient cities of Thailand, founded even before the 7th century.
The main attractions of Lopburi are temples and ancient ruins located in the old city. The city is somewhat reminiscent of Ayutthaya in a reduced size. The local ruins differ from those of Ayutthaya, which is due to their age and the fact that in the 10th century the Khmer Empire conquered this territory, and, of course, set up their palaces and temples in the Khmer and Hindu style here.
But the main attraction of Lopburi, which primarily attracts tourists and is known throughout the world - are monkeys. The city is simply filled with crabeater monkeys, who for the amusement of tourists, "terrorized" the whole city, and especially its old part. Monkeys feel like real masters in the city and tourists also get into trouble from them. They can unceremoniously rip off a chain, earrings from a tourist, steal a bag or a camera, grab a phone. So when visiting the old city, it is highly recommended to hide all things in bags, and close them tightly in turn.
It is especially interesting to visit Lopburi at the end of November, when local residents, in an attempt to “make friends” with tailed neighbors, arrange the Lopburi Monkey Banquet festival, bringing food as a gift to the temples where monkeys live, set real tables for them and arrange dishes. Well, the locals do not expel monkeys from the city because they believe that the city was built on the site of the ancient kingdom of monkeys subjects of King Hanuman.
