Phapu Cave & Monkeys ~ Loei

There’s nothing like seeing monkeys in the wild!

While I was visiting Loei province in early May, 2015, our guide asked if there was anything near Loei City we wanted to see. I asked to see the Phapu Caves, partly because I love caves, but partly because I love seeing monkeys in the wild, and there are lots of them here. It’s also one of the very few interesting things in the vicinity of Loei City. The cave itself is kind of interesting, and inside there are several Buddha statues, 2 of which are completely un-illuminated.You either have to shoot them with a strong flash, or use a flashlight, or just take it on faith that they are there. It’s quite cool actually, making something to exist solely in the pitch black of a cave, although not all tourists probably share this opinion. One thing all tourists can agree on however is that the entire cave smells like piss. And you have to be careful of the monkey droppings too. Which is awkward cuz you also have to remove your shoes when entering. Anyway, it’s all worth a peek. But the best things for us that morning was seeing all the monkeys in the trees that surround the cave. These primates are pretty used to visitors, so it’s easy to get up close to them. And, oddly, some of the baby monkeys are kind of a bright orange colour. Hmmmm. BTW I believe they are gibbons of some kind.