Making Friends on Monkey Hill

One afternoon I decided to hike up Toh Sae Hill in Phuket Town.  The hill is home to many interesting sights.  The first is a beautifully coloured temple built right into the rock along the side of the hill.  Locals will climb up here to worship and pray, far away from the noise of the city below.




A quiet place to come and meditate high up away from the bustling city below.

Another reason people climb Toh Sae Hill is to enjoy the amazing views of the sea and all of Phuket Island.

It is hard not to marvel at the views from Toh Sae Hill.

Toh Sae Hill is also well known for its exercise park.  Locals will climb up the steep hill (which is a workout in itself) in order to do the exercises shown in the signs along the side of the road.

Working up a sweat, I stop for an exercise break.

Photo: Laura Muir

Once you approach the top of the hill you start to see furry little creatures in the distance.  At first I thought they were stray dogs (which can be found all over Thailand), but as I got closer I realized they weren't dogs, they were monkeys!

Monkeys scampering all around me.

All around you macaques play games, rest in the shade, groom each other and munch on fruit that locals bring them to eat.  The monkeys are shy, and do not approach you unless you have a piece of fruit to give them.  Even then, they will grab the fruit from your hand and run off.  Of course you have to be careful when around animals in the wild.  You don't want to frighten or threaten them as they might lash out and react in a violent way to protect themselves or their families.  I made sure I was very quiet and slow in my movements so I didn't upset them or make them scared.

A macaque wondering if my camera is food.

Having a conversation with my new buddy.

Photo: Laura Muir

So as I sat on the ground with monkeys all around me I finally understood why Toh Sae Hill is nicknamed Monkey Hill.  It is a place I think you should all visit one day!