Every Saturday and Sunday morning, I rise early and walk a 30-minute loop through the jungle.  It's not pure jungle, but rather a place where "man" meets jungle.  The road I walk along is paved and there are some houses and even a golf course along the route. However, as it was once all dense jungle, there are several stretches along my walk where the trees are high and the vines are long.  And in the trees, there are monkeys.  Lots and lots of monkeys.

 

There is a sign along the route that says the equivalent of "Please don't feed the monkeys." And of course, it is directly in front of that sign where people do just the opposite.  And the monkeys, very comfortably, come down from the branches and gorge on the bananas, papayas and whatever else is offered.  

 

 

 

A few weeks ago, it must have been birthing season.  I saw lots of mommy monkeys carrying their newborns. Very cute. I felt fortunate to bear witness at such close range.  Sometimes I have to walk through a group of 20-30 cat-sized monkeys eating fruit.  It amazes me to think that I get closer to these monkeys, sometimes as close as 5 feet, than I could ever be in a zoo.  Still, I am careful not to act in a way they might interperet as a threat.  Because although they eat fruit, they have very sharp teeth. 

 

 

Sometimes, the monkeys that share my walking path are as big as Saint Bernards.  On these mornings, I look down so as not to make eye contact and steer very clear of their path.  Sometimes I turn around and retreat until they have crossed the road.  

 

I do like seeing the monkeys. It's a real reminder that we humans are not the only creatures on the planet.  It's also a reminder that if I don't show a little

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, I could get bit.