Agoda.com lines up hotel deals for the fun & quirky Lopburi Monkey Festival
Singapore (PRWEB) October 09, 2013 -- Agoda.com, Asia’s leading hotel booking site and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group (Nasdaq:PCLN), is providing special deals on hotels to help celebrate one of the strangest and certainly hairiest festivals in Thailand – the annual Lopburi Monkey Festival. This year the festival will be held on 25 November.
Located about 140km north of Bangkok, the city has long been an important strategic location for various tribes and kingdoms over the past 1,000 years or so. However, these days the town is more famous for its large population of monkeys – specifically, the long-tailed macaque – which are closely identified with the city and can be seen climbing temples, bathing in the river, and scavenging for food throughout the area.
In 1989, a local businessman came up with the idea of organizing an event around the monkeys to bring in tourists and celebrate the town’s most visible natural asset, and the Lopburi Monkey Festival was born. In the 23 years since, it has grown into a major annual event, and this year will provide over 4,000 kg of food for the 3,000 odd monkeys that inhabit the city!
The festival is centered around the ancient Khmer temple of Phra Prang Sam Yot, where tables of fruit, plates of rice, and bowls of sweet Thai desserts are laid out in a huge expanse of color. The monkeys – watching curiously from high up in the trees and temple – eventually realize that all of this is for them, and they descend to get a closer look. Scampering across the tables, they stuff as much into their mouths as possible, jumping around excitedly at the sudden bonanza. And if you’re wondering what they have to drink, don’t worry – giant blocks of ice are also provided, which the monkeys slowly destroy in their efforts to get the treats that have been frozen in the center.
There are endless photo opportunities and it’s a rare occurrence to be able to see so many monkeys up close. However, please keep in mind that no matter how friendly they seem, they are still wild monkeys. They’re fast, they’re strong, and they’re mischievous, and have been known to grab phones, cameras, wallets and more, scampering up a building, never to be seen again. Be mindful of straps and especially of any food – just because there’s a whole table of fruit behind them doesn’t mean they won’t try and grab your ice cream.
To get the most of a visit to Lopburi, Agoda.com is showcasing following five hotels which are offering special deals for the festival.
Ajcharavadee Apartment 3*
Stay for at least 2 nights and enjoy 10% off your stay. Expires 30 November, 2013. Non-refundable.
Benjatara Boutique Resort 3.5*
Stay for at least 2 nights and enjoy 10% off your stay. Expires 30 November, 2013.
Lopburi Inn Hotel 3*
Special promotion: Enjoy 10% off a stay between 24-27 November, 2013. Non-refundable.
Lopburi Inn Resort 3*
Special promotion: Enjoy 10% off a stay between 24-27 November, 2013. Non-refundable.
MDR Hotel 3*
Special promotion: Enjoy 10% off a stay between 24-27 November, 2013. Non-refundable.
To connect with Agoda.com for special deals on hotels worldwide, please visit our website at http://www.agoda.com. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/agoda or follow us on Google+ at http://plus.google.com/+agoda.
Greg Jorgensen, Agoda Company Pte Ltd, http://www.agoda.com, +66 26259178, [email protected]
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