Hi Gram,
I got up a little early this morning, excited to call and talk with Monica. I called her from the poolside where I found a quiet spot out of the direct sun. We chatted for what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, before I realized I had to get off the phone if I had any hopes of breakfast before the speakers started. Talking with Monica is like sharing gelato with Jimmy Carter – it’s sweet, makes me feel smarter, and I always wish there was a little more.
We said our goodbyes and I headed inside to the restaurant where I found an open seat near some friends I hadn’t spent much time with yet. We chatted about real estate, exit strategies, knowing what “enough” really is, and full-time travel before having to wrap up our meals and chat to head to the conference room.
Lacey gave a great talk about educating people about finances and finding our purpose, and I made a note to talk to her more when we had a chance. After a short intermission, we heard from Colleen and what she was doing to encourage some of the locals. We also heard from a few of these local people talk about their foundations and endeavors to make money for their villages, and how they help displaced and unfortunate community members. They sang and danced for us, then told how we could help.
After some tears and hugs, we headed to lunch where we were able to ask one-on-one questions of the local community members. Following lunch, we headed over to the monkey forest. We walked as a whole the few blocks to the entrance while John Thomas and Stacey acted as our den leaders. They kept counting heads to make sure nobody was left behind, telling us when to turn and where to go, answering questions that came up, and reminding everyone to make sure that we stayed hydrated and applied our sun lotion.
Once we arrived, we sorted our group into smaller packs to make navigation a little simpler. We had been warned all week about avoiding eye contact, keeping water bottles and phones out of the monkey’s reach, and being cautious. When we walked in, we saw a list of rules that made us question our decision.
- DO NOT PANIC! If the monkeys jump on you, please drops any food and walk away slowly. They will soon jump off.
- DO NOT RUN! When monkeys approach you, keep calm and don’t scream. Avoid shouting as this may frighten them.
- DO NOT LOOK THE MONKEYS IN THE EYE! This is interpreted as a sign of aggression.
- DO NOT HIDE ANY FOOD because the monkeys will know and try to find it and do not ever try to pull it back.
- DO NOT BRING ANY KIND OF PLASTIC/PAPER BAG to keep the forest litter-free and to avoid monkeys taking and playing with it.
- DO NOT EVER TOUCH, GRAB, OR DISTURB THE MONKEYS (Especially baby monkeys). They may touch you but please do not ever touch them, because their reactions are unpredictable. Baby monkeys may seem harmless but their mothers are very defensive of them.
- IT IS PROHIBITED TO FEED MONKEYS PEANUTS, COOKIES, CANDY, BREAD, OR ANY KIND OF SNACKS, AND DRINK to maintain their health.
Everyone had a different experience, ranging from joyful amusement at the fun monkey shenanigans to fearful panic as the monkeys bit at clothing, stole food and drinks, and bared their teeth.
A few people left after they discovered that the monkeys were too much, but a few of us stuck around and got some fun photos. As my group was nearing the entrance, a monkey jumped on David’s back to investigate his backpack and see if he had any tasty treats.
Once we were done with the monkeys, we headed back to get cleaned up and grab dinner. After our meal, we gathered again in the meeting room to watch Joe and Becky record a podcast with some guests from the audience, including a shout-out to me and my jokes. We were all laughing and cheering them on, a great cap to an already fun day. Once things wound down from there, a few of us stuck around to play “Funemployment”, a game where each person has a stack of cards with words they have to include in their resume and interview for a fictional job posting. It was a great night of laughs and somewhat edgy performances, leaving me looking forward to playing again sometime soon. With the night getting later than I had planned, I excused myself when the game ended and headed to get some much needed sleep.
