Monkeys are the cutest and most fascinating creatures you will ever come across while traveling–until, that is, they attack.
Mr. Cute Monkey then becomes a crazed maniac with long, sharp teeth and lightening fast reflexes. I came close to being a victim myself at the Monkey Temple in Katmandu. I had foolishly brought a small stalk of bananas with me to feed the little critters and when they realized this, they came from all directions and were just about ready to jump me when I tossed the bananas far away and stepped slowly back.
The great thing about monkey attacks is that no one takes them seriously. Sure, they’re terrifying, but as you can see in the videos, nearly everyone is laughing their heads off when getting chased. I think that somewhere in the terror of the situation is the realization that, “I’m getting chased by a monkey!” For whatever reason, laughter wins out in this “I’m-scared-but-it’s-funny” moment of cognitive dissonance.
So let this be a warning to all you tourists who like playing with monkeys; it’s all fun and games until you become a human banana covered in bite marks.