Only km north from Bangkok, 3 hours by train and 28 bahts, is an essential step to the north of Thailand. Many tourists simply spend the day there, while it desserves to be visited for few days. It must be said that the old town is small, and the main temples are 5-minute walk from the train station.
Lopburi was under Khmer rule until the 17th century, which is why its architecture differs from that of Ayutthaya. Then in the 17th century, the king of Ayutthaya, Narai the Great , decided to make Lopburi the second city of his kingdom. Actually, the climate there is a little sweeter than in Ayuttaya, and because the city is located on a tributary of the river Chayo Praya.
For the little anecdote, Louis XIV sent a delegation in to this part of the world in order to expand his kingdom, and to establish trade with the Orient. The delegation arrived by boat at Lopburi, and despite the beauty of Versailles, they were captivated by the beauty of Lopburi. Today there is little left of this beauty. Nevertheless, the building in which the French ambassador resided is still standing.
The monkeys of Lopburi are the big attraction of the city. In fact, tourists do not really stop there to visit the temples, but rather to see the monkeys. A few minutes walking from the train station, there is a famous temple, Phra Prang Sam Yod , which is the playground of thousands of macaques. As one approaches the temple, one begins to see them in the street, running everywhere.
Watch out for your glasses, your cap, your hairbands, your camera, or the drink you have in your hands. In a few minutes, it will be gone. And macaques run faster than you. These critters are much smarter than we are. At the entrance to the temple, there are Thais who sell peanut bags to give to the monkeys. Of course, most tourists are too happy to be able to approach these animals and buy a pack of peanuts. So in their left hand, they hold the pack of peanuts and with their right hand they take out a few peanuts and naively approach a monkey.
