Monkeys are Prevalent All Around the World

On February 13, 2024February 13, 2024 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Gibraltar, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Rwanda, South America, Tanzania, Vietnam2 Comments

In some ways we are surprised that it seems like no matter where we travel to, there is a chance that we will see monkeys at some point during our visit. Whether it is North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, or Africa, we have seen monkeys in so many different locations throughout our travels. Because of how expressive they are and the way that they share human traits, they are often fascinating to watch, but more often than not, they are troublemakers that have to be watched carefully. We have seen monkeys steal items from people who are not prepared for the fact that they will grab almost anything that they can get their hands on. They are extremely curious, and that curiosity often leads to a desire to explore items that you might have in your possession, especially if it is shiny.

Although monkeys can be found in the wild in Mexico, our first encounter with monkeys was actually in captivity during our trip to Puerto Vallarta, which is certainly not the experience that we prefer. Our second encounter was in Gibraltar during our trip to Southern Spain where we saw the Barbary Macaque Monkeys. During our trip to Panama, we actually took a tour that took us to several of the “monkey islands” that were created when the area around the Panama Canal was flooded to allow for the massive ships to pass through the canal. The smaller monkeys were trapped on the islands and are kept alive by the tourists who visit and feed them.

Up Close and Personal with Monkeys in Panama

It is no surprise that we encountered monkeys in the Amazon Jungle both during our trips to Bolivia and Ecuador. In Vietnam, we saw monkeys on the shoreline of Halong Bay after our boat went through Sung Sot Cave. For obvious reasons, we saw plenty of monkeys, especially baboons, during our safari in Kenya and Tanzania as they were prevalent at each of the parks that we visited. Earlier last year, we visited “Monkey Temple”, more appropriately Pashupatinath Temple, just outside of Kathmandu in Nepal. Then later in the year, we decided to trek to visit the larger primates, gorillas and chimpanzees in Rwanda.

As long as you know that these amazing creatures are unpredictable and you keep your eyes on them to ensure that they don’t take advantage of your curiosity, these animals are truly fascinating to watch. You can often see them almost deep in thought as they watch everything going on around them. Of all of the monkeys that we’ve seen, the ones that we trusted the least were the baboons as they almost acted like a gang where several of them will group together to distract you while others attempt to get away with your belongings. Our time with the gorillas was probably the most incredible experience that we’ve had and will be something we will treasure forever. What is your favorite or least favorite monkey experience that you’ve encountered?

The Amazing Views from Chandragiri Hills in Kathmandu, Nepal

On February 1, 2024February 1, 2024 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn NepalLeave a comment

During our trip to Kathmandu, we had the opportunity to visit the Chandragiri Hills, which is right on the outskirts of the city. The final tour of our trip started with taking the cable car up the side of the mountain, which are really foothills, to see the temple of Bhaleshwor Mahadev. Unfortunately, it was a little cloudy on the day that we visited, but that didn’t diminish from the experience, although we’re sure that the views of the Kathmandu Valley would have been even better and we weren’t able to see the Himalayan Mountain Range. Since we had already taken a high-altitude helicopter up to base camp on Mount Everest, it wasn’t much of a disappointment to see the peaks off in the distance.

It can be very busy visiting Chandragiri Hills, partially because of its close proximity to the heart of Kathmandu and the views that can be seen. Perhaps because we visited on a weekday or because it was an overcast day, it wasn’t particularly busy during our visit. The views from the cable car were quite spectacular, especially during our trip back down from top as the clouds had begun to clear somewhat. In addition to the temple, there is also a zipline at the top of the hills as well as some activities for kids. We received a blessing from a Hindu Priest during the time that we spent at Bhaleshwor Mahadev, which was very memorable for us.

After visiting Chandragiri Hills, we continued on to Swayambhunath Stupa, also known as “Monkey Temple”, which was much busier than the cable car. We had many wonderful experiences during our time in Nepal and Chandragiri Hills was certainly one of them. It took about two hours between the time that it takes to go up and down on the cable car as well as walking around the temple. There is also a trail that you can take from a resort at the base of the hills if you would prefer a strenuous hike instead of taking the cable car.

Resort at the Bottom of Chandragiri Hills

A Look Back at Adventures in 2023

On January 2, 2024January 2, 2024 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Nepal, Rwanda6 Comments

We were more quiet this past year than we have been previously, but that doesn’t mean that we weren’t busy. We are truly looking forward to the new year and going on new adventures, but it is always worth looking back at the places that we visited last year. We were able to go on two truly spectacular trips last year, the first being to Dubai and then to Nepal in March and the second was our trip to Rwanda in September. In between were able to visit some other places closer to our new home on the east coast including Ocean City, Maryland, as well as spending time in Washington DC.

Going to Kathmandu in Nepal was an absolutely amazing experience that we will certainly treasure forever. The highlight of the trip was taking a high-altitude helicopter to see the base camp at Mount Everest. We have spent many years hiking in the mountains of Colorado, but there is something truly magical about standing amongst the peaks of the Himalayan Mountains. In addition to seeing the incredible scenery, we also spent time visiting the temples and learning about the fascinating culture. The people were extremely friendly and made us feel welcome from the moment that we landed in the country.

Sitting on the Boat in Lake Kivu in Rwanda

Later in the year, we returned to Africa once again, this time to trek to spend time with gorillas and then chimpanzees in Rwanda. After our trip to Kenya and Tanzania in 2021 where we went on an extended safari, we made a pledge to ourselves that we would return one day to see the mountain gorillas in the wild. It was certainly worth the effort of hiking through thick vegetation of the rain forest to spend time with these docile creatures who seemed as truly interested in spending time with us as we did with them. No words could ever truly capture the awe and beauty of the time that we spent amongst these incredible animals.

Either of these trips would have been an incredible memory that would last a lifetime, but to do both of them in the same year was even more spectacular. The many, many hours that spent traveling to and from these remote locations was worth every minute for the experiences that we had and the people that we met. We have yet to share all of our stories from those two trips, so we are committed to being better in 2024 to post more about those trips as well as the adventures that we are planning on for this coming year. If this year is anywhere close to 2023, we certainly expect to have many more adventures to share in the coming months.