Today I took the optional extra to trek in to see some Golden monkeys.  These beautiful animals live in bamboo forest.  The same procedure was followed as yesterday with a drive to park headquarters, dancing and singing and a further ride to the drop off point to begin our walk.

On our way up to the bamboo forest we came across a couple of guys cutting planks from a eucalypt log.  Instead of digging a pit with one person in the pit and the other at ground level, the technique used in these parts is to build a platform with one guy standing on the platform and the other one standing on the ground.  I think I would want to be the guy on top rather than the one underneath as he is continually showered by sawdust which was sticking to his body in the hot and humid conditions.

Sawing a log into planks       (P1100122  DY of jtdytravels)

Nearby was a smoking and steaming pile of earth and leaves.  It was charcoal in the process of being made.  We were told that the whole burning process takes two weeks, something I will have to check sometime when I have reliable internet access.

It was nowhere near as far as it was to see the gorillas – only 20 minutes or so and we were in the company of a troupe of monkeys.

A Golden monkey       (P1100174  DY of jtdytravels)

Another family member      (P1100320  DY of jtdytravels)

They were feeding in the bamboo and moving through the forest seeking out the choicest shoots.  The rainy season is best for them as they particularly like the new bamboo shoots, none of which were available at present because it is the dry season.

The golden monkeys take their name from the lovely golden coat they have.  Pretty faces add to their appeal.

We were back at the ’hotel’ by 11 am which gave me plenty of time for a shower – again it was a walk downstairs to the communal showers as there was still no water at all in my room – before wandering a couple of hundred metres down the road to a massage centre.  Moses performed wonders on my stiff and sore body after the last two treks and the awful pummelling it gets on the bus!  I know, any excuse for a massage, but then, who needs an excuse!     D