Feeding Monkeys at Lalbagh

The other day as we were sitting down to lunch I was asking Adam about fun things I could take the kids to do and he suggested that I have Naveen take the kids and I to the Lalbaugh Gardens where there are 450 acres of beautiful trees, flowers, bushes, and vegetation. If you know me, you know that these kind of adventures are my favorite and really fill up my love bucket. Being in nature and around beautiful things is just so darn awesome! I’m always amazed at the wonderous things God created for us on this earth. And since Adam had already been to the gardens – he didn’t feel bad about us going without him! Sweet!

So after lunch the kids and I headed over after dropping Adam off at work. I was instantly in love with the place as it was so lush and beautiful and colorful. But I was kicking myself a million times over because that morning I had plugged my camera battery in to charge and then had forgotten to put it back in my bag! Doh! So the whole day not a single pictured was captured of the gardens awesomeness. I was especially disappointed when about half way through the gardens we ran into a big bunch of bamboo trees and in them was a whole family of monkeys. Baby monkeys, pregnant mamma monkeys, young energetic monkeys, old Grandma and Grandpa monkeys. However, we’d been told told by many of our Indian friends to never get to close to the monkeys as they can get very aggressive and be dangerous. So I planned to just look at them from afar. As we got closer though we saw that there was a man feeding them and he invited us to come and help him. He would put a small piece of onion in our hand, have us close our fingers over the onion (to hide it) and then have us go up to a monkey to give him/her the onion. They would then pry your fingers open to get it. You could sort of squeeze your hand shut to make it more difficult, but man alive are those monkeys strong – and eventually they would get it out. It was soooo fun though! We were able to feed baby monkeys, give them drinks of water out of our hand. Both Harry and I had monkeys crawl up our arms and onto our heads, and it was seriously one of the best animal encounters of my life. I was SICK that I had not a single picture to document this amazing experience.

BUT…once again a HUGE tender Mercy happened when unbeknownst to me a photography who was obsessed with Adalynn’s cuteness began taking pictures of she and I together with the monkeys, and afterwards he came up to show me his pictures and to ask about Adalynn. Have I mentioned here on the blog yet that she is the latest sensation in India? I’m not kidding either. We literally have our own paparazzi that follow us around, ask to take pictures of her, or to hold her, or pinch her cheeks. They are obsessed with her cuteness and I’ve been told more times than I can count that she looks like a porcelain or glass doll!

I was so pleased though that her cuteness ended up with me receiving a whole bunch of beautiful pictures of the kids and I as we played with and fed the monkeys. Coincidences like that just don’t happen and I know that I received a true gift that day.

Most of the shots are close ups of Adalynn and I and don’t show the monkeys (and were taken right after the kids all eat sticky ice cream cones) but all of the pictures were taken while we were feeding the monkeys and they will forever remind me of this beautiful experience. So without further adieu – here you go. All of the pictures were taken by an Indian man named Guru Prasad who I am now friends with on facebook. Thank you Guru for your thoughtful gift to my family and for capturing these precious moments! We will forever treasure these pictures!

In the picture below the man who was feeding the monkeys is putting an onion on Adalynn’s head so the monkey will get up on her shoulders and eat it. Although the picture doesn’t capture her reaction, she LOVED having the monkeys near her and giggled every time they eat something out of her hand. She never seemed scared at all.

This is probably a shot of me feeding my first monkey. The man had all the kids try it first (all except for Branson who preferred seeing the monkeys from a distace) and then he gave me a turn. If you know me, you know that monkeys are my favorite animal – so this was really an awesome experience getting to do this!

Watching one of the kids feed a monkey maybe?

My cute little blue eyed sticky face ice cream girl!

Here I am giving the monkey a drink of water out of my hand. The sensation of them slurping was so fun and I loved feeling their little tongues on my skin.

“Look Mom, another monkey!”

A very mesmerized Harrison watching all the action.

Later the photographer actually came up to me and ASKED for a picture of Adalynn. I think he originally hoped to pick her up and have a picture taken with her, but she was completely DONE-ZO with people trying to take her picture at this point so I compromised with him and suggested I hold her and he take her picture. That seemed to work a little better. 😉