Monkeyland

On this year’s 80s Cruise, we visited the ports of Nassau in the Bahamas, San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Having been to Nassau and San Juan several times, we opted not to take excursions in either of those cities on this trip. In fact, we didn’t even disembark the ship in Nassau; we only went across the street from where we were docked to Walgreens for some Q-Tips in San Juan.

In Puerto Plata, however, we went totally primate! We visited an attraction called “Monkeyland!” If you know me at all, you know I love monkeys. Several years ago, on our one and only Norwegian voyage, we visited a monkey sanctuary with Capuchin monkeys, and I loved walking around, having them jump from the ground to our shoulders, then from Russ over to me and back, the way they kissed our cheeks, etc. When Russ saw the word “Monkeyland” on the excursions list, he didn’t even ask me – he just signed us up and told me after the fact. I was thrilled, to say the least.

We went on an air-conditioned bus – always a plus in the Caribbean! We arrived and walked down to the monkeys, which are housed in beautiful gardens of tropical flowers and trees. There are high fences with electric fencing at the top that serves as a deterrent to those monkeys who might try to escape over the fences. Having grown up on a farm with electric fencing, I know that it usually only takes once or twice for an animal to figure out those boundaries; it’s not cruelty – it’s for their safety. They have lots of room to roam around and are truly given a bountiful life in Monkeyland.

The monkeys at Monkeyland are much smaller than the Capuchin monkeys. They are Squirrel Monkeys, little monkeys with long tails that bush out at the bottoms. They have sweet little faces and the softest little feet that feel cool to your skin as they climb all over you! You can see them before you enter the gate to go into their “domain. You enter through a little fenced in chamber with a sliding gate. They see you coming and immediately come to check you out. They know what visitors mean – mealtime is coming!

Then the monkey-keeper takes you further down the path to an area with benches. By that time, there is a crowd of probably two dozen or so monkeys gathered around to check you out. They start running around behind you on the benches, skipping over your arms and legs as you sit there – it’s a mutual “checking out” of each other. Our monkey-keeper was named Juan and he had fruit in bowls that he handed to us and the monkeys came to each of us and gobbled up the pieces of fruit out of the bowls in a flash, moving from one person to the next, sometimes squabbling with the other monkeys if too many tried to get the same bowl of fruit at the same time – they can squawk really loudly when irritated! Juan also had a plentiful stash of sunflower seeds which he put in people’s pockets, in their hair, on their hats, on their shoulders, etc., and the monkeys clamored and climbed like plunderers of lost treasures to claim those treats, too. Having their little fingers go through your hair to make sure they’d gotten all the seeds felt like little combs going through, grasping at goodies possibly left behind. Several people got peed on – fortunately, I missed out on that! – because, well, when nature calls, monkeys just go where they are, whatever they’re doing. (This is part of the reason people with pet monkeys put diapers on them – that, and I’ve always heard they like to throw poop – but there were no pooping incidents at Monkeyland that day, just some pee from the excited little guys and gals trying to make the most of mealtime.

We learned that each group has an alpha male and a sort of alpha female. The alpha male of our troop had died recently, so the males are trying to assert themselves now to find a new leader. One female, Maria, was quite cheeky. Juan had to call her name out several times, always in trouble for something, in a mischievous way. It made me think of the Rodgers & Hammerstein tune from The Sound of Music, “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” She made me laugh. They all brought lots of smiles to the group, even when they peed on people. (Okay, so that was mostly smiles from the people not getting peed on…) But they were so enchanting and made for a wonderful experience in a fun place.

Monkeyland was more than just Squirrel Monkeys, though. They also had an exhibit set up showing how people lived on the island forty years ago, before it became a tourist destination. So we were led through a small house without electricity, and led to a demonstration adjacent to the house where they showed how coffee and chocolate were made on the island from coffee beans and cacao beans. Also a wine/honey/rum mixture that was supposed to be good for many ailments. We ended up buying a bag of the chocolate mix because it tasted so delicious, a much richer chocolate, not as sweet as our chocolate here at home. I’m looking forward to enjoying it in relaxing moments, sipping the warm goodness and remembering our time at Monkeyland.

On our way back to the ship, we also visited a market where artisans handcraft statues of various kinds from very hard wood that feels like stone in your hands, very heavy. I was impressed to see a Tennessee Vols football carving. I didn’t buy anything, though, because I was afraid it would get broken on the way home. (I’ve learned my lesson with breakables over the years.) They gave out free cigar samples to entice you to buy more. Russ took a couple of the free ones, but they didn’t live up to his expectations. He has pretty high standards when it comes to cigars, though.

We got back to port and walked through a maze of shops to get back to the ship. It was the most elaborately laid out shopping area I’ve ever walked through. There was no way to avoid it to get back to the ship. Someone planned it out well. Lots of souvenir shops, restaurants, even a very small Hard Rock Café store (I never saw the actual café, if one was there).

We finally made it back to the ship, though, tired, but having had a fun-filled and educational day at Monkeyland, which I fully recommend if anyone is ever in Puerto Plata. Who could say no to those adorable little faces???