buckle up, friendlies, it's story time. this one's for @viv & will probably be a meandering long one:

So. My parents moved to a secluded village-town/hill station in South India around the time my brother & I moved out. And like other hilly regions in that state, there are vast coffee plantations all over. Their place, in fact, is part of a coffee estate/ horticultural zone/ quiet residential area.

A couple of friends & I went down there last year for a small getaway. (contd.)

Obviously we hadn't stepped out or gone anywhere in a couple of years, so we booked a guesthouse that overlooked the plantation, and every morning, we sat outside to peel oranges & drink freshly ground coffee.

On several such undisturbed, misty mornings, as we sat on a large rock & took in the rejuvenating clean air, sunlight peeking through the tall trees, flowers, bees, & bird sounds, we heard a crackling of branches, a rustle of leaves. (contd.)

At first, we thought it was just the wind, but the sounds got louder & more frequent, so we squinted to see what was going on through the trees.

Lo & behold, there were families of monkeys, hanging from the branches, parents watching over their babies as they all scampered down & began picking coffee beans.

A few mini fights broke out too, as one monkey tried to steal beans from another, all of them chattering & scurrying about. (contd.)

We sat there, silent and unmoving, orange juice trailing down our forearms, as these monkeys got hyper on coffee!

A few stopped to look at us, the smaller ones coming closer to take in the ridiculously deformed primates staring at them, holding their beans to their chest.

We didn't dare get in the midst of that scuffle though, dear reader, for the best lesson in life is never to approach someone before they've had their morning coffee.

/fin

@wordswithnima That pretty much sums it up.
@wordswithnima Haha! Loved the advice at the end. Thanks for sharing the story.
@wordswithnima Hahaha from the idyllic imagery of slow living plantations to the caffeinated exuberance of simians… that escalated quickly πŸ˜„β˜•οΈ!
@wordswithnima I love the idea of a bunch of monkeys getting hyper on coffee beans and squabbling amongst each other. πŸ˜‚

@wordswithnima

I've often wondered about sea otters that eat Urchins. Those urchins contain a compound similar to THC I wonder if the Otters are stoned out of their minds after they've gorged themselves. They kind of look it.

@Jollyspaniard @wordswithnima My heart demands that those adorable critters be high as balls.
@Jollyspaniard @wordswithnima you're right to think about this and if there's a loving god they absolutely are
@Jollyspaniard @wordswithnima
So cool, I love sea urchins and maybe I now know why? Do you have a reference for THC levels in sea urchins?
@noelleletoile @wordswithnima Not THC but andalaine (sp?) which is almost identical and has a similar effect. It's present in sea urchin eggs.
@wordswithnima I'm enjoying this story while drinking my morning coffee. Thanks!
@wordswithnima Loved the story, but also such a beautiful picture. Recently visited Kerala and the landscapes were absolutely gorgeous.