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

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.