Anyhow, our last stop was Gibraltar, and the most fascinating parts to me were the monkeys and the view of Africa (Morocco, to be exact). Gibraltar has been strategically important in a military sense because of its location at the mouth of the Mediterranean, so it has an interesting history, which I have largely forgotten. It probably would have bored most of you anyway. To put it shortly, it has been occupied by many different cultures/countries over the years. It was the Moors (Arabs) who brought the monkeys over.
It was awesome to see Africa, it made me want to go there. I think I'm most interested in the Middle-eastern countries because the culture and the history fascinates me. It doesn't seem like the best area to visit right now, though. Maybe some day that will change.
So, about the monkeys. They are technically "wild," in that they don't belong to anyone, but they are incredibly tame around people. Why? Because tourists feed them. And if you don't feed them, they take your food. I watched them steal a candy bar from a teenage boy who ignored our tour guides warning not to carry anything in a plastic bag that rustled (the monkeys tore it out of his hands). My cousins saw a monkey climb up a little girl, grab her ice cream cone, and run off with it. Talk about taking any means to get your sugar fix.
No comments:
Post a Comment