Everyone said the trek to Monkey Beach was only 30 minutes.
So we walked to the end of ABC beach, where the road ended. To our right was staircase leading up into the jungle, with an arrow pointing to Monkey Bay. So we started to hike.
From the overgrowth of the jungle, it looked as if nobody ever takes the trail. Oftentimes, we lost the trail and had to backtrack.
But we soon realized that there was a guide wire that followed the general path of the trail. So anytime we weren’t sure if we were on the trail, we would look up.
It was such a humbling reminder for life: if you aren’t sure you are on the right path, look up!! The Lord is your guide!
We hiked about 2 hours until we finally arrived at Monkey Beach (which is before Monkey Bay). Some of the girls ran out of water, so we decided to stop and swim before heading back.
I was quickly in the water, checking out all the coral reefs in the bay. Because of a boat accident a few years ago, most of the ocean life is dead. But surprisingly, this Bay was crawling with healthy coral and an abundance of fish.
I started swimming back to shore when I realized a monkey was walking over towards our belongings. A couple on the beach went to chase it off, but the monkey continued pillaging through my bag. The couple grabbed a stick, but the monkey wasn’t having it. He hissed and chased after them.
But I was determined. By the time I got over to the bag, the monkey had my crackers. He hissed, but continued stuffing his face. I grabbed my bag and restored all my belongings. I placed my bag down closer to the water, but when I turned around, the monkey was running towards my bag. He pulled everything out again, and he wouldn’t let me near it.
I walked over to the cracker wrapper and picked it up. The monkey realized that I had food and started chasing me. I dropped the wrapper and ran. I was able to grab my bag and restore all my belongings…again.
The monkey started walking away, but then realized a bag was lying in the hammock. He opens the bag, and out falls Rachel’s peanut butter.
Let me tell you, monkeys love peanut butter. This was the second jar stolen. They are smart enough to open the jar themselves and careless enough to get peanut butter all over EVERYTHING.
This one couldn’t open the jar, though. So it walked off into the jungle.
“I’m done with monkey beach,” a few of us stated. We gathered our belongings and started the trek back, which wasn’t as much fun. A herd of monkeys, a large snake, huge spiders and no water—oh, and don’t forget the chafing between our legs!!
Nevertheless, it was a fun trek, filled with good memories, a beautiful ocean view and a lesson in following the the ultimate Guide!
