Tag Archives: Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur Day 2

Day 2 we woke up, ate breakfast and headed for Batu Caves. For the trip I used places and points of interest that my Uncle recommended from his recent visit to Malaysia, as well as my, “36 Hours Travel Guide” published by Time.

Ever since viewing the photos that my Uncle sent me, I was memorized by Batu Caves, Tamil: பத்து மலை. I knew it had to be on our list to see and do. Luis was our faithful driver and tour guide, he had already seen and done Batu Caves, but decided to join us anyways. All 272 steps up and all 272 steps back down.

In doing some research I learned that, the cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India. The limestone forming Batu Caves is estimated to be around 400 million years old. Some of the cave entrances were used as shelters by the indigenous Temuan people a tribe of Orang Asli. To be honest even looking at the photos now I couldn’t get over how small the place made me feel. The cave and steps leading up to it are just massive and endless.

Fortunately because my Uncle had recently visited, he let us in on the secret that once you climb up the first set of steps you might think that you are done, but ohhh no you are not…there are three more sets to climb if you want to get into the entire cave to see it all. I wished I would have remembered to grab my Fitbit off the charger before we had left S.Korea because I know we killed it on steps that day.

Outside of the Cave there the world’s tallest statue of Murugan, a Hindu deity. The status stands 140 ft and cost approximately 24 million Malaysian rupees. Murugan is made of 1550 cubic meters of concrete, 250 tons of steel bars and 300 liters of gold paint brought in from neighboring Thailand. WOW! Again with the feeling ever so small standing below or beside this status on the steps.

In respecting the Batu Caves Temples as a religious place of worship, there is a dress code to follow. Basically anything above the knee is not acceptable. Certainly not my white shorts that match my freakishly tall white legs. I had to pay a small fee to borrow a wrap to cover my legs to be permitted up the steps of the Cave. Once I got back I returned the wrap and was given my fee back.

We took multiple photos of the monkeys that live at the Batu Caves. Let me tell you, these monkeys have a prime setup with all of the tourist in and out of the caves. These little guys look so cute, but in reality these things are crazy! They swoop down so fast and grab anything that you’ve got in your hands. Bags, cameras, food, flowers, all fair game for the monkeys. We witnessed one monkey trying to take a yellow bag from a women and her husband as they tried to leave the caves. The woman made a huge commotion while flailing her arms and yelling, “NO!”. We then saw a small child with her parents carrying food that the monkeys immediately took without any hesitations. I read afterwards that these monkeys can be quite territorial and visitors needed to watch for biting. Again I read this afterwards. HA-HA so if you are visiting now you know before hand.

Backpackbees

Whew! That’s ALOT of steps! Do you think you’d make it up them?

Kuala Lumpur Day 1

For Memorial Day weekend we Bees hopped a flight to visit a friend in Kuala Lumpur. It took us 6 hours in total and we flew Malaysian Air. I was a bit uneasy at first when I realized we booked with the airline, however in the end we arrived safe and sound at KUL -Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It didn’t take much time to clear customs and grab our baggage before we met up and were greeted with a welcome sign from our friend Luis.

We loaded our baggage up in the car, the car with the steering wheel on the right side I might add. We three giggled about that car the entire time we were there. For only being there for a few months, Luis quickly got acclimated with driving on the opposite side of the road from S.Korea and the US. It was comical to watch Mr. B’s reaction sitting as a passenger on the left side of the car and not the right. At times it often feels like the car beside you is going to turn into you, or you see the passenger on the left side where we are used to seeing the driver absolutely not paying attention and you think, “Oh lord they are going to crash that car! Pay attention!!” Then after your short moment of panic you remember that the driver is on the right side and not the left. whew.

It took us about 40-45 minutes to arrive at Luis’s home in Damansara. Damansara is a central commercialized hub that houses several affluent residential areas. His home was located within walking distance to two large malls and multiple shopping complexes. Very convenient! We arrived just in time to see his neighborhood in the daylight and to watch the sunset from his balcony and gorgeous tall windows.

We got all settled in and decided we needed to grab dinner and drinks. We talked about our travel plans for the duration of the trip, as well as caught up discussing whats been going on in all of our lives. It was so peaceful sipping on our margaritas and people watching from an outdoor balcony that overlooked a twinkle light lit marketplace. I just sat back and took it all in! “So this is Malaysia,” I thought to myself feeling so excited that we were actually here.

Backpackbees

Do you have any plans for Memorial Day weekend?