Batu Caves

A little ways outside of KL are the Batu Caves, a Hindu temple complex built into a series of limestone caves.  The main deity on display is Lord Murugan who has a huge gold statue at the front, but there are tons of smaller statues and areas of worship for other Hindu deities.  While the statue is impressive, the best part about the complex is all the colors.  The rainbow painting on the steps is a fairly recent addition, but all the temple areas are brightly colored as well, so the whole thing feels like walking through a rainbow.

Jeff got a fantastic picture of the stairs, since we were there early enough to have them pretty much to ourselves.

Getting there in the first place though was quite an adventure.  We went with some embassy friends, and we got to make use of our car's extra seats for the first time.  We put Elena in the back, back, so that we could fit two extra adults in the middle.  She thought it was great.

I had volunteered to drive, since I've been the one doing the driving here so far, but this was my first time going past the embassy.  We were prepared to get a bit lost, but I would say we took every wrong turn you could possibly take between here and there.  In our defense, the roads here are incredibly confusing.  First of all, they split constantly, and you can't really tell from the map on the phone where you're supposed to go.  Secondly, each route has at least three different names on it, but for some reason, none of those three names were the three names on the directions we were getting from our phone.  Basically, it became a game of chance, and we lost, repeatedly.  The good news though is that we started early, so there wasn't much traffic, and Google just kept redirecting as we got lost until eventually we got there, all in one piece, and with only one three point turn to get out of a dead end road.

There was a large parking lot, which I'm sure fills up during festivals, but things are just starting to open up and it was about 8:30 in the morning, so we had no problem finding a prime parking spot.  We paid 2 RM on the way in, which is about 50 cents, so it was nice to have something be easy after all our ordeals getting there.

There was a beautiful temple on the left as we first walked up, and then a plaza filled with pigeons at the foot of the steps.

We spent quite a bit of time in the plaza taking pictures.

When we first got there, it was mostly full of pigeons, and there was a lady off to one side selling bird food and bananas.  Elena was excited about the pigeons, so she ran around chasing them.

We had heard though that there were a LOT of monkeys at the caves, and sure enough, as though they sensed tourists buying bananas below, they came leaping and sliding down the stairs and proceeded to climb all over the temple as well.

I had just finished taking a picture of the girls in front of the temple, and they were not too sure about this new development.

We had friends in Thailand who were attacked by these kinds of monkeys, so we're quite wary of them, and we've passed that on to the girls, but Elena's animal loving instincts eventually won out, especially when she saw the mommy and baby monkeys, so our friends shared some bananas with her, and she fed the monkeys too.  Even Viv gave it a go.

We took a few more pictures,

and then headed up the stairs.

We took it easy and paused for water breaks and photo ops.  We had to be careful with our phones and water bottles though, so that the monkeys didn't think they were treats for them.

But finally, we made it to the top.

The caves were a very different world from the rainbow steps we had taken to get there.

There are smaller offshoots that usually cost extra to visit.  Those weren't open when we went there, but the main cavern was open and free.  The first person who found the cave thought that the opening looked like Lord Murugan's spear, which is why he dedicated the caves to him.  Once you go through the opening, there's a large cavern with a temple building to the left, and then another series of stairs to go up to an even higher point.

For people walking up the steps on pilgrimage, they do it barefoot.  Since we are tourists, they were fine with us keeping our shoes on for the stairs, but there were very clear signs that no shoes were allowed in the temple areas.  We thought it would be more respectful to stay in the main part of the cavern and admire things from there.  We really liked the peacock theme.

A lot of the reviews I read online said don't bother paying for a tour, because it's easy to get there and free to get in, but it would have been really nice to have had a guide who could have explained some of the symbolism to us.  There were also clearly religious activities going on.  I haven't been able to find any good explanation online, so I'm hoping that before we leave Malaysia, we can go back with a knowledgeable guide and really learn about everything.  This visit though, was about the climbing experience, so we went up the next flight of stairs.

There was another temple up there, open to the elements.

Looking back down the stairs was a bit vertigo inducing, but it gave a good view of the cavern below.

Both of the girls were brave enough to get their pictures taken at the top of the steps.

By that point, Elena was ready to go back down, but everyone else was still leisurely exploring, so after having her pull on my arm for a while, I agreed to take her back down.  The steps are steep and fairly shallow, so I had been a bit worried about the descent, but we took it slow and paid attention to where we were putting our feet.  A couple times we had to walk around families of monkeys that were hanging out on the stairs.

When we were about halfway down, a man called out to Elena, "Baby! Baby, come here!"  He had a tied up orange skirt, and no shirt on, but his torso was decorated with several tattoos in what looked like Hindi or Sanskrit.  He held out a flower necklace to Elena, and when she walked over to him, he placed it around her neck.  We had seen similarly clad people doing this to babies in the temples, and the babies had some kind of yellow powder in their hair, so I guess he thought Elena fit the bill.  We both thanked him, and Elena beamed with her new treasure.

It was a lovely and unexpected souvenir, and she still has it hanging in her room.  Finally, we made it to the bottom, and I sent Jeff this picture to let him know where we were.

Elena was surprised to find that her legs were shaky, so we found a place to sit in the shade and wait for the rest of our group.  The going down was easier than going up, but it was a LOT of steps, and honestly, my legs were a bit shaky too.  Eventually, the rest of our crew made their way down, and Jeff got a picture of the sun beginning to encroach on the plaza.  It rises from behind the mountain, so the afternoon is the absolute worst time to do the steps.

There were some food places that were starting to open up at the bottom, but Elena was DONE.  She held it together pretty well, but we knew a meltdown was imminent, so we said goodbye, left Viv with her group of friends, and headed home.

The trip home went MUCH more smoothly.  There were lots of signs for KLCC and Ampang, so I just followed those until things looked familiar again.  By the time we got home, we were absolutely starving, so we ordered burgers and ate them out on the balcony to continue our outdoor day.

It was a very full morning, but it made us feel like we really live in Malaysia, and we hope we can have more of these types of outings soon.

Exploring and Celebrating

Our big adventure this past week was a trip to the Batu Caves, but that deserves its own blog entry, so for this one, I'm just going to focus on some of the fun we've had within walking distance.

As the KL region increases the percentage of people who are fully vaccinated, more and more things are opening up and being allowed.  The CLO has taken advantage of that to start organizing activities for the kids at the embassy.  Elena participated in a treasure hunt that was organized by age.  She and five other seven year olds ran all over the embassy recreation areas hunting down candy.  She ended up with quite a stash.

A few days later, there were the "Hungry" Games for the teen set.  There was a water gun survival extravaganza, but most of the time was spent enjoying a pizza pool party.  Vivian didn't win the games, but she had such a great time that we declared the event a win.

There has been a lot of talk about hair around the house lately.  First thing was Jeff's insistence that his hair was WAY too long.  Translation: it was touching his ears.  We couldn't find a hair place near us that was open, but I did find a fellow embassy wife who cut her husband's hair and had all the equipment.  We made new friends!

Jeff was so happy afterwards.  The little things really can make a big difference.

Elena has also become obsessed with her hair.  She found a hair care and styling book that I had originally bought for Vivian, and then she recruited the ever supportive Noby to attempt to recreate some of the hairstyles.  I had to get a picture of one of the first braids, because you could really see the different colors in Elena's hair.

The final product was more ambitious.  Elena was very pleased.

We have started a thing now where I braid her hair after her evening bath, and then she takes the braids out in the morning to achieve the wavy look.

I think this simplified routine is a relief to Noby, because for a while there, Elena was demanding a new style daily.  They came out great, but it was time consuming.

The double braids work well for playing outside in the heat too.  The other week, Elena and I met up with a friend at the embassy to run around on the grass there.  Her soccer skills are still intact.

But she's getting a bit too big for toddler toys.

Jeff and I also got some exploring in over the weekend.  We walked over four miles around Ampang, which is the name of our neighborhood.  Our biggest challenge was figuring out how to get into the lovely park near our house.  The gate nearest us was closed, but we could see people in the park, so we knew that there must be an open gate somewhere.  Of course we walked all around it, and the gate was in the last place we checked.  Still, it made it even more of a triumph when we got in.  

We had to show our vaccination status with our phones, but there were kids in the park, so it looks like kids can come if their parents are fully vaccinated.  That seems to be the way most things are operating here now.

The park was small, but nice, with a man made lake in the middle, and a path around most of it.  There's one part of the lake that has private houses on it, so you can't walk the full circuit, which is a bit annoying, but it's a lovely spot all the same.

There were TONS of fish in the lake, including some really big ones.  There were also quite a few turtles.

We saw some birds too.  It's great when city planning allows for nature spots like this one.  We definitely want to go back with the girls soon.

The weather stayed nice in the evening, and so we sat out on the balcony.  Because we look into the courtyard, we don't really have a sunrise or sunset view, but it's really pretty when the light changes.

It sounds like our sea freight won't be here before November, so I thought the least I could do is make our balcony more homey.  There are some garden stores down the road, so Noby (who loves to garden) and I went to take a look.  I really wanted to add some color, so we settled on bright pink bougainvilleas and these interesting plants that turn yellow the more sun they get.  The man who ran the place helped us put together everything we needed and agreed to deliver it later that day.

The security guards wouldn't let the people actually bring the plants to our apartment, but they had already done the hard work of potting them, and they brought a handcart, so we got the plants up on the balcony, and then brought them back the cart.

We knew the plants needed sun, so at first we put them all in the sunniest corner, but it was too crowded to have them all together, so now we have one pink and one yellow in each corner, and then all the other little green ones in the middle.  It makes me happy every time I look at it.

In addition to walking all over the neighborhood, Jeff and I have also taken the opportunity of things opening up to sit down and enjoy a meal together in a restaurant.  There is a restaurant with outdoor seating on the ground level of the mall next door.  It's called Alexis, and we have looked at it longingly as we walked by for the past couple months. In other times, it also hosted live jazz music, so we're hoping it will get back to that, but for now, we were super excited to be dining in style.

We opted to sit outside, and the tables were well spaced out.  You are also only allowed to enter the restaurant if you're fully vaccinated, so, honestly, it was safer than when we went to restaurants in the U.S..  They also made a point of bringing us sanitized utensils in steaming water.

The best part though was the FOOD.  We have been eating a lot of delivery, and it was great to eat things that had just been freshly prepared.  We got some starters to share, a grilled octopus and Caesar salad, and I had a fabulous mushroom risotto.

Jeff went all out with pasta and prawns.

We also made sure to save space for dessert, because there is a big cake display when you first enter the restaurant, and Jeff had spotted carrot cake.  It did not disappoint.

The girls were a little jealous of our outing, but they are getting plenty of good food at home.  Rosh Hashanah was last week, and Vivian got her favorite, apples and honey.

This year, the new year fell on Labor Day, so we combined the two and had burgers (which are round), as our food for a smooth new year.

Of course, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to make honey chicken, so the next night we had that with rice and circle cut carrots to represent gold coins.  Hopefully all our eating will make this next year sweet, smooth, and prosperous. 

The first sign of new year's good luck was the arrival of a new oven.  Noby and I have been struggling with the one we had, which only cooked things in the back of the oven.  The new one is shiny and fancy, and we are having fun with its even cooking power.

Vivian is also having fun in the kitchen with her kitchen garden class.  This week's task was tomato sauce.  The teacher provided a pretty complex recipe, so I had to put my foot down and say it was too much.  Instead, I taught Viv how to make the tomato sauce my mom and I make, which everyone in the family loves.

Her teacher said it was "very American" to use canned tomatoes, but conceded that learning how to open a can was an important kitchen skill.  It's a good thing Viv was wearing an apron, because getting the top off the first can was a bit of a mess, but she nailed it on the second can, so learning happened!

She made the sauce in the morning, but we saved it for family dinner.  In the evening, she made the pasta, salad, and garlic bread to go with it.  She was very proud, and Elena was especially impressed that Vivi had made dinner.  

I'm hoping she'll eventually learn more dishes and be able to really help out with cooking, but for now her main family contribution is making sure that we're as current as possible with the world of Marvel.  We can't watch Shang Chi yet, because the theaters here aren't open, but we're looking forward to seeing it when it comes out on Disney+.  I know that the legal case over Black Widow isn't good, but I'm so glad we were able to watch it on Viv's birthday.  

Jeff actually planned a little Marvel surprise for Viv.  We love to watch the New Rockstars' breakdowns of all things Marvel, and if you buy some of their t-shirts (which we do), you can put a little message down, which they may or may not show on air.  We were watching a reaction to the latest What If . . .? episode, when "What if Vivian was Scarlet Witch!" appeared on the screen.  Vivi is famous!

Elena is not quite as interested in Marvel as the rest of us, but she IS very excited about ISKL.  The school let parents come to campus to buy uniforms and other things at the store there.  I got Viv some clothes and a new water bottle.  She wasn't overly impressed, but Elena was THRILLED with her uniform.  I also couldn't resist getting her a blue and yellow hairband, and a super cute panther, since they are the panthers, and she loves doing the panther roar.

She came to the school with me the next day to do the drive through library book pickup.  It's always so satisfying to see her reading a book.

Her day got even better when Jeff got home with more accessories and more books! She has gotten it into her head that a beret is the height of fashion, and we were able to find one in ISKL blue.

She even insisted on wearing it after bath while reading her new Dog Man book.  This kid has a good life.

The toughest thing right now is that the opening date for the school keeps getting pushed back.  Now it sounds like it might only open in October for students in exam level grades.  I'm trying to hold onto my optimism, but it's frustrating.  To balance that bad news though, we got some good news: the Seri Hening pool opened this past Sunday.  They capped how many people could be in the pool, but it's a big pool, so there was definitely a festive atmosphere and lots of happy kids, mine included.

They even went to the baby pool to try out the slide :-)

It's definitely been a little distracting having a swimming pool right outside while they're supposed to be doing their online classwork, but I know the novelty will wear off soon, so I'm letting them have fun with it for now.  Elena threw her bathing suit on real quick the other day to go on the slide a few times between classes.

Viv is getting to know several of the other girls here, so a bunch of them hung out in the pool the other evening.  There are a lot of things that I still want to happen for our life here to feel truly settled, like the school opening and getting our sea freight, but there is no denying that life is good.  One of my friends posted this meme the other day.  It gave me a chuckle and a good reminder to keep things in perspective. We're getting there, one step at a time.