“Selamat Datang” – from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Batu Caves built in 1871 and consisting of 3 temples honoring Lord Murugan (the War God), Lord Hanuman (the Monkey God), and Lord Ganesha (the Elephant God) is one of the most famous landmarks in Asia. Rising hundreds of meters high on a side of a limestone mountain reaching towards a majestic cave, this 272 step temple is the most holy place for Hindus in Malaysia.
Even though we were warned that we would be greeted by birds, monkeys, and possibly even bats, I was unprepared for the sheer number of wild animals everywhere.
And my worst fears came to fruition when I encountered a near death experience with a Macao brown monkey that I will detail in a separate post.
Aside from that though, the experience was unforgettable for the kids. We have never seen anything like this on our travels and the kids didn’t really know what to look at first, the statues, the worshippers, the rabid animals etc…
Unfortunately I really can’t detail the experience fully because I’m pretty sure I am suffering from Monkey PTSD, but suffice it to say I will never forget Malaysia.
The statue of Lord Murugan is the tallest statue in Malaysia, costs nearly 24 million rupees and is covered in 300 liters of gold paint.
It was very crowded because there was an Indian Festival going on with lots of music and festive outfits.
The temple honoring the Elephant God Lord Ganesha is very ornate and brightly painted upon every square inch.
Brian refused to go inside afraid he wouldn’t be able to find his shoes afterwards.
The start of the 272 step climb to the Batu Cave temple.
Some worshippers prostrate themselves climbing the journey on their knees.
And the very aggressive monkeys everywhere who snatch food and whatever else right out of your hands.
Paige loved the raucousness of it all. The screeching birds, shrieking monkeys, the music and drums along with the praying, chanting and smoking incense was a sensory overload.
This is the entrance to the caves and another temple inside. We decided to forgo the forehead blessing since its made of saffron, sandalwood, and cow dung.
There are multitudes of bats flying around inside and unknown substances dripping on our heads from the ceiling. I lasted about 30 seconds in here.
Olivia found a friend on our tour of the Royal Selangor Pewter Factory and Museum, the worlds largest pewter maker on the planet. Notice how excited Paige and Grace are to visit the factory.
For being the largest pewter maker in the world, Royal Selangor has only one factory and it’s remarkably small and old school.
Artisans create impressive pieces in pewter and silver mostly by hand.
The original Money Tree. This is one of the first forms of currency. When you wanted to buy something, you broke off one of the branches.
A replica of the famous Petronas Twin Towers in pewter.
Paige so hoping there was alcohol in this, but it’s 100+, a local Malaysian drink similar to Gatorade but carbonated.
Grace amusing herself in the museum by making funny faces surprising the other tourists.
Olivia amusing herself as only 5 year olds can.
The Petronas Twin Towers. Even though it no longer the world’s tallest building, it’s still really cool.
And it’s not made of glass like you might think. Because Malaysia’s so hot, It’s actually mainly made of steel, so the occupants won’t be cooked by the sun.
And some famous Malaysian culinary offerings- Chicken Curry, Turmeric and Ginger Fried Chicken, and my favorite was the Flying Pancakes. I ate my weight in those.
Even though Kuala Lumpur is very modern, there are little pockets of charming vintage parks around the city…next to high tech electronic billboards.
The view of the city from the Kuala Lumpur Tower, Southeast Asia’s highest tower. When it’s not a tourist attraction, KL Tower is a giant TV antenna.
Olivia frightened of the Malaysia Mask Man, even though it’s just a cut out.