After rounding out a terrific month in Indonesia – I needed to make my way back to Cambodia to meet up with my friend Katie for a Mekong River Cruise. My flight plans required that I travel through Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – so I took the opportunity to touch down in my 7th country and enjoy the city for a few days. Don’t worry – I’ll be back later in my trip to spend an entire month in Malaysia. So this was a bit of a “taste” of the country, so to speak. And it tasted great (literally)!
Batu Caves
By total luck, I managed to land in Malaysia for the Thaipusam festival – which celebrates the Hindu god of War and is a VERY big deal in Kuala Lumpur (and a local holiday). The Batu Caves (located just north of the city) is centre stage for this Hindu spiritual celebration. The main cave, situated half-way up a mountain, houses a Hindu temple which is the focal point of the celebration. I intentionally didn’t visit the Caves on the day of the festival (I figured it would be a bit too crowded for my liking) and went the day after. It was stunning! The clean up was underway, with many orphaned flip flops from the worshippers from the previous day 😂
Batu Cave Videos
These videos capture some of the vibe in and out of the temple cave. The last video highlights some of the acts of worship performed by the pilgrims coming to the site for Thaipusam (carrying cow’s milk on their head and acts of enduring significant pain). This would have been most of the activity on the previous day – but I was fortunate to see some of the latecomers that visited while I was there.
A Taste of the City
I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before, but one of the first things that I do when I arrive in a new country – I take a food tour. It has turned out to be a great way for me to get comfortable exploring different food options during my time in that particular country. Malaysia was no exception. And honestly, the city (and the food) just blew me away – I guess I really didn’t know much about Malaysia and I didn’t know what to expect. What I wasn’t expecting – a super modern, booming city with a rich cultural history, friendly people and terrific food. Can’t wait to return for a longer stay!
The colours are incredible in the Batu Cave video. Are you not overstimmed all the time? Do you have to step back and take a deep breath then carry on! What a wonder filled way to see the World! Keep on posting! You have the skills to bring your journey to life!
Whats with the abandoned flip flops???