Malaysia, Part Two: Batu Caves

Remember how I promised all the monkeys at the teasing end of Part One? Time to deliver on that promise. The Batu Caves proved itself to be worth all our sweat and dehydration. A slow, 8-mile train ride away from the center of Kuala Lumpur delivered us worlds away.

The Hindu shrine is home not only to a devastatingly awe-inspiring cultural and spiritual immensity, but also to a population of rather bold monkeys known for stealing valuables and snatching snacks from unwary tourists. They sure were wonderful.

This guy doesn't give a crap about your renewed sense of wonder and majesty.

So. Many. Stairs.

One of my favorite photos I've ever taken. Something resonates about points of light in the dark, the quiet in the heat.

Oh yeah, and bananas. Stereotypes, man.

One particularly feisty monkey made off with a woman's offering of flowers intended for one of the cave-sheltered shrines. I hope they were as tasty as they were beautiful.

I wasn't joking about those snacks.

 

Yikes.

I think this monkey had a big touch of the crazy, but maybe we just caught it on an off day, photogenic-wise.

Then there was this little girl. I feel like if I was a monkey, I'd be her, insecurely fidgeting with and chewing on her own tail.

Surprise bonus? Baby monkey.

My first ever coconut water straight from the coconut. So good.

Next up in Part Three, we take a quick trip to the town of Melaka, where we encounter the next best animals after monkeys: MALAYSIAN KITTENS.

Malaysia, Part One: Kuala Lumpur

One of the benefits of living in Asia is our proximity to locations previously only accessible to us by day-long flights and more money than we had. A short mid-summer break from work (and Adam's 30th birthday) provided an opportunity to jet to one of these places, and so we found ourselves in Malaysia. We first landed in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, and adventured around a bit (this series of posts will be photo-heavy and caption-light).

The rooftop pool view of the Petronus Towers. Not a bad start.

Starbucks, of course, provided ample WiFi for important things like Instagram access.

The Petronas Towers are staggeringly tall - the tallest twin towers in the world, in fact. You'll get a better idea from the top.

See? This isn't even the top yet.

Here's the top. Whoa.

The National Mosque was humbling both in its beauty and its welcoming. Docents graciously provided robes for us to enter respectfully, although Adam could have used a few more inches on his.

  

Wandering through markets led us to one of my more ridiculous experiences involving doctor fish.

  

With thoroughly pecked-over feet, we continued to explore, sweat-drenched but happy. The rest are just bits and pieces throughout the city.

Plumeria, for dad.

 

Next up, Malaysia, Part Two: Batu Caves. Here's a cheeky peek of what's in store (hint: monkeys. All the monkeys).