Batu Caves
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2011
1
38
216
Trip End
May 05, 2012
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
I hadn't been too bothered about going up the Petronas because you can only go about 1/3 of the way up to an observation bridge. Charlotte did want to go and had planned for us to go in the morning before 10 as it gets too busy after that. She went for breakfast and came back about 9, I was fucked so I decided I didn't want to go so she eventually went alone. I realised later that this was stupid and I shoudn't have let her go alone. She came back with sandwiches about 10:30. The observation bridge is closed until December. I was happy that I'd not wasted my time but rightly Charlotte was not too happy.
We left not much after this and walked down the street to our new hostel. It is expensive for a shared bathroom room - £25 (compared to £7 yesterday), but we had heard great things about it so thought we would try it for a night before leaving for Taman tomorrow. It's in a huge colonial style building and you can immediately see why it costs so much. The staff are friendly and helpful, even smiling! The room is clean and stylishly simple. Theres activities and a roof garden and allsorts of other extra touches, this is what a hostel should be like! Left the hostel and made the 20min walk to the Lake Gardens. Again this is just another name for a really fancy park. When I say fancy I mean really fancy. We walked around for ages just looking at plants and bridges and just generally enjoying the quiet perfect scenary. We went into the deer park which also had mousedeer (deer that look like rats). Had the sandwich Charlotte had bought whilst looking out onto the lake. Spent the next 30min getting lost. Eventually found what we wanted (a bird park) but decided it was too expensive so went to the hibiscus garden instead, red flowers, nice surroundings, more of the same basically. It was getting on and we were absolutely dying of thirst so we left and decided to head to the Batu Caves some 14km away. The thirst part is seperate to that last sentence, we didn't go to Batu Caves because we were thirsty, we went because it's on the list of top things to do.
Got a monorail (identical to Bangkok's) one stop and then switched to the train. Went 4 or 5 stops to Batu Caves. All these trains have a ladies only carriage. Turns out that this place is just an amalgamation of other things we have done already. Cave, Temple, Big Statue, excessive steps. Shitloads of pigeons lead the way up the 280+ steps to the aggressive monkeys and what is apparently the holiest place in Asia/Malaysia for Hindus. I bought a Gatorade, as soon as I did a monkey came walking over with intent so I crapped myself and threw it, it picked it up, caught an apple that a guy threw it (caught!) and then scampered off with both of them. Cost me a £1 that drink, twat. The cave is pretty cool, the temple thing was a tiny box that I had no interest in seeing. Walked back down past the dark caves (like being blind) and then back to the train and then the monorail.
As we had eaten at normal times today Charlotte suggested we eat tea at around 5. I went to McDonalds first and then went to Burger King. Went back to the room and eventually decided not to go to Taman tomorrow. It is a pain to get to and I found that we need to start on the Malarials, so nuts to it. We will find a canopy walkway and amazing jungle to trek elsewhere. Staying in KL another night now. Went up to the groovy roof garden which looks out over the city and has great views of the Petronas. Laid on the beds and had a drink. It's not really arranged for socialness so we went out, where I bought 3 meat sticks from a street stall which were amazing, the best street food meat sticks I've had. Discussed our slight concern at the lack of social interaction we are having with others. I think it will come, we have only really started actually 'backpacking' the last week or so.
Due to circumstances we no longer have a place planned for new year but KL seems to work quite well for us in terms of flights to Vietnam, so at the moment the plan is to return here for new year. In theory it could be amazing to spend the new year on the roof garden with Westerners. I would prefer to be in Bangkok as, as a big city Bangkok rips KL to shreds. The people are nicer and theres less staring to name just two things. Could be worse though, could be spending it in Preston!
Comments
The last time someone threw an apple at a local he had to apologise and buy him a beer. That monkey let him off likely.
Nice FT reference!