subject: Where is Bus 11??? [print this page] Where is Bus 11??? Where is Bus 11???
For all of you who know me, I love to do it local. Eat with the locals, and stay by the locals, and definitely take the public transportation with the locals. But the funny thing about doing it in a foreign country, is that you can ask the same question in how to get somewhere, and whats the best way 10 times and get 12 different answers. But we were determined today to get to the Batu Caves outside of KL...( thats what they call Kuala Lumpur, but Maureen and I like the way it sounds so thats is how we say it) the local way by bus...only 2Ringits...about 60 cents. We wouldn't even think about giving up on our quest and take a tour bus with all the rich folks. We saw a few there getting out of their mini bus telling the driver to keep it running to keep the air cold for them for when they return , no matter how much it costs....nice sense of adventure.... So after a little time of getting lost, we took our local bus 11, and we were the only tourists on the bus....yeah!
The Batu Caves are Amazing, Incredible, like nothing I have ever seen me at the Batu caves
me at the Batu caves
. For those of you not familiar with them, you have to look them up on Google. They have 272 steps leading up to the caves, in which is a world famous Hindu Temple . One of the cool bonuses is that the place is crawling with hundreds of monkeys! Big monkeys, baby monkeys,,,,and they are not shy. They are just all over the steps and in the trees and they will come right up to you to see if you have brought them any treats. Well, I love my monkeys, so we stopped to get them some peanuts and Bananas....OKAY! For all you animal lovers out there, I love the animals too and I know you shouldn't feed the wild animals, it only encourages them to bother humans, makes them not fend for themselves...but they are just so cute and fun,,,,,,so let it go.
Maureen has had no experience with the monkeys and they were all over her. I thought I was like the monkey expert since I have been around them in Cambodia and Thailand, but I was just as amateur, and they were basically following us up the steps once they realized that we had food. One actually jumped up and went into my purse and took the rest of the bushel of bananas I had once I gave him one. It sounds funny, but it actually freaked me out when it happened! It entertained the locals though, and they got a good laugh at me.
We just missed the traditional Hindu Festival that was the beginning of February where 100,00 thousand worshipers attend a ceremony at the caves and part of the celebration is mutilation of their bodies by piercing themselves many times and hanging various objects from themselves. Wow, that would of been interesting.
The caves are enormous and full of beautiful light and it is a very spiritual place, even with the crazy monkeys jumping in your belongings.This was the first day of actually being a little hot stairs to batu caves stairs to batu caves
. I was sworn to never say , " Boy, Its really hot out..." Maureen has permission to punch me in the arm if I say that ( for those of you who know Maureen , you would know that she just wouldn't even do that even if she was ordered to do so) Since I am coming from 0 degree Chicago, I am never allowed to say I am Hot, I was standing by the Train waiting for it at 5 in the morning and it was minus 20 degrees and my face and feet were completely numb , no more than a week ago, and I made this Oath.
Kuala Lumpur is not an easy city to get around, and the streets twist and turn so much that you are basically never going in a straight direction. Maureen has a good sense of direction, for those who know me , I usually do not and some are amazed that I find my way around foreign cites so well on my own. But we've managed to not get too lost.
The local people from Malaysia are soooo nice, we have only met two other Americans , and there are few tourist her at all. The food has such variety, lots of Indian food which I love, and Kopi Coffee, which already comes sweetened with milk, in fact thats the way all the coffee and tea comes. We have eaten at local street vendors for almost every meal, and we feel great!
Maureen has had a tough day with her space ship circles all over her shoulders and back. She feels pretty sore from her " therapeutic" massage and I hope that people don't think I'm a mean friend and that I have been hurting her.
Tomorrow we fly up to an island at the very top of Malaysia called Langkawai. It is known for the film location of that movie "Anna and the King" with Jodie Foster from a few years back .Suppose to be really amazing with beautiful beaches...Ive heard quite a few jellyfish in the waters of the ocean though....Its okay,. I also heard they were really small jellyfish and they barely hurt.
