Batu Caves

I had seen the Batu Caves in numerous pictures and was really excited to finally see them in person. The caves are located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and can be easily reached by train.

There are several natural limestone caves that can be visited. Some of them are decorated and lit in a very kitschy way.

Around the caves, there are many stalls and people offering their services for different things. There is jewelry, sweets, coconuts, henna tattoos... We chose sweets and henna tattoos. :-) The tattoos take a while to dry, so we used that time to relax in the shade. There were pigeons everywhere. And of course, it happened as it had to: one of the damn pigeons pooped on my feet! :-) The Indian woman sitting next to me couldn't stop laughing...

You can reach the main cave of the Batu Caves by climbing 272 steps. Again, it was full of small, hungry monkeys. The cave is huge and the view is truly spectacular! There are several small Hindu temples inside the cave.

When I took a picture of one of the Hindu priests, he called me over and blessed me. I was incensed, got three colorful dots on my forehead, and a bracelet. According to Hindu tradition, this is supposed to bring luck. At the end of the ceremony, the man held out a donation basket. Judging by his (evil) look, my donation was not enough; I quickly made my way out.

We ended the evening by relaxing in our amazing pool. Finally in bed at midnight, only to be woken up by the alarm two hours later. Back to Singapore!