15.12.21

Our first day in Malaysia is officially coming to a close.  We got off the long flight last night, took some sort of new rapid train to KL Central Station, then an overpriced taxi to Chinatown.  We trudged in the rain through (luckily covered) Chinatown Market, smelling of plastic selling the usual fake purses and Nike gear.  We inquired at three hotels for a room but they were all full.  We finally landed at the Chinatown Inn for 98 ringgit/night (about $35CDN).  Seems expensive when the average meal is going for 60cents, but we figure it all balances out.
 The food has been great!  Curry Lhasa (traditional Malay soup) for dinner last night.  Indian Roti Canai for breakfast, mutton curry on basmati rice for lunch and vegetarian buffet for dinner tonight.

We started the morning off strolling around the Central Market and into Merdaka Square.  We stopped at Masjid Jamek, the main Friday Mosque of KL.  We weren’t permitted to enter the worship area, but were able to walk around the grounds, provided I wore a (smelly) robe and headscarf.  As we were leaving, I saw a tough-looking Western woman (scars, tattoo, …) getting into her tour uniform.

Later we saw a fire-wielding Malay Muslim man (self-proclaimed practitioner of black magic) performing for a rapt audience of young men on the street.  Bought a hand-made scarf for Nazife.  Went to Islamic Arts Museum where I took notes and learned a lot about Muslim faith and the art (and architecture) that comes out of it.

In the evening, we popped by a Hindu Temple for the God Ganesh, where men in loin cloths were smashing coconuts into a barrel in a cleansing ritual.  Quite a crowd was gathered.  Apparently the temple is popular because it’s gaining in strength.
 

15.12.22

Started the day at Petronas Twin Towers.  Went shopping at International drug store for cosmetics.  Visited the 44th floor Skybridge for a view of KL.  Got a salon haircut in the posh shopping centre next to the towers.

The afternoon was spent on the Batu Caves tour, which started off at a pewter factory (Royal Selangor), then we saw some rubber trees and the guide cut the tree to extract (white) latex for us to see, then to the Batik factory.  Finally we ended at the Batu Caves.  Over 200 steps to the top with monkeys swinging everywhere. In the cave were Hindu shrines.  One priest beckoned for me to remove my shoes and enter the worship area.  I watched as he burned camphor and incense in honor of a god.  When he finished, he marked me with a big red dot in the middle of my forehead.  I felt like everyone was staring at me as I made my way out of the temple, “Hey what’s that backpacker doing with a Hindu mark on her forehead?”  But apparently, according to an Indian guy on tour with us, it just means that you’ve recently visited a temple.  Red is for married women, single girls just receive a yellow marking.
 

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