On Tuesday, then, I finally felt well enough to venture outside, but we took it slowly and stayed in Chinatown and Little India. We mostly just walked around and looked around, because there's so much to see - Hindu temples, mosques, colonial architecture, street markets and coffee shops. It's truly a feast for the senses.
Sri Mahamariamman Temple
Masjid Negara
On Wednesday we took a train to the Batu Caves, a system of three caves just a couple of kilometers northwest of the city center. We walked the 272 steps to reach the Temple Cave, which was really very beautiful, but so incredibly touristy. There is trash everywhere, there are tame monkeys everywhere, and there are stupid tourists feeding the monkeys everywhere. Combined with the rain it was quite depressing. We also took a short guided tour through the Dark Cave, where we saw bats, spiders and snakes. It was quite scary because it was very dark and moist and smelly and my flashlight barely worked. It was amazing to see how big the cave was and how many animals live there.
And then, today, we took another train and then a taxi to the Forestry Research Institute of Malaysia. From the information center we took a hike up a steep hill past a waterfall to the so-called Canopy Walkway, which is basically just a hanging rope bridge made of wooden planks and ladders. It was suspended 30 meters into the air and felt somewhat flimsy, so I was kind of scared, but I tried to calm down and enjoy the view, which was really extraordinary.
It seems that our time in Kuala Lumpur is at last coming to an end. I feel like we've been here forever, but it sums up to 8 days in total - 3 of which I spent being sick. In retrospect it hasn't been that bad, I guess. Our guesthouse is lovely and we've had a good time here. There are several lounge areas and every day we watch a movie on the huge TV screen with our fellow travelers. The staff are incredibly nice and helpful and the overall atmosphere is very 'gezellig'.
Kuala Lumpur, I've come to find, has a lot to offer - authentic street markets, modern shopping malls, temples, mosques and a surprising amount of greenery - in what other major metropolitan city do you find actual rainforest? What I love the most about Kuala Lumpur, however (and perhaps this doesn't surprise you), is the FOOD. I can't even begin to explain the enormous amount of cheap food stalls right outside our door. Like that time when we wanted to hide from yet another thunderstorm at the Batu Caves and found this amazing vegetarian South Indian restaurant. Or when we went to look for Chinese tea in Chinatown and found a restaurant/antique store/coffee shop where the proprietor, Mr. William Hwang, kept bringing us tea pot after tea pot, including some lemon grass tea for my 'hotness' (which I assume means that I looked like I was sweating too much in the humidity). Or what about this meal of vegetarian noodles and roti that I've had every single day for the last 6 days. I'm serious - I've had the same Indian food for dinner for almost a week. IT'S JUST THAT GOOD! I can't even begin to explain these noodles - they're like thick spaghetti, but not as long as spaghetti, and they absorb the absolutely delectable sauce of who-knows-what like a sponge, but without turning into a soppy mess. They add tofu and green vegetables and it's. just. SO. good! Jochem is getting me more as we speak. After my noodles I usually have a plate of roti. I've had roti with fresh garlic, roti with onion and eggs, but lately my favorite is a sweet roti with at least 5 knobs of butter, sugar and fresh banana. Our roti guy makes it on the spot while we watch. Jochem is getting me more of that as well.
We bought bus tickets that will take us to the Cameron Highlands tomorrow. We finally decided on our next destination in Malaysia and concluded that we wanted to see more nature. Plus, according to my Lonely Planet, it doesn't get any hotter there than 20 degrees Celcius. I'm sure that my Dutch family and friends don't understand my reasoning, but 20 degrees Celcius sounds like heaven to me right now after 7 weeks of 30 degree Celcius heat and humidity. Perhaps I'll be able to bring some noodles and roti with me on the bus?
If you'd like to see more pictures of our world trip, check out our picture gallery here!
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