KL - Batu Caves

EVERYONE said we had to have a look at these caves. They are about 45min from KL central by taxi and are a big with Malaysia's Hindus who, apparently, have a thing about caves in general.

The caves we used as a refuge by the resistance during the war - which means that they must have been a lot more hidden than they are now - then as a tourist attraction , and now as a kind of Hindu shrine / art qallery.

There are LOTS of pictures so let's get started.

This guy guards the main entrance. Well, I wouldn't mess with him - not with that big pointy spear.
There are lots of little shrines like this. I really don't know how this works. They are clearly looked after with flowers, necklaces, candles and, sometimes, food and drink. But there are so many, how do you choose which one to go for?

Pretty much everything is brightly painted - this one is under construction and has the colour of the clay.
This one's all done but they must have needed a ton of paint for the big fella on the right.
A lady with lots of heads and arms sitting on a peacock. She has a few friends with her - the blue is, apparently, because those deities have a thing about water, which is blue, right.
Stalagtites.
There are a few monkeys terrorising the tourists - especially the ones with bananas.
The god of gay.
It's really difficult, without a guide, to know what's going on. Nice colours though.
This is one of the small temples inside the main cave.
Yes Kim, you've found something that looks a bit like a willy.
Me. with not nearly enough arms.
There's an elephant under there somewhere.
Unusually, not masturbating.
Many-armed elephants. Wearing clothes. There are some serious drugs around here somewhere.
I like the little bloke on fat-boy's head who looks like he's had a pretty good night.
Wella, wella, wella. It's one for the money...
We're going to see some relief murals in a minute. This is how they are made. Get a bit of wall and draw the mural on it. Then build up the relief in cement...
...when it's set, get the painters in.
Unusually, not masturbating.
This is the acid cave. You wouldn't want to be in here on a bad trip.
It's great stuff - but what are they doing?
Me, still without those arms.
A naked bloke (really) coming out of the water holding a snake while standing on other snake's heads. Who's blue. And wearing a crown. I mean, really, why didn't they just paint a portrait of Freud?

You don't get homoerotics like this with the christians. Oh, wait a minute...


And that's the end of KL. What was intended to be a short stop-over to break the Europe-Aus flight turned out to be a bloody fantastic city-break. KL is just lovely. It's inexpensive, clean and interesting and wouldn't look out of place on any Asian itinery. I would just love to go back and see more of the country outside the capital.

KL - China Town

Actually, only a bit of China Town. This is where we left our excellent taxi-driver. He ran us all over town and took us to places we wouldn't have thought of by ourselves. Good on ya.

The main entrance to China Town. As you can see, it's pretty mental in there - all restaurants and market stalls.
That evening, having sought the advice of the excellent concierge at the hotel, we headed out to a top KL restaurant that does traditional Malay food. It really was good - all dark wood, jungle plants and great grub.
Just about to get fatter.
Oh dear, the morning after.

KL - Chinese Temple

Our taxi driver suggested a Chinese temple. Who are we to argue?

There's someone about to go in.
I'm not going to say a bloody thing.
Yes, outside are all of the Chinese astrology animals and, as you've probably guess, I'm a bit of a dog.
It's all bright colours and fancy roofs round here.
This is an alter to one of the deities. People put food, drink and incense down for the big guy / girl / ?.
Here's another deity with lots of little ones keeping guard.
Nice ceiling, too.
And the place smells GREAT.

KL - Royal Palace

Royal? Malaysia? Well, yes, actually.

The Malaysian king isn't a job-for-life, though. There are 13 tribes, each with their own head honcho. Every 5 years one of these guys gets a go - and it's all decided between them. Sensibly, it seems. You don't get any of those 3-year olds, weirdos or, god help us, Edward IIs that Europe has thrown up over the centuries.

Anyhoo, when you have a king, he's got to live somewhere, and here it is...

Actually, that's not it at all - that's the railway station. Good, eh.
Kim shows her norks to a horse.
A man with a gun. Wearing a skirt.
This is where the king lives and he has a nice lawn. Wonder if his wife makes him mow it?
And there's the king's coat of arms.

KL - Merdeka Square

We picked up a taxi from the KL Tower and the driver offered to take us around the sights for a couple of hours for a fee. A good fee, so a no brainer there.

We had a list of stuff we wanted to see and the driver had a couple more ideas so, with an updated list, we went sightseeing.

First stop, Merdeka Square. This is the old colonial centre of KL with buildings from the period. It's just a curiosity now - KL has moved on a long way - but worth a look.

In Asia, if you don't have a photo of yourself on-site, mugging at nothing in particular, you haven't been there.
The Royal Selangor Club where the rich British used to watch the cricket on the green in front while treating the poor locals like something the cat dragged in. These days, the rich Malays treat the poor locals like something the cat dragged in - but there's no cricket.
I've got no idea what this building is - and I've done a good net search for it - but it looks nice. This is where Malaysia was granted independence in 1957 when the Union Flag was lowered and replaced with the Malaysian one.
The Abdul Samad Building which used to house part of the British administration. That tower was modeled on Big Ben. Sorta.
And there's another Islamic style place.
Obviously influenced by the Australian habit of building 'big' things all over the place, the is a Big Pitcher Plant which may, or may not, eat children.

KL - Mosque

When you go to a mosque, you should respect the religious beliefs of others. This means dressing modestly, covering your hair and walking behind at a respectful distance.

If you're a chick, that is hahaha!

Either that or Osama Bin Laden has been hiding out at my place all this time disguised as an Aussie blond and I never even noticed. They're good, these terrorists.

Looks like Osama to me.
Yeah, definitely. Them eyes shifty or what?

The usual Islamic-style art. They can't have pictures of people so they invented a whole load of design-shapey things that you see all over the world.
Like these roofs.
And the minarettes.
Quick, America, he's getting away. Again.