Batu Caves

I am going to try and sum up everything I have done this past week...in a fairly quick write-up, since I am trying to pack everything tonight.
Two of the other interns at WAO (Ida and Jessica) and I, finally were able to go and explore the Batu caves! For those of you who don't know, the Batu Caves are located not too far outside of KL, and the caves are used as a Hindu shrine and temple. It is also home to the world's largest statue of a Hindu deity (sorry, I don't know which one...I haven't been reading up on Hinduism). We took the LRT (light-rail-transit) to KL Sentral Station, but we soon realized that the taxi's were over-charging us by a lot, so we got some breakfast there (in the form of an iced cappuchino and chocolate/strawberry waffles,) and headed to the farthest LRT station, called Gombak. We finally reached there and took a taxi there for 8 RM (so much cheaper!)

The first thing you see when you arrive is the huge gold (or is it fake...?) statue of the Hindu deity. I felt like a tiny ant compared to it. Some nice older European tourists took a picture for us and then we headed up to the stairs. Oh, the stairs. We were dreading them...272 steps. That may not seem a lot to some people, but to my out-of-shape body, it was something I was dreading, especially since it can get so hot. However, I must admit that it was WAY easier than I imagined, and I am just thankful I got the chance to climb them now, instead of when I am 70 years old...The weather was also not bad (we got there around 10 or 11 am). I would NOT recommend going there after 12 pm, as it's very hot during that time.

Once we reached the top, there was a big sign that said, "NO EXCERSIZING IN THIS AREA." I thought to myself, "well...who would WANT to after all those steps?" I just thought it was funny...Anyway, we went inside the cave, which was pretty amazing. I love caves because they're so mysterious and calming (well, unless you get trapped inside a cave...which would be bad obviously). It was much cooler once we were inside the cave...although it would have been more peaceful if there had not been so many tourists. But, there's not much you can do about that. There were quite a few temples, and people praying inside the caves. I am really happy I got the chance to go there before I left KL, and would highly recommend going there if you are in the vicinity!

Other than going to the Batu Caves, I really didn't do anything too exciting. I had a dinner with some of the interns last night at the Kitchen of India-got to have some Indian food before I leave, since there really isn't much of that in Thailand. I will be going to Penang tomorrow morning with the staff from WAO. It's a staff retreat, and there are a lot of games and activities planned. We are staying in a guest house on one of the nicer beaches in Penang. On Sunday, I will take a bus from Penang to Hat Yai, which is about a 4-5 hour trip. I will stay in Hat Yai a few days with Kiat's family before I go to Phuket. It's sad leaving KL...but at the same time, I know that a new adventure is waiting for me! It has been such a great experience and I am really happy that I chose to do an internship at WAO in Malaysia. It's such a beautiful and interesting country! I will try to update this more later, however, I don't know how much internet access I will have. I hope everyone is well in Oregon (or anywhere else they might be!)

Cheers!