Oh my goodness! Okay, this place was a MUST-SEE! Plus, it was the cheapest place we visited the entire time we were there! Ryan and I are really into history and very open-minded so it was a wonderful experience to visit such an important temple to Hindus.
To get to the Batu Caves, we had to take Malaysia's equivalence of the subway. We grabbed some Roti boys (of course) and were on our way.
The limestone of the Batu Caves is estimated to be at least 400 million years old. Each year, there is a large Hindu festival held here. It is a very popular religious site outside of India for Hindus. All sorts of wildlife can be found here, including monkeys! Once we got to the Batu Caves, we snapped lots of photos almost immediately. There were Hindus entering the various temples right away. Tourists were allowed to enter and watch as long as shoes were removed to pay respect. Check out all the great pictures below that Ryan helped me take with my new camera! (Best Christmas present ever - well, besides his arrival!)
Once we FINALLY made our way up the treacherous stairway, we entered the caves. It had a moldy smell of course but there were SO many vendors and tourists! I cannot believe the vendors climb these stairs EVERY DAY to sell water and various trinkets for memories. They are probably in the best shape of their lives because there is definitely no elevator. I have never wanted to be a bird until I faced these stairs.. I found myself wishing I could fly.. (and feeling completely out of shape).
After our cardio and religious site-seeing, we checked out the local shops and then got some authentic Indian food which was so FREAKING DELICIOUS! I'm not vegetarian but close to it as I have always been very picky about the meat I consume, especially while abroad, so this was the perfect cuisine -- all dishes are (and will forever be) vegetarian. I loved having delicious, fresh vegetables with all the right seasoning and spices. And it was so cheap! It was neat to see other customers eating their food the traditional way.. with their bare hands digging in the food to mix the various side dishes and sauces. Even women in the most beautiful make up and exquisite clothing were literally "digging" in. However, I requested a fork, being my usual high-maintenance self. Check out my meal below.
We enjoyed the little restaurant.. until we realized they didn't take credit cards. Our hunger got the best of us so we didn't think to ask if plastic was an acceptable form of payment before sitting down. So.. Ryan ventured off in search of an ATM.. for 30 minutes. No joke. I almost was like.. we are going to have to wash dishes..
Anyway.. it was a great trip! Hope you enjoyed the post! xoxo amber
To get to the Batu Caves, we had to take Malaysia's equivalence of the subway. We grabbed some Roti boys (of course) and were on our way.
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| Almost there! Earrings compliments of my sis who knows my style ;) |
The limestone of the Batu Caves is estimated to be at least 400 million years old. Each year, there is a large Hindu festival held here. It is a very popular religious site outside of India for Hindus. All sorts of wildlife can be found here, including monkeys! Once we got to the Batu Caves, we snapped lots of photos almost immediately. There were Hindus entering the various temples right away. Tourists were allowed to enter and watch as long as shoes were removed to pay respect. Check out all the great pictures below that Ryan helped me take with my new camera! (Best Christmas present ever - well, besides his arrival!)
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| A Hindu god |
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| Love this photo! |
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| Hindu temple |
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| Young boy getting ready to enter the shrine |
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| Lighting of candles |
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| I loved the purple and gold colors of her sari |
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| Inside the temple |
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| Getting ready to climb hundreds of stairs to enter the cave! |
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| Beautiful entry way |
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| I run 10K races and these stairs felt impossible.. |
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| We had some entertainment along the way though! |
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| NANERZ |
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| Two cute little monkeys ;) |
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| Almost there.. step number 196 |
Once we FINALLY made our way up the treacherous stairway, we entered the caves. It had a moldy smell of course but there were SO many vendors and tourists! I cannot believe the vendors climb these stairs EVERY DAY to sell water and various trinkets for memories. They are probably in the best shape of their lives because there is definitely no elevator. I have never wanted to be a bird until I faced these stairs.. I found myself wishing I could fly.. (and feeling completely out of shape).
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| Such a beautiful limestone cave for such a religious site! |
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| Each temple was so decorated |
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| Opening in the cave |
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| Such amazing limestone |
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| People who may/may not have been Hindu sat on these stairs for a photo but I didn't want to offend |
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| Ryan's attempt at being as fashionably posed as the god in the back |
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| Such an ornate design! |
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| So beautiful |
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| There were also many bats in this cave |
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| Chowing down |
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| Meditation.. so good for the soul! |
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| I just could not get enough of the elaborate designs! |
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| As Cindy said, Ryan's hair was inspired from the bird park haha |
After our cardio and religious site-seeing, we checked out the local shops and then got some authentic Indian food which was so FREAKING DELICIOUS! I'm not vegetarian but close to it as I have always been very picky about the meat I consume, especially while abroad, so this was the perfect cuisine -- all dishes are (and will forever be) vegetarian. I loved having delicious, fresh vegetables with all the right seasoning and spices. And it was so cheap! It was neat to see other customers eating their food the traditional way.. with their bare hands digging in the food to mix the various side dishes and sauces. Even women in the most beautiful make up and exquisite clothing were literally "digging" in. However, I requested a fork, being my usual high-maintenance self. Check out my meal below.
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| Best post-workout (read: stairs) meal everrrr |
We enjoyed the little restaurant.. until we realized they didn't take credit cards. Our hunger got the best of us so we didn't think to ask if plastic was an acceptable form of payment before sitting down. So.. Ryan ventured off in search of an ATM.. for 30 minutes. No joke. I almost was like.. we are going to have to wash dishes..
Anyway.. it was a great trip! Hope you enjoyed the post! xoxo amber
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