Batu Caves

Batu Caves: My Indiana Jones Experience

Last weekend we took a short drive to the Batu Caves. It was a wonderful way for Fintan and me to spend the afternoon. The caves are quite a site; they are just outside of Kuala Lumpur. It is an interesting mix of nature and city.

We hiked all they way to the top, near 300 steep steps, and were greeted by monkeys along the way. The monkeys walk on the steps side by side with the visitors. They are cute, but the fact that they are loose, wild monkeys was a bit unnerving for me.

Then we went on a guided tour of the Dark Caves. Along the way the guide points out all of the various types of natural occurrences in the cave…and some of the wild life. Two types of bats live in the cave, insect eating bats, and nectar eating bats. There are some holes out of the top of the cave at the beginning of the tour and when you look up you can see nothing but a thick “cloud” of bats flying around it. And you can hear them screeching. A “wonderful” experience, by the way! :)

Another “wonderful” part of the cave is the bugs! At one point when you look down (with the light from the helmet lights) you see thousands of bugs crawling around your feet on the ground! I didn’t dare stop at that point, kept moving ahead, and fast! It reminded us of the Indiana Jones movies.

Now after you see the bugs and the bats the tour delights you with what is called the light check. She instructs everyone to turn off their helmet lights and she turns off her flash light at that point it is pitch dark; you can’t see your hand in front of your face! That was quite impressive.

The heat inside the caves is incredible. We were literally dripping sweat. The air is so muggy, still, and hot, it is close to unbearable. The coconut water that we got after we left the caves was a much needed refreshment.

The caves were really cool, and anyone planning on visiting KL should check them out. If you have a couple hours to spare you can take the Adventure Tour, where you get to go deeper into the caves and crawl around. The Dark Cave tour that we took takes around 45 minutes…just remember your mosquito spray.

Monkey eating mango.

Banana Leaf Lunch

Fintan

For My Momma: May 2008

Tea, Scones, and Flowers for Mother’s Day

It has been a while since my last post. I have been so busy enjoying Malaysia.

So now I have been to the ocean and to the mountains. And both are equally amazing and beautiful.

We went up to the tea plantations in Cameron Highlands. And it was wonderful, the temperature was amazing. For the first time in Malaysia we didn’t need to use any AC! The tea plantations are massive; they go on for miles and miles and miles. They are so unusual to see, they look like a living membrane of sorts. And the flowers they grow are so vibrant and beautiful. I must have taken 100 photos of the flowers alone!

We stopped at a real British tea house to have our first cup of tea and scones. And it was so good. We had tea, scones with butter, jam, and cream, and English fruitcake. The gardens there were so beautiful; full of flowers and ivy growing on the side of the house/B&B.

We had our second cup of tea and scones at the Omph’ Tea House at the BOH Tea Plantation. We hiked up the narrow, steep steps to the view point and the view was breathtaking. It was a strenuous hike, but well worth it. The breeze at the top was a lovely reward.

Our next stop was lunch. We went to an Indian street shop in Cameron Highlands and got some garlic nan bread and curry. And I must say it was so good. He cooked the nan bread and chicken in a large terracotta pot, on an open flame inside of it. You can’t get fresher or tastier nan bread that that!

Our last stop of the day was the Cameron Highlands Resort for cappuccinos and desert. We couldn’t have picked a prettier place to end our day. Or tastier! We had long stem strawberries with 3 dips (dark chocolate, vanilla crème, and a honey crème). The strawberries were the sweetest, ripest, nicest strawberries I have ever had in my life! (They are really fresh, because they grow them locally there.) It was a perfect, sweet end to our wonderful Mother’s Day weekend…which I did all in the honor of my Momma!

For my Momma:

I would like to take a moment here to thank my mother for raising me into the woman I am today. She showed me, by example, what it means to be a woman, a wife and a mother. As I get older, I realize how important her role was to raise a girl into a woman. This could not be an easy task, as it doesn’t just happen on its own. A girl can age but that doesn’t make her a woman, a woman is a compilation of so much more than age alone.

My mom is and always has been so unselfish with her love, time, friendship and forgiveness. She allowed me to take my time to grow into the woman I am today, and because of that I am strong in that foundation.

I would have never have had the strength to make such big life decisions without my mom. She has been such a pillar of strength and support for me. I thank God every day for her, she is such a blessing.

She is not only my mother, but also my best friend. She is the best kind of friend, one that I can share all of my secrets and thoughts and worries, with no fear of judgment or gossip.

So though we are far apart physically this Mother’s Day, we are still very much close at heart. And always will be. I love you Momma. Happy Mother’s Day!

KL, Malaysia: April 2008

Malaysia, April 2008

We have been in Malaysia for almost 2 weeks now and so far I haven’t been out of the city of KL yet. Which has been quite okay for me, because KL is a very nice shopping city, with the best stores. Think Rodeo Drive on a larger scale!

We are planning to take a couple long weekends to the beaches soon, which I am really looking forward too. We have a huge pool in our back garden so I am not hurting too much until then. ;)

Now I need to take a moment to make you all feel bad for me…
One thing that is very odd feeling is having a maid. It is strange to have someone cleaning up the messes you made around you. I have to keep myself from saying, “you don’t have to get that, I will”. It is a strong impulse, however I am fighting it, and I seem to be winning! ;)

Fintan has been great to me through this whole transition. He is very supportive and loving to me. He holds me through my many nights of crying, takes me out on dates, shows me a lot of attention and affection, he is helping with the unpacking, and doing is own work! I really couldn’t do it without him, he is awesome. I am so thankful for him…I love him dearly.

We are going to a local place tonight, where they serve curry on a banana leaf and you eat it with your hands!

We plan on seeing some more outside of the city this weekend…look for the new post and photos soon.

The beautiful view from our home.

Singapore: April 2008

Singapore, April 2008

Singapore is unlike anything I have seen in my life. It is a beautiful country to say the least. We spent 2 nights in Singapore on our way to Malaysia.

The first thing I noticed is the smell of spices in the air; it is wonderful. The food was amazing, a must try is the Peking duck with mango. Sooooo tasty! The markets and the food shops are plentiful and such a sight to see. Fresh fruits, juices and unique ice creams (think wasabi flavor with nori sprinkles!) are just about everywhere. Although I just tried the Mango, which was soooooo yummy.

Everything is also very colorful; colors are everywhere in Singapore and Malaysia. The roofs of houses are green, blue, purple, red and orange, it is beautiful. Shutters on windows are real and functional here; it is wonderful.

We took a glass bottom cable car to Sentosa Island, which is beautiful. We went to Dolphin Lagoon and watched the pink dolphin show, they are adorable. We also went to Underwater World’s aquarium, which is amazing.

Fintan and I took a boat ride around the Singapore River. It was a sturdy but loud old wooden boat. It looked as though it could easily be 100 years old, and the driver looked just as aged. It had steps leading down to the seating area, with red Chinese lanterns hanging from every window. It felt as though we stepped back in time to take a ride into the future of modern buildings and architecture.

We ate dinner at one of the many restaurants in the Boat Quay. We sat at a table next to the Singapore River. We had wine, chicken/pork/beef satay, sea scallops, and duck with mango. Some of the tastiest food I have ever had.

Such a wonderful country, I am looking forward to our next visit.

Las Vegas, NV: April 2008

Las Vegas, NV April 2008

It was really nice to spend a few days in Las Vegas with my mom and dad, before we left for Malaysia. And Las Vegas is quite a city! I see why YaYa loves it so much. We took in a show every night, 2 with my parents and one with just Fintan and me.

Friday: Le’ Reve
Saturday: Ka’
Sunday: Zumanity

Le’ Reve and Ka were amazing. I could watch them again and again and not tire of them. They are amazing shows, where there is so much going on around you that you have no idea where to look.

The helicopter flight into the Grand Canyon was exciting and beautiful beyond words.

The goodbye’s was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Leaving my mom, dad, and little Penelope was so emotional; I didn’t think that I would be able to do it. I have never cried so hard and for so long. The only thing that kept me going was the comfort that I will be back in July. It is still really hard for me, I suspect that it will get harder in the few months to come, before I adjust. So July will be a much needed return to the States.

It is still really hard for me to think about and write about without crying…so please forgive my lack of description on this weekend (as time heals me I will post more on this awesome weekend).