Day 162 - Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Merdeka Square, Batu Caves and Jalan Alor

Batu Caves was very impressive.

Day 162 - 02nd December

One thing I am missing at the moment is the advent calendar. It brings a rare treat to my day in the month of December and if I don't have that then what do I have? Oh, travelling, yes of course!

So I woke up, showered and readied and headed out to find some places to visit. I took the subway and forgot which line to take but it worked out. Something in the tiny recesses of the old noggin' must have kicked in.

Stunning building.

Merdeka Square in somewhere beneath! If it's not scaffolding, it's events!

I stopped first at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building to admire it. It was pretty spectacular to be honest, build in brick it was a fantastic overlook for Merdeka Square. The square was covered in marquees and fake flooring ready for an event in the next few days I assume so I didn't get to sit and just admire the surrounding city. It was probably a good thing, the heat was rising.

Not a bad balti for £2.20.

I made my way to Kuala Lumpur Sentral station and waited to board the Monorail train to Batu Caves at 2:45pm. Whilst I had forty minutes to kill I indulged in a chicken balti which was pretty tasty and before I knew it, I was reading The Woman in Black on the monorail, heading towards Batu Caves.

Seriously, huge statue.

The golden statute that towered over everything else at the site was something that left me in awe - kind of like the reclining Buddha did in Bangkok. Sometime you just have to stand back and metaphorically applaud the sheer will power of faith and religion. It was a remarkable tribute for Hindus and Buddhist. 

Crazy monkey! Not cute.

As I scaled the steps up to the temple in the cave, and the monkeys descended on me like flies around shite, I just took in my surroundings, grateful I was there.

This place is just more and more beautiful as you go on.

Shortly after, I took an educational tour of The Dark Cave to visit bats, snakes, locusts, millipedes and worms. Our guide was fantastic and she really knew her stuff, she had a great touch of comedy about her too and at only 23 years old, she could've been mistaken for someone twice her age with the amount of confidence she gave off.

By 5pm, I was back on the monorail, reading The Woman in Black again. It's not a scary book but I can see how it grips people and puts them on edge. Susan Hill is a terrific writer.

The chicken and rice.

And the BBQ squid - delicious!

When I arrived back in Kuala Lumpur, I went to Jalan Alor, the hub of street food. It was already bustling by seven pm but I found a nice place where I had chicken and rice and BBQ squid, both were delicious.

Jalan Alor.

On my way back, I met a Portuguese man who was lost so I walked him down  edge of Chinatown and bid him farewell and a safe onward journey. #gooddeedoftheday.

I had a Skype session with my brother at midnight which was great, despite us only getting fifteen minutes of talk time before intervals of broken Wi-Fi connection. Even prisoners get to talk to their loved ones for longer periods!