Some of the LRT trains had the option of women only cars
One of the really great things about Malaysia (or at least the area around Kuala Lumpur) was the cheap and extensive public transportation. Even though I only spent four days in Malaysia, I was able to do two day trips outside the city. It was nice because I felt like even though my trip was short, I was still able to get a feel for a few different parts of Malaysia.
Outside the caves
The first day trip I took was to Batu Caves – a Hindu cave temple complex about eight miles north of Kuala Lumpur. I was able to take the LTR (the metro system) straight from the station near my hotel to the caves – which made the trip really easy. It was interesting to get to see Hindu temples after seeing a few mosques in Kuala Lumpur.
Hanuman Statue
Honestly, I found the caves a bit bizarre – I’ve seen Hindu temples before in Nepal and Indonesia, and they were nothing like the temples at Batu caves. The temples I’ve seen previously have been pretty little temple complexes – usually consisting of a few buildings. Right when you get off the train you see this gigantic statue of the Hindu deity Hanuman (who is a monkey!) Not only is it big, but it’s painted all these bright colors.
Lord Murugan Statue (and all the steps!)
Directly in front of the steps leading to the cave is a 140 foot statue of Lord Murugan – apparently the largest statue of him in the world!
Monkey on the temple
I should have taken warning when I saw a huge monkey statue when I got off the train – but I was (unpleasantly) surprised to find the steps up to the caves were absolutely infested by monkeys. Some people find monkeys fun – I think that from afar they can be really cute, but close up I just see the potential for rabies. I ended up climbing over and under the step dividers a few times to get away from the monkeys (which made for an interesting walk up).
Me in the cave
The caves at the the top of the mountain were really impressive. I usually feel a little claustrophobic in caves (or any type of place where you’re enclosed), but they were so big that I felt comfortable.
Cave Temple
At the top of the caves were some cool little cave temples – apparently every year there’s a huge celebration for the Thaipusam festival every year. In 2007 1.5 pilgrims attended the festival – making it one of the largest gatherings in history. To me, it seemed almost all the people at the temple while I was there were tourists. It would be really interesting to see the temples during religious ceremonies… maybe next time!
View from the top!
All in all, I thought my trip to Batu Caves was a bit strange – but really interesting, and a nice contrast to the sites I saw in KL. And, as a bonus, I got a great work out going up all those steps!
Inside the cave
I'm gone... to Saigon! 
great place Erin! glad you stayed far from those monkeys!
Wonderful blog Erin – thank you as always for sharing. Ever since that chimp attacked that woman in CT I’ve not been fond of them. Glad you kept your distance. Continue to have safe adventures.