A day of no rain...

Who woulda thunk it. Today I spent much time cursing the Malaysian public transport system. I got up nice and early before the other residents and got on the road, wandering down to where the directions said the Number 11 bus stopped... I was unlucky from the start because just before I got there I saw not one but two Number 11 buses pulling away, so I though "excellent, there's the spot, now to wait 15 minutes til the next one..."... So 40 minutes or more later, I decided this clearly wasn't right... I ended up wandering the streets for probably an hour until I finally found a Number 11 bus stopped in traffic in a back street and banged on the door... of course turned out they don't stop anywhere near where they supposedly did...

So off we went, and 45 minutes later we were at the Batu Caves, an awesome limestone cliff structure with... well, a big hole in it... Discovered some time ago by some Brit, they would have been truly awesome back in the day, before they were turned into a half-assed gaylord theme park... I mean, Hindu place of sacred worship... 270-something nasty stairs in the searing heat nearly killed me (taken two at a time of course, cause that's how we roll... I showed them...). At the top the scenery was pretty cool, made more amusing when a flock (gaggle? herd? Lobbie?) of monkeys ninja-ed in like little cave aliens, swarming over the walls all silent and evil, and started fighting over banana skins and hiffing half-coconuts from great heights at groups of sightseers. Hil-ar-i-ous. Although I did have a run in with the boss monkey a couple of times for trying to take photos too close... buggers have big teeth, I had to fend him with my camera once.

Sometimes it is good to see that some things are the same regardless of culture... A group of Hindu faithful walked somberly into the main temple chamber/cave (where they have built an actual temple) and removed their shoes and said their prayers and shuffled under the temple canopy to be blessed... and they sat in a circle as the rites were carried out, and bowed their heads, legs crossed, all heavy with the gravity of the meaning of this sacred pilgrimage, possibly the only time they would make it to this place in their lives... and they offered up bananas and other foods as the music rang out and holy men carried out their duties... and half way through their brief time of purity and oneness, one of the monkeys ran in and grabbed one of their bananas, and when one of them got in the way as he made his break, he leaped on him and growled... and the poor guy screamed like a little girl and shooed him away with much flapping of hands... and as the monkey sped off before the holy men could cane him, they entire group erupted in hysterical laughter, with tradition pointing and exaggerated mimickry, and even when they all sat down to resume their ceremony, every minute or two they would break down in fits of giggles and mocking... I have never seen an Indian blush but I am pretty sure I came close today. Priceless.

Ryno travel tip #338... Remember to eat BOTH sides of your stingray... it's a flatfish... there is meat on both sides... mmm stingray... who would have thought the little buggers were so tasty. Steve Irwin... pussy...