Kuala Lumpur: Batu Caves, Little India & Botanical Gardens...

My second full day in Kuala Lumpur started with pure sunshine, I had two concrete destinations planned for the day but other than KL took the wheel! Taking the train to Batu Caves was interesting, Apple Maps had me walking around the houses again! Little India served me a wholesome lunch and you know KL served on! The National Museum of Malaysia schooled me! 

Malaysia had me on some kind of sober hype, I actually wasn't mad because my morning didn't feel hazy nor hungover. Leaving my KL hotel bright and early was the mood for me, I headed towards Kuala Lumpur's original station by foot to find myself walking a slightly backward route, those online maps had me acting the fool! Before I knew it, I had boarded my 'Batu Caves' bound train, well on the way I found myself leaving security of the city behind me. It didn't take long before I was able to step down from that easier enough train, no mistakes had been made. The walk from the platform to the foot of the golden Murugan statue took me all of two minutes, maybe even just 90 seconds but with so much to see I wasn't counting those steps! It was crazy but in the best way, I felt proud of myself that I had reached this KL wonder without any tourist map or guide needed! 'Batu' meant 'rock' in Tamil? Now I wanted to know more about this said 400 million year old site! Would I be able to brave the heights to reach the top of those steps?

Noticing two temples on either side of those majestic towering steps, I wanted to check out the larger one of the two. I was astounded by the elaborately designed figures, with such vivid colours and styles it was a feast for my eyes! I had never before seen such a sight, it was something for me to remember for sure. Upon exiting the temple, I noticed that pilgrims were out in their droves, people had something to cherish and that was their business not mine. Now, apparently I wasn't dressed modestly enough because my shorts and t-shirt didn't align with the dress code. I thought about climbing those steps for all of two seconds but in actual fact I was already content with the view from the postcard viewpoint. I didn't not travel to Malaysia to scale any great heights, I was happy with the stairs, statue and the temples all from a respectable distance and height. I actually didn't fancy taking the train back to the city, I had 'Little India' in my sights. It was time to take a 'Grab taxi' for the very first time to 'Brickfields'. Time for lunch? 

Calling that first Grab car wasn't much different than what I do in China, the APP was easy enough to use and I was able to use cash to pay. The road outside Batu Caves was heaving, I had not seen anything quite like it for a long time, I kept my eyes peeled! Sure, with my intended car on the way I did wonder if I would able to out the right car? Without a hitch, I was able to board my carpool ride from Batu Caves to Brickfields. The roads in Kuala Lumpur were crazy busy even though the CBD lay enough miles away, it felt that KL had a supercharged energy still! My ride bypassed any need for public transport because the caves were a little bit out of reach, bridging the gap between Little India I knew that choosing a taxi was the best choice. Little India really brought the heat and that was before my lunch had been served up, I was in need of something hearty! I loved the vibrancy showed to me along 'Jalan Tun Sambanthan', sure it reminded me a little of Singapore's own! I kept things moving, Malaysia's capital had me busy! 

I was mad hungry, I chose 'Sri Paandi' for some much needed lunch/dinner because I wanted something Indian to eat! I was in for an absolute treat and for my life to be truly spiced up, 'hai, si, ja, hold tight!' I didn't have much of a clue about the curries that were on offer, neither did I know about their intense levels of spiciness. No, I did not! Grabbing a stainless steel tray had to be done, I had a selection of curries with no name told to me with a couple of rotis thrown in for good measure. My drink of choice had to be a piping hot masala chai because I wanted to balance out the heat and to also refuel with something other than water, I was in Little India after all! The spiciness of that food had me losing my mind, I was fading away, sweating and not well! Aside from the spice and those side effects I really enjoyed my lunch because the taste was on-point! I wanted some Indian sweets but the sweet centre I visited wasn't giving 'customer service', I was able to by some from a street vendor. KL Sentral? I trusted those KL pavements! 

I was not joking, I desperately needed some place to cool off! KL's 'Perdana Botanical Gardens' were not playing with those lush green settings, not at all! I found myself walking through a series of underpasses from Brickfields, I trusted those maps would be able to take me in the right direction. I really thought I was going around the twist as I entered KL Sentral with absolute no clue where my maps took me! What?! KL needed to come through with those directions. Deviation complete, I found myself walking through a stone tunnel that would lead me into that intended green space. Like any stamp of lasting British colonialism, the British brought Kuala Lumpur's Botanical Gardens to this former UK dominion in 1888 with a total mass of 226 acres. Stepping into those gardens allowed me to leave the hustle and bustle of the city, the nearby pulsating traffic seemed far away! The fountain lake impressed me much with such an expansive area covered, ever the contrast when speaking about Little India! Those KL gardens sorted me! 

I already knew that I wouldn't be spending much time at the gardens because I hand a fourth element to clock before I headed over to CBD. I found the 'Oasis Garden', honestly it was lush in every sense of the word. I stumbled upon that shaded gem by chance, I risked my life by stepping over those stone steps because sometimes I've got to live life dangerously. That part of the gardens screamed to me because it felt serene, I needed something like that because KL had me running around the city for a second full day! Kuala Lumpur knew that it had a responsibility, that it needed to show me something calm and green because there was nothing going on but glass and concrete elsewhere! I made the best of that Botanic visit, walking up what felt like a small mountain had me feeling vulnerable in that heat! Perdana Gardens had saved me from the evils of the city, I appreciated that moment of peace because I was about to step out again. The Portuguese? Oh, I was about to be schooled by them and the Dutch! That's shady! 

The National Museum of Malaysia (Muzium Negara) was about to show me something regarding the country's former colonial past. I wanted to know more because I was not aware that both Portuguese and Dutch forces had tried their best to colonialise Malaysia for their own gain collectively. Now, I won't go into dates and specific because that side of the exhibition served up pure European piracy! I marveled at the maps that depicted both Malaysia and the Philippines, sure it was fitting my next travel destination with Southeast Asia present. The museum taught me that the British tried to pose as the saviour, no surprise we wanted to take the glory after Portugal and the Netherlands did their things, really? The long road to full independence for Malaysia made for a very interesting museum experience because I learned about 'Tunku Abdul Rahman' and gained a lot of respect for this Malaysian champion. I wanted to know more about Malaysia's transition as a fully independent country and Singapore's exit! 

With Malaysia reveling in their new found independence, I learned fast that a certain breakaway 'city-state' was about to cause some serious separation vibes. August 9th 1965 signified the date when Singapore left the group chat, underlying issues beyond my comprehension caused a massive ruckus. I never knew that the Malaysian flag retained the yellow star with Singapore's portion, signifying that no hard feelings remained? With the break up made official, it was interesting to see how Malaysia's top companies had to go it alone after the alliance with Singapore had turned sour. Malayan Airways Limited morphed into Malaysia Airlines from 1972 with more incarnations than I have had hot meals, you know that's why I chose to fly with Malaysia's national airline. Overall, Malaysia National Museum impressed me much with such profound and educational exhibits that were on display. I needed to move on, with late afternoon pushing on I needed to get my life! M, I knew that Kuala Lumpur was the one for me!

Botanical Gardens, Who? 

Desperately Seeking Adventure