Batu Cave, Birds and KL Tower

Batu Caves are about 30 minutes outside of the city and is a principal place of worship for Hindus in Kuala Lumpur ("KL"). A visit to this site involves climbing 272 steps along side a huge statue of Muruga, the Hindu patron deity of caves. The leg workout takes you to a huge mountain cave complex scattered with shrines...and graffiti...and souvenir stalls. We were taunted by monkeys who paused for a snack (or a pee) as we grunted and climbed.

We missed the festival of Thaipusam (Murgua's birthday) by 2 weeks and are glad we did. Apparently 1.3 million Hindus come to the cave to celebrate and to give thanks for answered prayers. The procession includes a huge number of worshipers carrying decorated spike cages that pierce their skin (kavadis); with milk pots (paal kudam) connected to their skin by hooks, or with other offerings dangling from their bodies by skewer piercings. Our taxi driver told us he dare not watch it...but suggested we come back for it next year!

We went from there to Lake Gardens which house several city parks. The Bird Park boasts the world's largest free-flight aviary and at 22 acres, I believe it. There were amazing birds flying through the jungle canopies- peacock, cassowary, ostrich, parrots, hornbills, you name it. The Orchid and Hibiscus Parks are across the street so we wandered over only to discover that, well, it is not orchid or hibiscus season. There were some in bloom (including the red hibiscus; Malaysia's national flower), but we could tell that these gardens would be bursting with color at another time of year. We ran out of money (we are NOT finding Malaysia to be low cost) before we made it to the Butterfly Park and learned that the free Deer Park (reported to have mouse deer-the worlds smallest hoofed mamals) was no longer there.

Ready for a change of pace we hopped a cab and went to KL Tower (like Seattle's space needle) for a view of the city. 420 m above the ground, its not the highest building but does afford a great 360 view...through some smog. Addi got a free pony ride and Jim got a free Formula 1 simulation ride with our ticket. We also got free admission into this freaky little "zoo" which had huge snakes and spiders, chipmunks and racoon's, albino rats, turtles and monkeys and a double headed turtle (for "double prosperity") Addi held a snake and I didn't like this place at all. It gave me the heeby-jeebies.

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Ayuthaya and the Elephant Ride!

Today was one of those days that was hard to break down to even 7 photos.

Bonnye and Jim worked from home (as they did yesterday) so Greg, Addi and I went about an hour outside of Bangkok to the old capital city of Siam- Ayuthaya. The city was sacked, looted and destroyed by the Burmese in the 17 hundreds, including the beheading of most of the Buddha statues. It's tough to explain this kind of thing to a contemplative three year old who believes grown ups are nice unless they are the Grinch whose heart just needs to grow three sizes.

We rented a tuk-tuk for a few hours and scooted around from ruin to ruin. They are too far apart to walk so I highly recommend it. Not to mention it's a great excuse to ride in a tuk-tuk!

We offered incense and lotus flower at the giant reclining Buddha, and Addi's whispered wish was "I wish, I wish...I love mommy and daddy and Tio and Tia". I love that she never actually wishes for things but rather proclaims her love for something(s).

We saw the most famous Ayuthaya image of the Buddha head resting in the tree roots. It is interesting to notice that in a city filled with headless Buddha statues, one of the few heads to be found is cradled in this way...with the body having never been found.  We also climbed more than 70 steep steps up a temple that was half Burmese style and half Thai to find a little door leading you through a tiny claustrophobic tunnel that hid a glittering shrine deep inside.  I kept waiting for the little door to slam shut, trapping us inside...but it never happened.  I would write the names of all of these sites but there are sooo many letters....apologies to the history lovers.

We wrapped up the day with an elephant ride which was amazing fun. We rocked back and forth as the giant beast lumbered through the streets. We got to feed one cucumbers and let me tell you...that trunk has some strong grippers!

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Siam Paragon Aquarium

Yesterday was the return trip from Ko Samet and was fairly uneventful. We were shameless Americans and stopped at McDonalds for lunch. It was deeeelicious. The Thai specialties were a "Samurai Burger" made of pork and a double decker Filet o Fish. We also stopped at a roadside market where Bonnye bought a salad shooter.

Today we went back to the ChataChuck weekend market (the hundreds of vendors) for a little bit and hit the Siam Paragon Aquarium for Addi Reward time. Housed in the basement of a giant high end mall, this is one of the best aquariums I've been to. With the price of admission, we could take a tour of the back rooms, take a glass bottom boat ride across one of the giant aquariums, have fish nibble on your feet (we didn't), and scuba in the tanks (we didn't). It was huge and gorgeous. A must do for anyone with children visiting Bangkok. Our favorite were the extensive aquarium tunnels.

Traffic was horrendous on the return trip. Greg turned into a local and drove through some back alley mazes that popped us out right by the apartment. I was proud of little bro...and he was chuckling with delight at his feat.

I bought our tickets to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Monday morning and paid 3x the usual price thanks to Chinese New Year travelers. The lesson here: don't travel the week of Chinese New Years. Oh well. My consolation prize is we are staying in a 5 star hotel there for $80/night. I couldn't turn down a deal like that!! My other consolation prize is that the flight from there to Sumatra, Indonesia was $91 TOTAL!!

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The ATV and the Pup

We rented ATVs and hopped around the beautiful beaches of Ko Samet. Before you judge us for having Addi on an ATV: the roads were dirt, there were hardly any cars, Addi loved it and I went insanely slow. So slow, in fact, that a little street dog ran (I mean trotted) alongside my vehicle for about 15 minutes and actually had to stop and wait for me several times. Yes, a tiny pup had to wait for my loud crazy all terrain vehicle to catch up. I'd like to say I would have gone faster if not for Addi, but I would be lying. It is actually humiliating.

With that said, we popped from beach to beach and had an amazing day. These beaches are not desolate but are not built up. The sands are perfectly white and are lined with little shack shops. Vendors walk by balancing a pole carrying a basket on each side selling various snacks- everything from fruit to meats grilling on the basket. The waters are perfectly clear and generally calm. There are kids for Addi to play with. Paradise.

We had dinner on the beach and Addi found kids/friends from all around the world. They played in the sand and talked like they had known each other forever. We bought a chinese kong ming paper lantern which we lit and watched float like a hot air balloon over the water into the nighttime sky. We all made wishes and listened to the waves crash. Addi and her buds giggled over sparklers and pretended to be fire twirlers. Perfection.

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Ko Samet Photos

Had upload troubles while on island, so these pics go with the "Spitting Sea Life" and" the ATV and the Pup" posts.

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Snorkeling & Spitting Sea Life

(Feb 1; need to download pics from Greg's camera)  We kicked off the cloudless morning with a walk down the beach, past the occasional shrine, to the local barber so that Jim could get his hair cut (he was well over due).  Aware of the language barrier, he went in prepared with a photo of George Clooney and, of course, came out looking just like him!

En route, we came across a huge mermaid statue on the rocks and Addi's mermaid line of questioning sprung back to life...what this, why that, but why...exhausting. We stopped in a few shops on the road behind the beach and saw another (much smaller) rooster shrine.  Gotta get me a rooster to leave as an offering...but can't figure out where to get it!  Ko Samet is apparently a Russian vacation hot spot so there are enough tourists here that Addi doesn't stand out as much and isn't the center of attention.

After lunch, Jim worked, Bonnye relaxed, and Greg, Addi and I went on a 3 hour snorkeling trip for a grand sum of $15 US.  We circumnavigated the island and stopped at two reefs and a fish farm.  With no snorkel gear or bathing suits in sight, Greg and I were convinced that we were on the wrong trip. But when the boat stopped, the gear came out, and most of the Thais jumped into the drink in their clothes!  Why not? The reefs were fine- we saw enough action to keep Addi swimming ("like a mermaid", of course) and Greg did a good job diving below us for entertainment!  Towards the end of the last swim, one of the boat drivers dove down and pulled up a sea slug for us to touch. It looked like a giant poop (sorry- it did!) And felt like that gross jelly stuff you could get for 25 cents as a kid. I don't think it liked being passed around because it shot goo all over the guy across from me!  After a good laugh, the boat driver tossed it back in (aiming for an unsuspecting snorkeler) and went back in the water. He came out with a giant clam (the size of a dinner plate) which promptly spit water 5 feet across the boat and onto an onlooker. Good stuff.

On to the fish farm/ aquarium.  This attraction is one of the craziest I've seen and I hope I can do it justice. We disembarked the boat and balanced along a wobbly grid of 8" wide walkways (two 2x4s next to each other) hovering just above the sea.  Each 10'x10' square of open space held a different kind of fish- clown fish, barramundi, shark, turtle, etc contained by underwater netting.  We inched our way along, trying look but not fall in as the boards shook and people tried to pass in the other direction.  For 3 cents you could buy a bag of 4 dead fish to toss in or hand feed to your sea creature of choice.  We waited to hear an unlucky splash but never did.  We headed back home marveling at the things a non-litigious society can let a person do.

Addi fell asleep on a bench at the restaurant while the grown ups ate dinner, exchanged stories, memories and opinions. I felt a little bit bad about that, but it was only 8:00 and as the old saying goes: when in Rome...

R&R in Ko Samet

(Jan 31) We drove 3 hours outside of Bangkok to the east gulf coast and took a very full wood ferry 45 minutes to the tiny island of Ko Samet. A hop in the back of a pick-up truck "taxi" and a very bumpy ride down a potholed dirt road took us past perfect white sand beach after perfect white sand beach. The island is frequented by city weary Thais and expats, tourists, and dirty footed hippies- and the vibe reflects it. The beaches are busy with low key on-the-sand bars and restaurants, people selling beach massages, stray dogs and water sports. The water is warm and crystal clear.

We rented two lovely "luxury" rooms (we are with Tio Greg and Tia Bonnye) on Ao Phai beach for $60 each/ night. Not bad!

We spent a couple of hours in the afternoon splashing and unwinding at the beach, but the highlight was after sunset. We spent almost 3 unrushed hours eating delicious Thai food and seafood BBQ by candle light at a low table with giant pillows. Addi occupied Tio with endless questions about pirates, mermaids, vampires and who knows what else while the rest of us watched three fire twirlers, the youngest of whom couldn't have been older than 6, mosey their act from restaurant to restaurant. The entire length of 2km beach is dimly lit with tea lights, candles, string lights and giant red balls for the Chinese New Year (coming up on 2/4). Throw in the smattering of twirling fire wheels and its magic!

It is easy does it here. Perfect after a few busy days in the big city. We will be here for 3 nights (including tonight) before we head back to Bangkok on Friday morning rested and relaxed for the next move.