Trying to find a good balance between seeing as much of the area as possible and not disrupting the kids’ routines too much, we usually go on a day trip twice a week. The rest of the week one of us goes out with Lorelei in the mornings so Quinn can nap at home and we spend the late afternoons together in or around our building. Swimming, going to the park or just wandering around in the mall where Lorelei plays with other kids.
Last week we went to the Batu Caves, a Hindu temple cave complex north of Kuala Lumpur. An impressive tall golden statue marks the flight of 272 steps that leads to a large Hindu temple in a dark cave. The way up was challenging – we both had a child in a baby carrier and stopped frequently to enjoy the view in the sweltering heat. There are lots of wild monkeys on the stairs, running up and down, begging for or grabbing food from visitors. It was so unusual seeing monkeys in real life and Lorelei was fascinated. We were warned so we had our food safely tucked away, but we did see a Chinese guy being threatened by a monkey, screeching and baring his teeth (the monkey that is, not the Chinese guy). Scary – because these monkeys do tend to bite... But luckily we made it to the top safely.
Lorelei had a chance to run around in the vast open space in the main cave, chasing the roosters walking around there. It’s still not clear to me if they were there to sacrifice or for some other reason. We admired the multicoloured Hindu statues. It’s a shame we’ll be visiting my parents in Bali when the yearly Thaipusam festival is held at the Batu Caves – over a million pilgrims visit the caves and pierce themselves, hanging items to their bodies with hooks,which is supposedly quite a sight.
To relax a bit, I treated myself to a massage from one of the many little spas in our local mall. I decided on a Traditional Indonesian Massage, which was quite the experience. I was led to a tiny dark room with a small Indonesian lady whose only English was “Yes, Miss” every time she wanted me to change position. She gestured that I had to lie down, so I asked “Front or Back?” and the answer was “Yes, Miss”... It started with a back massage and she climbed on top of the massage table, squatted over me, with one foot on either side of me and started vigorously kneading my back and after that working her way around the rest of my body. It was SO painful! It felt great afterwards, but I woke up the next morning feeling I had had a major work-out and I swear I had bruises all over for a couple of days.
Yesterday we went to Melaka, a village on the coast, about 2 hours by bus from Kuala Lumpur. It was once part of a Dutch colony and it was interesting for us to see the different influences remaining.
The mainly Chinese population has blended with the Malay, evolving food-wise in what is called Nyonya cuisine. We tried out a few local delicacies and some were better than others. We bought scrumptious pineapple tarts from a mother and son at a small corner shop, still warm from the oven – delicious! We also sat down in a shady area under a huge tree by the river to try out some of the local deserts from a food stand. Cendol, a grey-browny milky substance in a bowl with shaved ice and bright green bits in it, tasted every bit as dubious as it sounds. We got Lorelei some “ABC” which is popular under kids – see the pics, it’s pink shaved ice, with lots of other weird things thrown in, like jelly, but also sweet corn and beans. Very strange and Lorelei wasn’t convinced – she preferred the deep fried banana she had later, which I stayed well clear of, as won’t be a surprise to those of you who know me well.
We enjoyed walking around in the village, and rummaging through lots of little shops selling local art and handiwork. We also visited some temples and sat in a trishaw, multi-coloured bicycles decorated as kitsch as possible, with fake flowers and lots of shiny objects. Feeling too quilty to have some old man drive us around, as we’re heavier than the average Asians, we just offered him a few bucks to take a couple of pictures.
There are times when I wonder if we’re doing the right thing by taking our kids to the other end of the world. Like when we’re in a dirty washroom somewhere or travelling in a hot and grimy bus. But when we are enjoying a meal together as a family in some local restaurant off the beaten track it make me realise that this is a real adventure. Although they might not remember much of it when they’re older I do hope this experience and all this family time together will shape them in some way.
