Day 84: The Batu Caves
So even though we knew it was going to be a disappointing tourist trap, we planned a day trip out of the city to visit the Batu Caves. We found an *awesome* bakery on our way to the monorail where we had breakfast before heading out on the KL public transit system.
Coffee and pastries! #omnomnom
It’s like an “Alice Through the Looking Glass” version of New York – instead of tickets, the kiosk gives you plastic tokens – let’s give these poker chips a whirl!
The subways in KL come with some extra rules: No Chewing Gum, No Making-Out, and no men in the Women’s Car. We found some empty seats next to the window, only to realize two stops later when an announcement came over the loudspeaker that we were in the Women’s Car and had to move.
There are four caves at the Batu Caves – we visited 3 out of 4 before we called it a day. The first (and our favorite) was the Dark Cave, which focuses on the natural flora and fauna of the limestone caves, rather than religious or cultural uses. The Dave Cave is near the top of the staircase to the main Temple Cave – it’s quite a climb to the top, so we decided to take a breather and go on the 45min Educational Tour for 35 RM each (about USD $20 total). We stuck close to the front so we could see everything our knowledgeable guide, Zarris, pointed out – which unfortunately wasn’t much: mostly bat guano and bugs. Apparently the rarest spider in the world – the Trapdoor Spider – lives in the Dark Cave, but they are really hard to spot. According to our guide, there are only estimated to be about 250 spiders left, and they are only found in the Batu Caves (their scientific name, Liphistius Batuensis, even specifies the word “Batu”) – apparently there are bug collectors out there who want to catch and pin the body of the “rarest spider in the word” to a poster board. Never thought I’d feel sorry for a spider…
Lord Murugan statue guarding the stairway to the Batu Caves
Gearing up with a hard hat for the Dark Cave guided walk
Our guide, Zarris, pointing out all the bugs – including a y tiny scorpion (about the size of a thumbnail)
Natural wonders of the Dark Cave
After the Dark Cave we continued up to the Temple Cave, where there are several Hindu shrines. Since we are more interested in nature, this cave was not our cup of tea, as all the worshippers and tourists made it really difficult to admire the cave’s natural beauty.
A hungry macaque enjoying a coconut snack and the view of KL in the distance
A very busy atmosphere at the Temple Cave
The Hindu Shrine inside Temple Cave
Luckily Lindsay brought her own sarong as the dress code on the Temple Cave forbids shorts for women
The final cave we visited left a really bad impression – the Cave Villa was just awful, for many reasons:
There is a reptile house full of sad, sad animals – worst zoo experience possible. There were so many animals, like this turtle, that were kept in tiny cages. Apparently people think it’s OK to treat live animals like a wishing-well.
Koi pond in the front of Cave Villa, with LOTS of fish, but most of them were kept in an enclosed net.
We stayed an extra 45min to catch the next dance performance, which was just terrible. With a tourist attraction as big at the Batu Caves, you’d think the attraction would put in a little effort – this was painful – like watching a bad elementary school recital. The girl with the orange sarong was at least trying.
An Art Gallery and Museum Gallery with statues depicting various Hindu gods/legends would have been interesting if we could follow the context. But many of the Hindu gods have multiple names, and the descriptions kept changing the name, so we were just lost.
Trying to keep track of all the gods
Not following the story – sorry.
We were so done with Batu by the time we left Cave Villa, we skipped the Ramayana Cave. No idea if it’s worth a visit – someone ever goes, let us know what we missed. Instead, we headed back to KL, picked up some groceries for dinner and relaxed with a bottle of wine.
Missed the Ramayana Cave – first one when you get off the train at Batu – probably should have started with that one. Oh, well.
Back in the city enjoying a quiet evening in