Today we ventured away from the comforts of our hotel and took a trip to Batu Caves. Instead of taking a cab, we opted for public transport. First on the elevated train and then transferring to a commuter train. Took about half an hour. But first…to get to the elevated train we had to cross a busy, and I mean busy road…six lanes of traffic careening at breakneck speed with kamikaze motorcycle riders zipping between the lines of cars. We tried waiting dutifully at the corner hoping the WALK signal would beckon us across….no luck. So we instead did as the natives do…wait for the traffic to back up to a stand-still and walk half-way across…then wait the traffic going the other way to stall and weave in and out the rest of the way. Once on the other side you feel like high fiving each other for the accomplishment and the fact you’re still alive.
Batu Cave is a sacred Hindu site, one of the most popular outside of India. It is set in these limestone cliffs at the edge of town. When you enter the site, you are first greeted by the 50 foot statue of Hanuman, a Hindu deity. He is ripping his chest open to show everyone the Hindu God Rama and his consort Sita inside of his heart. Rather ghastly sight to be sure. In addition to Hanuman, you are also greeted by MONKEYS…lots and lots of monkeys. They look cute and cuddly but be forewarned…they are ten times worse than the most thieving chipmunk in Mt. Rainier National Park. They have peanuts and bananas for sale to feed the monkeys but they are not content with food. Anything that is loose on your person they feel is their property. We saw monkeys with cameras, monkeys with water bottles, monkeys with scarves. Poor Heidi stopped on the stairs to take some handi-wipes out of her backpack and she was accosted by three monkeys intent on having her pack….men around Heidi yelled at her to quickly put her backpack back on. Once she did they left her alone.(the monkeys…and the men) Lesson to self: Don’t monkey around with monkeys.
To get to the actual caves you must pass by the 140 foot statue of Lord Muragan, the Hindu God of War…it is quite a sight…this golden God protects the entrance to the caves. You then must climb 272 steps up to the entrance. There are three caves in the limestone cliffs…the first one is called Dark Cave…it is home to the rare Trap Door Spider….for those who use Read Naturally you will recognize this arachnid. The two upper caves have Hindu Shrines inside. Heidi and I both were given a blessing…received a red dot on our forehead and a smudge of ash. We were sweating so much that the smudge soon became a smear and was dripping into our eyes. (This is when Heidi reached into her backpack and was monkey-whipped !!!)
There is something about visiting sacred sites. There seems to be powerful spiritual energy…we felt this same feeling when we visited Pearl Harbor on Oahu and the leper colony on Molokai and the heiau’s on Kauai. Whether it be Stonehenge, Machu Pichu, the pyramids in Egypt…something, besides tourism, brings people to these spots. People come from all over the world to worship at Batu Caves. For many it is a trip of a lifetime to get to pray here and receive blessings. Riding back to town we felt very fortunate indeed to have experienced this special spot.
Oh, and another note on monkeys….they smell !!!!
Our Adventures 
I love the pictures you attached. Yes, definitely needed at school!
What were the caves like? Complete blackout? Bats and thick guano?
Don Carroll
Hi Don,
No bats in the caves that we could see. The two upper caves are huge caverns…about 200 feet in height. Natural light flows in from openings at the top. Because of all the visitors, huge floodlights have been installed making it extremely bright inside.
Dark cave is another matter. Because of the spiders, you may only enter via a guided tour. The tour is about 45 minutes long and you are given flashlights….there are live bats in this cave as well as the trapdoor spider. (We missed the tour…will need to go back another time.)
Weren’t those signs priceless!
Bob and Heidi-
What fabulous pictures. Thank you for sharing! I am feeling the adventure via you two and loving it! The monkeys are HILARIOUS!!! Love them! Of course, I can’t smell them.
Seeing pictures of all those gods created by human hands to worship is a reminder: humans are designed to worship. Whether we worship the one God who created us, other created things (nature, each other), or things we have created ourselves (gods, possessions), we all look for something or someone to worship.
Love following the adventure you and Heidi are on–please keep the updates coming!
Hello Joanna,
Glad you’re following our little blog. I bet your little ones would love the monkeys! And at the bottom of the stairs were literally hundreds of pigeons….the would mass around anyone with seed to feed them…one fast move and a whirlwind if wings ensued. Quite the sight.
Bob and Heidi-
That was fascinating, Bob. What a great experience.
You would not believe those monkeys…so cheeky. Just be happy they aren’t in Wenatchee…they make raccoons seem tame.
Bob-
Between the Trap door Spider and the monkeys….It seems that the traffic was the safest part of your adventure! This year will hold adventures that you’ll enjoy for a life time! Connie Allen
Everything is so different here, Connie. Nothing is quite the same as back home. You just go with the flow, take it all in stride, learn from it, and grow. Pretty cool !!!!
bob-
Oh wow, what an adventure and the way it was written Bob, it makes me feel like I’m on the adventure with you, it’s great! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We have all been thinking about you guys and wondering how you’re doing.
Ellen,
Hope the blog gives you a sense of the country, culture, sights and our experiences….so pleased you’re following. We still treasure that card from all our neighbors!
Bob and Heidi
Monkeys are best viewed from afar, so cute, until they are on your shoulder, smelly, teeth out, yowling and stealing whatever you aren’t attached to. Glad to read about your adventures, don’t think I would make the 275 stairs, especially with the humidity and heat. Hope you are settled in your condo soon with all your things from home. I miss my ‘things’ right now, but it is minor compared to the delight of being here. Glad you are both doing well, looking forward to next blog, love, rose
Rose,
Good to hear from you. Yes, I agree….monkeys are best kept at bay. The second one of them bared their teeth and gave me that malevolent glare, I knew monkeys were not going to be my friend.
Really have enjoyed reading your blog. Any luck purchasing a home yet?
Jumpa lagi,
Bob-
Bob and Heidi,
Sensational photos! Not sure I could tour anything to do with spiders. However, the monkeys seem quite interesting. I think my two children would have really enjoyed seeing those creatures run freely. Cute as they are, I am sure they can be little stinkers. The Godly statues are huge and beautiful. Never thought I would consider you, Bob, small up against anything…think again:).
Love to watch your journey. Continue to attach as many photos as possible. Traveling is something I love to do, but cannot afford to do much. Seeing the experiences of others using the technology of today sure makes me feel like I am there.
Take care and hugs to both!
Ang
Angie,
So good to hear from you. Yes…I bet your kids would have loved seeing those monkeys. And they are stinkers…they kind of behave like out-of-control kindergartners!!!!
We will keep the blogs coming…but they will definitely slow down once school starts up.
bob-