Eating out here in KL, it is unusual to be given a knife; typically a fork and spoon fill your needs, and chopsticks are often an option as well. In food courts, hawker centers and casual restaurants you will rarely get a napkin, although usually a sink is available to wash your hands before and after eating.

I went to lunch with my Mandarin class last week, to celebrate passing level two and to welcome a new teacher to the staff. We went to Little Penang Cafe in the Suria mall, a place that is pretty reliable for decent food and is always hopping at mealtimes. There were six of us, and the ethnic mix was interesting: Chinese-Malaysian, Korean, Chinese Muslim, Laotian-Canadian, Libyan, and yours truly, the token American. Lin, our teacher who is Chinese-Malaysian, was encouraging everyone to try the different specialties, but most of the table ordered the fried rice (a halal dish). I went with a spicy noodle soup, and Lin had char kway teow, a stir fried noodle dish. Some forks and spoons were delivered to the table – at least in Malaysia, you’d normally eat fried rice with a fork and/or spoon, and eat noodle dishes with chopsticks. At one end of the table was a big canister of chopsticks, and Lin asked for a set, so I turned and asked for two: one for her and one for me. She was quite surprised that I was comfortable enough to tackle my noodle soup with chopsticks and a soup spoon, and jumped up to take a picture to document my immersion into the culture! I think for her it must have been a little like watching a monkey type.

A typical table setting in KL

On the other end of the spectrum, I met Grant for lunch on Friday (no Mandarin class in observance of Good Friday, go ahead and try to figure that one out). It turned into lunch with him and two coworkers: one is a local and the other is his Indian colleague also here on contract for the project. We went to a mamak cafe looking for a good banana leaf meal. I loved this place, just a little corner space open to the air, crowded with small tables and people looking to enjoy a leisurely Friday lunch before heading back to the office to finish out the week. I never saw a printed menu, but once we had secured a table a smiling guy came over and told us the chicken briyani was very good, and we all agreed to try it. Our places were then laid with a large piece of banana leaf, and a quartet of dipping sauces were presented to the table. Individual stainless steel pots of briyani came out, filled with a chicken leg, a hard-boiled egg, and mounds of fluffy seasoned rice. We each had a small ladle to portion food out onto our leaves, and then…I realized there was no silverware. Ok, no problem. Grant’s coworkers were completely comfortable with this, and assured us that we’d figure it out and if we couldn’t get the hang of it could always ask for a fork and spoon. We’d washed our hands (handy, handy sinks!) and the short tutorial was to push the rice together into a little ball with your fingers, and then to bring it towards your mouth and sort of flick it in. My technique wasn’t quite that clean, more like smushing together a clump of rice that I balanced on my fingers and then leaning forward over the banana leaf to shove it off my fingers with my thumb into my mouth, but I was able to eat my fill and have a great time doing it. I think it counts as a success! And did I mention how handy the sinks were when I finished eating and had fingers covered in curry and saffron?

With eating methods like this, we’re entertaining everyone we dine with – talk about dinner and a show!

Looking down the steps at the Batu Caves

Over a million devotees attend the festival at the Batu Caves each year, and we were going along with an expert. Cheryl, our guide on this outing, is an expat photographer based here in KL and she’s been attending and photographing all sorts of festivals around Asia for years. We got together a few days before the actual event to chat about what to expect and how to shoot it, and then met at 6:15 am on Sunday morning at the site, ready for the experience.

Devotees preparing for the day

The festival honors Lord Murugan and commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a “vel” (meaning spear, pronounced veil) to vanquish a demon. This is essentially a time for his followers to say thank you for their prayers being answered in the previous year, for things like recovery from illness or a new baby. Although the focus is on individual sacrifice, it is very much a community event, including lots of children.

Puffed up with pride

To prepare to observe this holiday, devotees may fast for up to 48 days, sleep on mats on the floor near altars instead of in comfortable beds, and on the day they make their pilgrimage many shave their heads indicating humility before Murugan.

Shaving his head with a straight razor

They dress in yellow, bathe by the river and make their procession bearing a “kavadi.” Kavadi means a burden or something that you carry, and it is represented by many things ranging from a simple jug of milk to enormous 70 kg altars. Although these huge altars are eye-catching, I was most impressed by the long poles carried by a husband and wife, with their new baby suspended from the middle in a yellow sling.

That's one carefully balanced baby!

The air is filled rhythmic drumming and the chant “vel, vel” and some devotees enter a trance state. It’s mostly young men, and once in the trance they take on the characteristics of different deities which involves shouting, dancing, rocking, and jumping around. The more intense practitioners take vows of silence with the visible reminder of a spear pierced through their tongue or through their cheeks. Several men also had their backs covered in hooks from which hung tiny jugs, bells or limes.

Balancing a 70 kg altar with lots of tiny jugs of milk hooked to his back, and he was still smiling!

The whole atmosphere was electric, and I was really surprised at how welcoming the community was. There we were, clearly outsiders with cameras, and they would not only allow us to take photos of them but would beckon us forward, move their friends out of the way and actively instruct their kids to pose for us. I really enjoyed the scene down by the river (and wouldn’t have known about it without Cheryl’s guidance): seeing grown men and small children having their heads shaved, watching people gathering quietly as a small group before their makeshift banana leaf altars, splashing in the cold showers as the sun was coming up, and swaying around the drum circles.

Praying and cleansing down by the river

Once prepared, people proceeded across the street from the river, and along the walkway to the foot of the stairs up to the caves themselves. Some walked, some staggered, some danced, and believe it or not, some rolled. They all were completely absorbed in the task at hand and made their way at their own pace up the steep steps to queue in the cave and await their turn to present their kavadi to Murugan. The greater their pain, the greater their glory.

Inside the cave, waiting to present their offerings

The photography focus of this outing was interesting, and Cheryl gave great advice on how to capture the chaos. Everyone else had nice DSLR cameras, and I’m thinking about upgrading. Grant used our basic Nikon Coolpix S550, and I was using my ten year old Nikon Coolpix 4500. I can take the 4500 out of automatic mode, so I played around a bit with the settings on it, but you won’t see any of my photos posted here. Out of all the cables and whatnot I’ve brought, I managed to omit anything related to this camera except for the battery charger! It really is an “ancient” camera, and I can’t plug the compact flash card into anything here, since everything is built for SD cards these days. Luckily, Mom has the same camera, so I’ll remedy the situation in March when we’re back in the US, and we’ll see if the pictures are actually in focus. Anyway, Grant took these great photos, so we hope you enjoy!

Oh happy day!

Lanterns at Temple Kun Yam Thong, down the street from our apartment

The only time the Chinese zodiac had crossed my mind was in Chinese restaurants when the placemat would help you figure out what your sign was (1980, year of the monkey). It’s impossible to miss it here! I’d thought they went all out for Christmas, but apparently that was just a warm up.

Huge 600 foot long dragon at Pavilion

Both religious and commericial temples are bedecked with red lanterns, and giant dragons swirl in the middle of the malls. We asked if there would be any big celebrations for the holiday, but most people (even Malay and Indian ones) go home to visit family. Since there are so many people traveling, we’re planning to stick around here. There are dragon and lion dances in Chinatown and in some of the malls, and apparently the God of Prosperity will be wandering around so we’re off to look for him.

Thousand Hand Buddha at Temple Kun Yam Thong

Special menus are on offer at many restaurants, and there are some unique traditions found in Malaysia and Singapore like “yee sang”. It’s often described as a raw fish salad, but I think that’s oversimplifying it. It’s presented as several small heaps of shredded vegetables on a platter with a small dish of (usually) salmon sashimi on the side and several dishes of toppings: oil, plum sauce, crackers, and whatever else has inspired the chef. Once it is served, the waiter (or someone at the table) adds the ingredients on the side to the main platter, and then everyone joins in to toss the ingredients together while saying auspicious things in Chinese. The higher you toss, the higher your fortunes will grow in the new year, so you’re really supposed to go for it. Grant got to partake in this during a holiday lunch for the team he’s working with, and now I’m jealous so we’ll be seeking this out this weekend.

(Fake) cherry blossom trees and lanterns

Actually, he may be a little jealous of me and my new endeavor. I’ve signed up for Mandarin lessons, and will be taking an intensive course starting on February 6th. It meets every weekday from 9 – 1 for a month, so I might be spending more time hearing and speaking (or trying to speak) Mandarin than English. Wish me luck – I’m really excited…and a little bit nervous!

United Buddy Bears

These are particularly well traveled bears; they’ve been on the road since 2002 covering five continents, and Malaysia is the 23rd stop on their world tour.

Malaysia's Buddy Bear

There are about 140 bears, one for each country recognized by the United Nations. Each is two meters tall (yes, I’m working on getting used to the metric system again), and they stand in a circle with their arms upraised, “hand in hand” to promote tolerance and living in peace and harmony. These begin with identical fiberglass casts, and each country has chosen artists to decorate the bear in a manner to represent that country. The US went with a pretty iconic choice:

Lady Liberty

But my favorites are usually the lesser known countries, like Moldova.

The helpful Moldovan Buddy Bear

They are visiting here until February 15th, and it’s quite a sight to see!

One of the biggest surprises when we got to KL was how much from home is easily found here, even my favorite brand of apple cider vinegar is here. Lots of fruits and veggies, and even some organic choices are usually available. I had been shopping mostly at the grocery stores in Suria (the nearest mall, the one under the Petronas towers). One of them is a British chain, Cold Storage, and the other is a Japanese one, Isetan, so depending on what I’m looking for I head to one or the other.

That is, until I discovered my new favorite grocery store just steps from my front door.

My favorite grocery store in KL

He shows up once a week, Wednesday afternoons around 2:30, and unpacks his scale onto the sidewalk to weigh your purchases. There are several condo buildings in a little cluster here, and I see the same people show up at this truck each week. His produce is fresher than the grocery stores, and it’s a much more social experience with everyone recommending what they got last week and helping each other select the perfect pineapple or whatever.

Next week he’s on vacation for Chinese New Year, and I’ll be missing him!

From Grant's first visit

Grant had visited here back in September, which is why I’d been putting it off a little, but we both enjoyed it and I’m sure we’ll be back here again with visitors. It’s touristy, but in a pleasant way: lots of Indian snacks, statuary, steps, and monkeys.

Lots of monkeys. Maybe I should say that one more time: monkeys everywhere.

Man or monkey?

First, the caves, which were in fact the reason why we were there, and the reason I would return. Well, the main reason I’m going to say I’m returning. I might be going back for the monkeys too.

The caves are just about 8 miles north of KL, and it’s actually a series of caves within a huge limestone hill. We visited the main one, Temple Cave, which has several Hindu shrines in it and is at the top of 272 steep steps up the hillside. Beside the steps is a giant statue of Murugan (the largest in the world), which was framed by light scaffolding now. We watched workers climbing the scaffolding like monkeys, and then noticed monkeys climbing the scaffolding like….well, you know. I got a kick out of watching the monkeys stealing the workers’ drinks.

Thief!

Apparently, Murugan is a Hindu deity of war and victory, and he carries a Vel (translates to lance or spear). He is worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influence, and the festival of Thaipusam honors him. We’ve been told we’ll need to come back to the Batu Caves for this one, as millions of worshippers from all over will be here to take part in a procession that begins in KL and ends here. During this pilgrimage, they carry burdens, which range from a jug of milk to piercing their skin and tongues with skewers and small spears: the greater their pain, the greater the merit they earn.

Interior of Temple Cave

The caves themselves are craggy, dim, dripping with water, and randomly lit by unnecessary sulphur lamps. The shrines inside are dwarfed by the high-arching ceiling, and we were mostly impressed with the natural beauty of the caves rather than the shrines.

Craggy overhang

Shrine in the caves

The trip back down the stairs was interesting. Hard for me, because you know how fond of heights I am, and the monkeys were a bit more active. We were getting closer to a mama monkey with her baby clinging to her chest, and while I was standing back on a landing trying to get a photo of her sitting on the railing, a guy accidentally grabbed her as he was reaching for the handrail. She wasn’t pleased, and made a beeline for Grant and me, since we were standing between her and the edge of the stairs closest to the trees. We awkwardly danced around her, and made our way carefully down the rest of the steps.

Up close and personal

Ok everyone, 272 steps and more monkeys than you can count. What do you think the greatest hazard is going to be? Wait for it….

Banana peels!

Some (crazy) people like to feed the monkeys here. We were walking around the base of the caves area, and you’d see the trees gently twitching as monkey acrobatics were taking place. All it took was one guy with a piece of fruit, and suddenly the monkeys started swarming down off the hillside. They are a little aggressive, and certainly have no fear of people. Of course, it’s quite the high life for them: plenty of free food, trees and buildings to climb, and a constant stream of tourists here to worship…them? I can see how it would go to their heads.

The taxi ride home was a new experience for us too, when our driver announced that he needed to gas up or else we’d end up pushing the car back to KL. He checked the meter with us before we stopped, and said we’d just check it again before we continued and subtract the cost of the stop – pretty reasonable. Then he pulled up to the pump, left the car running and opened the hood. We figured he was going to check something out, but then he proceeded to put a large hose into the engine compartment and we heard a loud hissing noise as he filled the tank (from the sounds of it, located in the trunk) with compressed natural gas. That was a first, although it looks pretty common for taxis here. Our driver was complaining about the lack of pressure, and I would have thought that Grant would have a million questions, but it left him speechless!

Never fear, even though the primary religion here is Islam, KL celebrates Christmas, and they mean Merry Christmas, none of the generic Happy Holidays stuff. It’s like the whole city is determined to get me into the Christmas spirit.

It seems that most of the Christmas songs you hear at home are of the “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” variety, and you certainly hear those in KL too, but you also get honest to goodness Christmas carols straight out of your hymnal played through the speakers of every store and most restaurants. It’s interesting to hear more religious Christmas music in an Islamic country than you hear in the United States!

Even though I haven’t done any decorating, because we’ll be spending Christmas and New Year’s in Cambodia, I’m getting my daily dose of Christmas cheer every time I step out of my door. Without further ado, here’s how they do Christmas in Southeast Asia.

Anyway, I’d noticed it on our first taxi ride into town, and I thought maybe I’d find some handmade souvenirs or Christmas presents. The complex is fronted by a large building with your standard gift shops selling lots of batik fabrics, woven boxes and baskets, metalwork, and the ubiquitous I  KL T shirts. If you make your way behind this building, there’s a semi-circular collection of small huts and each is rented by a different craftsman: mostly woodcarvings, ceramics and batik.

Lazim waxing the design

I had been wandering through these, just smiling and nodding at the artists, and then a cheerful man leapt up and started talking to me. I figured it would be the typical “please look at my work, you like, you buy?” sort of conversation, and I laughed it off when he said he could teach me how to do it. No, Lazim was actually serious about that, and it turns out there are a few batik artists there who will let you sit in their open air studios and give it a shot. They often have pre-waxed silk squares, but they also have thick books of designs that you can pick from.

Who knew I could be an artist?!

Lazim is very welcoming and encouraging, and his original work hangs all around you, lending inspiration. I’ve made three designs so far, and I’m having so much fun! It’s been pretty straightforward: I trace a design onto the silk, Lazim applies the wax over my design, and then I paint on dyes with a bit of coaching from him. He’s been making batik art for 30 years, so I’m listening carefully to the expert. Next time, he says I should try waxing it myself (I’ve only signed my name with the wax). No caffeine for me that day – I’ll need a really steady hand!

What do you think, is this a new calling for me? I don’t know, but I’m having a great time!

We have a fantastic realtor, and he’s been very patient and cooperative with all the unknowns about our timeline. We were able to re-renegotiate our lease (from Nov 15 to Dec 15 to Dec 1 to Nov 24 – did I mention he was a patient guy?), and we moved into our new home on Thanksgiving! That is, Grant went to work from the Prince Hotel and came home to a fully unpacked apartment in KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Centre – they love to abbreviate things here!). It’s huge and in an amazing location, right by the Petronas Towers; I’ll follow up with pictures soon. Grant did a great job finding this place!

I’m not a miracle worker, so unfortunately no turkey dinner was awaiting him, but I was still motivated enough to explore the nearest grocery store. The closest grocery store is called Isetan, which is a Japanese chain, so much of what they carry is labeled in Japanese. I focused on buying the essentials, and then found a free-range, organic chicken. Great, that sounds like a perfect faux Thanksgiving to me! Only one problem: when I got it home and unwrapped it, it turned out to have feet!! I’m not sure what a local would have done, but I was aghast and couldn’t imagine cooking a chicken with its feet still on. So, with the dullest knife in the world (note to self, next thing to buy), I set about hacking them off.

I’d say that’s a good representation of life here so far, mostly normal but with a twist. Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving too!

Happy Thanksgiving!