Batu caves north of KL. The gold statue is Lord Marugan, who I actually had never heard of before (probably because he is popular with the Tamil Hindus, whom I have not come in contact with before). I was humbled with how little I actually know about Hindu mythology, and I'm motivated to learn more.
Enjoyed a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That place blew my mind. I thought Fiji was a fusion of cultures, and then that idea got expanded ten-fold when I arrived in KL. It is a hub of the world where people from all over the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and other places, converge. Even if I spoke some Malay I wouldn't even know with whom I could speak Malay to. Fortunately for me, most people speak at least a little English (something I feel both blessed and embarrassed about...).
I stayed in Chinatown, which actually felt surprisingly like the chinatowns of the U.S. (SF, DC, NY). The markets around were actually similar to the Asian markets in Honolulu. Walking around, I was surprised both by how foreign and how familiar it all felt, if that makes any sense. I arrived pretty late at night, but still felt so curious that I had to walk around a little and enjoy a late-night (for me because NZ is 5 hours ahead) dinner, and then hit the sack.
The next morning I met a couple from Boulder, Marian and Anthony, and they were planning to go to the same place I was, to the Batu caves. So we spent the day together. The caves are massive, and there are many Hindu temples inside. We witnessed the blessing of a new child that morning, carried up the 272 stairs to the temple inside the cave to be blessed. The ritual was profoundly touching. We visited some of the temples and gave offerings, and were blessed by the priests. In the picture of me and Anthony, we have some marks on our foreheads that were a part of the blessing. The Batu caves stirred up a lot of spiritual stuff for all of us, and we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian Indian lunch afterward. We then visited a mosque - what a contrast! In the Hindu caves, the expressions were outward manifestations of God, but in the mosque, the architecture serves as a container for experiencing God within. I don't judge one as being 'better' than another, but it is very interesting to witness the stark contrasts in worship. At this point after visiting these holy places, I had imagined that stepping foot into a Christian church would have felt exotic.
We then went to get a massage, because it is so cheap in KL -- about 15 dollars each got us an hour massage, and I felt really relaxed afterward. We rested and then went out for a nice Malay dinner at a food court. What a full and satisfying day!
I spent today having one more Session of Beauty (sharing of spiritual wisdom, and just being wonderfully present together) with Anthony, then visited University of Malaya, where my contact that I had met on a bus, Dr. Aminul Islam, introduced me to some faculty in the physics department who were very interested in hiring me. I was planting seeds: it may be that I return to KL to work in the future.
But right now, I am excited about going to Korea. Even though my body is tired, and I have a cold trying to come on, I feel clear in the head and have a positive attitude about engaging with the challenges that I will be presented with.
The Colorado contingency of KL. Me, Marian, and Anthony. What awesome people!
Me and Anthony.
Blessing the child. The mother and father carried the child up the steps. The child is in a hammock tied to a cane branch. Beautiful ceremony.
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