Cole arrived last Monday. The week has even gone by faster with him here. Monday was a holiday so we did have a bit of a chance to show him around the neighbourhood a little bit. He has spent some time at school with us and managed to check out things downtown. I took my 'personal day' Friday and we did some bike riding and checked out Batu Caves. Batu Caves is a Hindu Shrine. The caves are enormous. The entrance has a flight a flight of 272 steps leading to the Temple Cave. We were informed as we climbed that each step taken on the stairs adds one day to your life. (I might do this a few more times in the next year) At the foot of the stairs is golden statue of Muruga, a Hindu deity. It is about 100 feet tall and is quite an impressive sight. The caves go back into the mountain quite a distance and there are a number of Hindu shrines within the caves. In February they celebrate Thaipusam. Thousands of Hindus descend on Batu Caves, the men pierce their tongues and cheeks with metal skewers and attach hooks through various parts of their body as an act of penance and to honor Murgura. The women carry large coconut milk pots to fulfill their vows of penance. I think they get off a little easier.
Cole with a friend inside Batu Caves.
Here is a clip of a section of the road that we bike up to Genting Highlands. You can see how quiet, green and beautiful the ride is.
Last night we took Cole down to the center of Kuala Lumpur. This is really only the third time we have been there since we've come. We got caught in a major traffic jam getting there and got lost for about an hour on the way home. I don't imagine we'll be heading back there too often. It is a great place to just walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds of a big city though. We went to dinner at Jalan Alor. This is a street restaurant area. The food is local, good, and cheap. After that we wondered the streets checking out the sights. I've included a couple videos of hip-hop dancers. On one corner the dancers gather and the groups challenge each other. A performer from one group will do a few moves and then the other group will send out someone to respond. They really are quite talented.
Cole left this morning for Penang to spend a day or two. He will then catch the ferry to Langkawi, an island on the east side of Malaysia just south of Thailand. He took up an offer of one the parents of a student in my class and will stay at the Sheraton Beach Resort.(The dad is the GM of the resort.) A rough backpackers life. Maureen and I are left this week to take part in all the Christmas activities. Today we are attending a couple of open houses, one is a cookie exchange thing and another is an invitation from one of my parents for Gluhwein n' cookies. On Tuesday we are going to the Canadian High Commissioners residence for a carole sing and party, complements, of course, of all the generous Canadian taxpayers. (Merci by the way.)
Friday was the staff Christmas party. It was a great event. We were able to bring Cole along and he got to see how wild teachers can be. The food was good. The dancing lasted until the wee hours. After we headed out to one of the local establishments. Maureen and I were chased out not too long after we arrived by the smoke (everyone smokes here) and the loud music. We left Cole hooked up with some of the single teachers who managed to take good care of him.
On Friday school is out at noon and we head off soon after for Bali. The blog alas will be quieter than usual for a while. We are in Bali until December 30, we then return to KL and head off to Laos on January 1st. We are in Laos until the 10th of January. School starts up for us on January 12th.
Maureen and I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Right now the pangs for home are strong as we miss friends, routines, and yes even the snow. All of you are in our thoughts and we really wish you the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment