" When it rains look for rainbows. When it's dark, look for stars "
" My Staycation & Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) free & easy visit with my travel buddy, KF Wong to Batu Caves, Gombak, Selangor on Thursday Oct 28 2021; travelling by Rapid KL LRT & KTM trains & return; my 10th outdoor trip after a National Lockdown (Movement Control Order / Emergency) imposed by the Malaysian Government on May 6 2021 due to a spike in Covid-19 cases, a National Vaccination campaign is currently being implemented by the Malaysian Government (Phase 1 started in Feb 2021, as at Oct 28 2021, over a total of 22.1 million individuals or 95% of the adult population in Malaysia have completed their Covid-19 vaccination); Selangor (my home state) is now under the National Recovery Phase 4 (NRP4) starting from Monday Oct 11 2021 & the Malaysian government has eased restrictions allowing individuals with vaccination certificate or card for inter state travel, dine-in restaurants, hotel accommodation & homestay, outdoor sport & activities etc.
Total expenses incurred (5 train rides): Rapid KL LRT Rm2.10 + Rm0.70 + Rm1.90 & KTM Rm1.30 x 2 = Rm7.20 (US$1.70 Senior 50% discount), the distance from Subang Jaya (my home place) > Batu Caves is approx 31km (one way)
Travel itinerary: SS15, Subang Jaya > KL Sentral > Batu Caves > KL Sentral > Pasar Seni > SS15, Subang Jaya (Home Sweet Home)
My travel buddy, KF Wong accompanying me for this 7th outdoor group visit to Batu Caves, Gombak, Selangor, my last visits to Batu Caves were in Jan 2021, Oct 2019 & Sept 2018 !
The start of Rapid KL LRT train ride from SS15, Subang Jaya (08.00) > KL Sentral; boarding of KTM train from KL Sentral (10.01) > Batu Caves (last stop); fewer passengers were seen taking this morning train ride towards Batu Caves !
Cityscape as viewed from Rapid KL train windows near Old KL Railway station & Pasar Seni LRT station
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| Moorish Style Kuala Lumpur Railway Station - Completed in 1917 |
1) Deepavali (Festival of Lights) Decor in KL Sentral, NU Sentral & Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - Deepavali is one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs & some Buddhists, notably Newar Buddhists, the festival usually lasts 5 days & is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar month Kartika between mid October & mid November, Deepavali symbolises the spiritual "Victory of light over darkness, good over evil & knowledge over ignorance"; this year Deepavali in Malaysia falls on Thursday Nov 4 2021, a public holiday !
2) As I arrived about 30 minutes earlier at the KL Sentral (my meet up time with KF is around 09.00), this allowed me to use my spare time to undertake a brief Brickfields Cultural Walk near the KL Sentral station area ! It was a wonderful morning walk for me to see & explore Brickfields in a greater depth ....
3) Komplek MAB (Malaysian Association For The Blind), Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - established in 1951
4) YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) of Kuala Lumpur Hostels, Jalan Padang Belia, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - established 1905, a non profit Christian Charity organisation, now functions as a community centre offering voluntary works, youth building & recreational activities & sign language classes
5) Umbrella Walk (Brickfields Street Art), Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - a new tourist attraction & Instagram spot !
6) Sam Kow Tong (Hall of Three Teachings) Temple, Jalan Tambipillay, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - a Chinese Fujian style temple, founded in 1916 by Heng Hua clan who were the early settlers in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
7) Methodist College Kuala Lumpur, off Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - a private college established in 1983 by the Methodist Council of Education
8) KL Monorail Tun Sambanthan Station, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur
9) Kuen Cheng High School, Jalan Syed Putra, Bukit Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur - formerly known as Kuen Cheng Girls's High School, established in 1908, an independent semi-boarding secondary high school in Kuala Lumpur
10) Tamil Methodist Church, Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - established in 1897 !
11) Madrasathul Gouthiyyah Mosque, Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - a Muslim prayer hall, established by Indian Muslims in 1987
12) SK (P) Methodist 1 & Methodist Secondary School 2, Jalan Abdul Samad, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - established in 1896, one of the oldest primary school in Kuala Lumpur
13) Persatuan Pandu Puteri Wilaya Persekutuan (Federal Territory Chapter of the Girl Guides Association of Malaysia), Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur - founded in 1916
14) Batu Caves - a limestone hill (said to be 400 million years old) that has a series of caves & cave temples in Gombak, Selangor, "Batu" in Malay language means "Rock", the hill was originally known as Kapal Tanggang from the legend of Si Tanggang, the cave is one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside India & is dedicated to Lord Murugan, the focal point of the Tamil festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia, Batu Caves is also referred as 10th Cave or Hill for Lord Muruga as there are 6 important holy shrines in India & 4 in Malaysia, the 3 others in Malaysia Kallumalai Temple in Ipoh, Tannermalai Temple in Penang & Sannasimalai in Malacca.
Street stalls & vendors selling prayer items (eg flower garlands) & food outside of the compounds of Batu Caves; though the Government has eased travel restrictions in recent weeks, the number of visitors was very much less in comparison to my 3 previous visits in 2018, 2019 & 2021 !
World Tallest Murugan Statute (42m), Batu Caves
Lord Haruman Statute (15m) - Batu Caves
272 narrow rainbow color steps to upper cave, Batu Caves - a test of KF & my physical strength !
Limestone Hill, Batu Caves
Cave Villa & Art Gallery, Batu Caves - closed at the time of our visit !
Batu Cave Hill - natural rock formations, numerous caverns, flora & fauna, stalactites & stalagmites, cave curtains, flowstones, cave pearls & scallops which took thousands years to form !
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| Beware of Monkeys loitering for food ! |
Religious Sites, Batu Caves - Cathedral Cave Temple, Ramaraya Cave Temple, Hindu statutes & idols, Hindu shrines, Hindu art paintings & architecture etc
After the Batu Caves visit, KF & myself paid a down the memory lane visit to Madras Lane (a bustling Chinatown alleyway with dozen of hawker style food stalls), off Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur to savour a bowl of curry laksa (Rm7=US$1.65) & Hakka-style tofu filled with meat mixture or fish paste known as yong tau fu (Rm1.60 x 7 pcs =Rm11.20=US$2.60), a treat from KF Wong; during my youthful & working years (1970 - 2006), Madras Lane was one of my favourite eating places in Kuala Lumpur !
Monday Oct 25 2021 - breakfast with my Klang buddies (Chim, Wong & Hui) & KF Wong at Restoran Ke Ren Lai, Taman Sentosa, Klang; our group ordered nasi lemak (a Malay cuisine consists of fragrance rice cooked in coconut milk & pandan leaf), curry laksa (spicy noodle soup), half boiled eggs, hot coffee & tea, a treat from my Klang buddy, Wong ! As I had taken my own breakfast at home, I opted for a glass of hot chrysanthemum tea & enjoyed our chat time ! What a 3 in 1 simple LIFE pleasure in this meet up in Taman Sentosa, Klang ie Good Company, Good Food, Good Time !
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| Nasi Lemak |
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| Curry Laksa |
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| Half Boiled Eggs |
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| Chrysanthemum Tea |
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My Klang Buddies - KM, Hui, Wong, Chim & KF Wong
Breakfast in Restoran Ke Ren Lai, Taman Sentosa, Klang |
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| My Klang Travel Buddies - Hui, Wong, Chim & KF Wong |
After the breakfast, KF & myself paid a visit (by appointment) to Chim's Point Therapy Center in Taman Sentosa, Klang; as KF & myself have mild shingles rash on our bodies, we were both given a session of the ancient acupuncture treatment (inserting thin needle into the skin at specific points) which was performed by my travel buddy Wong who is a specialist in this field. As I had one earlier session treatment with the center, my shingles have healed & no longer requires any follow-up treatment ! Chim gave each of us a bottle of his home-made sun drying mandarin orange (tangerine) peels or skins (ideal as an ingredient for making red bean sweet dessert or tong sui) - smell really good !
