Gong Xi Fa Cai!

So I don’t speak Mandarin…yet, but I believe that means “Wishing you will be prosperous” in the New Year. Chinese New Year is January 23rd, and we’re welcoming the year of the dragon.

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 in KL

Shortly before Christmas we were walking past Pavilion, one of the upscale malls here, and were surprised to find lots of bears.

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!

Grocery shopping

I love grocery shopping. Wherever I travel, I always end up in a grocery store whether or not I need anything; I just think it’s neat to see what is sold in different countries.

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!

Monkey Nirvana

Also known as the Batu Caves. We’ve been doing at least one pretty touristy thing each weekend, and this weekend we hit the Batu Caves.

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!

Christmas in Southeast Asia

I‘m not particularly feeling like we’ve entered the holiday season; I think it has to do with the fact that Thanksgiving was a blur, it is always in the high 80s – low 90s here, and I see palm trees everyday.

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.