I am thankful that the creepy looking monkeys at Batu Caves did not attack. They were cute from a distance, but then they looked at us with a certain malicious glint in their eyes and Kirt said he was not stopping to take their picture.
Batu Caves is a temple for Hindus. I’m not going to pretend like I remember much about Hinduism other than the phenomenal amount of gods and the wild, lively stories about their interactions with each other and humanity. I loved the smell of incense and sound of chanting that filled he day. Hindus are vegetarian so all the restaurants were vegetarian. We went into one and the “waiter” was so gracious. He helped me order and made me not feel like an idiot. He even brought us extra napkins. We noticed none of the tables filled with Hindus needed extra napkins.
Batu Caves was an experience of gracious hospitality. We were totally out of our element with no clue of what the right thing to do was and folks helped us out, smiled kindly, and guided us through the maze of another culture and religion.
I can’t say that is true about the dominant religion of Islam. We just haven’t interacted enough yet. It is fascinating to be in a Muslim nation where that underlies all the rhythms of the nation regardless of individual beliefs. We have seen everything from burkhas to short shorts, but there is an expectation of modesty. There are also rules. Rules that are clearly defined in pictures with a big red x through them, but also some that are unspoken.
Coming out of a nation where Christianity is the rhythm, it is fascinating to be in a place where we are outside the dominant rhythm. That was some of the point and we are definitely experiencing it..
I also have to admit that I have to break two of my greatest habits - coffee and pointing. We were excited to finally find coffee bags that contained 70% beans, the other 30% was sugar, salt, butter and margarine. All the other options taste like International Choice with double sugar. There is just something wrong with the universe. Might just have to switch to tea.
It is a rude gesture to point with your pointer finger here. Who knew how much pointing I did? I’m working on pointing with my thumb, but that is not coming easily.
1 comment:
So glad you are experiencing the rich culture Malaysia has to offer! The food there is very good. KOPI is the word for coffee. We were able to buy it in the grocery store. Nescafe is popular because it has NO coffee grounds in it. Kopi susu is fun. It is coffee with sweetened condensed milk.
Kirt is right, do not trust the monkeys. If they get on your body (sit on head, whatever), do not make sudden moves. I have seen monkey's bite people who have done so. Then it is off for rabies shots!
Maybe you have heard me say I feel Christianity is a lazy religion, especially compared to Hinduism and Islam! Christians' church once a week for an hour seems lazy compared to the others. I try to tell people we live in a Christian nation. As you said, the religions there dominate the society, as I believe Christianity does here in the US.
Foods: nasi goreng (fried rice) and mee goreng (fried noodles) are usually safe bets to eat, and are super cheap! Can you tell that goreng means fried??? Lumpia are egg rolls and are delicious. Of course, probably not a good idea to ask for pork! Opor ayam is a wonderful chicken dish with coconut milk. Many other good foods for you to discover!
We continue to keep you in our prayers.
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