Batu Caves

Friday 11/27/2009

The Batu Caves are one of the major attractions in greater KL.  It's a Hindu shrine nestled within a cave structure beyond the outskirts of the City.  We were planning to simply negotiate a one way fare with our taxi driver and then find another cab at the Caves for the return trip.  Our hotel concierge actually recommended that we pre-pay for the roundtrip including a 2 hour wait period.  The cost would have been 150 ringgits (~$50) which seemed a little steep.  We decided to take our chances and are glad we did.  We ended up in a roomy, van-style cab that was well air-conditioned.  The driver was super friendly and helpful.  After running the meter for a few minutes, he offered us a special 100 ringgit rate for the roundtrip plus an hour of wait time.  Plus, he was willing to drop us off somewhere else in the city when we were done.  We decided that this was a better deal and decided to go for it -- our cab driver was definitely a smart businessman.

The Batu Caves were actually a bit more crowded than usual because it was a holiday in Malaysia.  We climbed 272 stairs to the top, explored the shrine, and then headed back down.

We'd been warned about the aggressive monkeys in the area but hadn't seen a single one on our ascent.  On the way down the stairs, all that changed.  We saw tons of monkeys vying for tourist attention and scraps of food.  They were pretty fun to watch.