Started the day with a hearty brunch at Imbi Market @ ICC Pudu where I ordered two huge servings of chee cheong fun & yong tau foo from Ah Fook Chee Cheong Fun. Spent RM41 just on that, lol. ? Totally worth it because this is one thing I will fly from SG to KL for! Uncle Fook even came by our table to chit-chat and shared little stories about life and food. He was so good at entertaining my in-laws, lol. ? Back to our apartment (The Robertson Residences) to chill while waiting for hubby to come back from his meeting. Then we headed out again to Batu Caves. Booked Grab which cost RM19 and it took us just <30 minutes to get there.
It was my first time coming to Batu Caves. Actually I had never thought of visiting it previously until I was researching for places to go so we could bring my in-laws around for some sight-seeing. And I must say it was definitely a pleasant visit because Batu Caves wasn’t what I expected – in a good way. ?
While feeding pigeons in Singapore is an illegal activity, I don’t think it’s an issue here as I saw quite a number of people throwing food to them. So if you like feeding birds, you may want to bring along some seeds or bread.
Gave these pictures a filter effect to create this dreamy feel. I loved the bright and cheery colours.
Place of Worship
Batu Caves is considered a religious site or place of worship that is dedicated to the Hindu God, Murugan. That is why you can see this gigantic statue of Lord Murugan at the base of the limestone hill. The statue is about 42.7 metres (140 feet) tall and is the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world. Very impressive.
Ladies, please cover up
On the left of the Lord Murugan statue, you’ll see this colourful flight of stairs that leads to the Temple Cave above. Ladies wearing shorts or mini skirts would have to rent sarongs to cover up your legs. I paid RM5 for one and the lady there helped me tie it around my waist. Upon returning the sarong when you’re back down, you can get a RM2 refund.
Do note it’s best that you come covered with long pants or long skirts/dresses because you can’t choose the colour/design of your sarong. Mine was in an outrageous colour that didn’t match with my top and my peeps were laughing at me because of the weird colour combination, lol. I totally gave up taking pics of myself, haha! Oh, and I must highlight that the sarong isn’t the cleanest piece of fabric around, lol. Worn by thousands for god-knows-how-long. You know what I mean.?
Climbing the stairs
272 steps in total. Seemed pretty steep and high but it really wasn’t that bad. My mum-in-law used a walking stick as she had some difficulty in walking but she still managed to climb up. Just need to go slow, don’t rush. Rest in between every few flights if necessary.
Beware of the monkeys
On the stairs, you will encounter lots of monkeys (or long-tailed macaques). Do not play with them or feed them as they can get quite rough. If you have little kids, please be careful as the monkeys may get too close for comfort. They don’t seem to be afraid of people at all. Also, do watch out for your belongings especially if you have things sticking out of your pockets or bags. I saw the monkeys grabbing water bottles from two unsuspecting tourists’ backpacks. One guy even got into a tussle with a monkey as it was pulling his camera strap and just refusing to let go.
The cave houses several Hindu temples and shrines. Chickens were seen running around. Also spotted some bats hanging up there and on the sides too. Apparently the limestone formation is around 400 million years old.
What I really liked was how cooling it was inside the cave. Definitely a wonderful respite from the heat.
Admission is free
Batu Caves is open daily from 6.00am to 9.00pm. Admission to the main temple complex (which is what I have covered in this post) is free. There used to be a paid guided tour to the Dark Caves for those interested to venture deeper into the limestone labyrinth but the company managing the tour had ceased operations so this tour is no longer available. What a pity.
Instead of booking shuttle bus transfers or private tours from travel agents, you can easily come to Batu Caves from KL city centre via taxi (book Grab – so you don’t have to go through the hassle of negotiating with taxi drivers who refuse to go by meter) which is a more economical option. There wasn’t a massive lot of things to see here so just dedicate two hours of your day to come here (including travel time) which is more than enough.
For those of you staying near KL Sentral KTM Station or Kuala Lumpur KTM Station, you can also take a direct train to Batu Caves which is very convenient. Fare is about RM2.60 per way (from KL Sentral) and the journey takes about 40 minutes.
Check out https://www.klsentral.info/kuala-lumpur-batu-caves-travel/ for more information on transport options to get to Batu Caves from KL city centre.
Lastly, a friendly reminder to all ladies – come covered in your long pants, long skirts or long dresses so you don’t have to rent sarongs.?