Our gracious hosts from Sunway, Sue-Ann and Carlyn, made arrangements for a cultural tour for us today. I was surprised that the national holiday(s) didn't interfere with that. Later on, I learned how resourceful they were to find tour companies, eateries and locations that were still open for us.
After chartering a bus for the day, they planned to take us to several local sights before returning to Sunway. Our bus arrived early in the day, and we headed off to breakfast. We started off in a local, open air diner, called Mamak just minutes from campus. Sue-Ann and Carlyn ordered a traditional breakfast for us, consisting of Roti Canai (a flaky, semisweet flat bread) and Dhall (lentil curry), along with iced teas and iced coffee. We made short work of our food, sharing plates with one another.
Having put on the carbs, we headed to our first stop, the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, otherwise known as "The Blue Mosque". This gorgeous structure was just a few minutes away by bus. I had expected something akin to the small mosque we visited near our hotel in Johor Bahru. This mosque was several times the size!
At the front door, we removed our shoes and as this mosque was a bit more conservative, we had to cover exposed legs with robes and the ladies had to don headscarves. As we met our guide and introduced ourselves, she asked, "where were we from?" When we mentioned Michigan, she remarked "Ah! I was once there!" When we replied we were from Kalamazoo, she was completely overjoyed and overcome with emotion. Our guide, Rohani, had spent time in Kalamazoo and at Western Michigan University in particular in the late 1970s. She and her husband had studied statistics there and had memories of the cold winter, but pleasant people.
Rohani was a delight! She took us on a tour of the mosque, showing us the beautiful marble tiling and stunning stained glass windows. She brought us into the prayer area in the mosque and taught a lot about the purpose of the mosque, prayer and the relationship with Allah. In a very short while, I certainly received much food for thought.
Outside the prayer room, we had an excellent view of the intricate colored glass tiles that ringed the windows at the top of the building. Rohan mentioned that the dome of the Blue Mosque was the largest in all of Malaysia. Standing beneath it with no other sense of scale, I certainly couldn't disagree.
As our time in the mosque drew to a close, we exchanged contact details with Rohan and paused for a photo op. It was certainly a pleasure to meet such a kind, loving person and we all wish her well.
Boarding the bus, we proceeded to our next cultural stop, a temple dedicated to the Buddhist / Taoist faith. Just a few minutes from the mosque, we found ourselves at the Thean Hou Temple. At first, I was surprised to find another place of worship so close by. Then, I recalled a neighborhood in Ann Arbor where a church, a synagogue and a mosque all share the same block!
By contrast to the mosque, there was certainly less marble and stained glass. However, the colorful lamps and rich, colored artwork provided a different a aesthetic entirely. Before we began our tour, we stopped in the lower level for lunch. Being a Buddhist cafeteria, this would be a completely vegetarian lunch. We received plates piled high with steamed, white rice. Next, we received family-sized platters of steaming vegetables - eggplants, cabbages, greens, etc. and prepared to dig in!
After lunch, we headed up to the temple itself. The colorful lanterns swung in the breeze of the early afternoon, which I found quite peaceful. We learned a bit about their belief system and had a chance to take plenty of pictures on the grounds.
In the temple, we had a chance to have our fortunes told by tossing a set of sticks, selecting the highest stick in the pile, then selecting the appropriate preprinted fortune from a drawer. Several of us tried our hand at it - I wonder if any of our fortunes will come true?
Now that we had visited places of worship for two of the three most-common religions in the country, it was time to visit a third - Hinduismm. The Batu Caves features the world's tallest statue of Murugan, a Hindu diety, standing well over 140ft tall. The caves features a small complex of Hindu shrines inside. To reach them, we were told we would have to clear a steep flight of 272 steps. Nearly everyone in our entourage soldiered up the steps. Whether you climbed or not, the heat and humidity had us all drenched in sweat, so we'd never know who did or didn't make the climb.
Inside the cave, it was slightly cooler, and the tall ceiling made for some interesting pictures. After a short stay inside, we carefully descended back to the ground level. Along the way, we observed a few monkeys. We'd been warned that monkeys would try to steal food from us, so we were instructed to leave food or things we didn't want stolen behind.
It wasn't long before some of the guests began feeding the monkeys. They, in turn grew more and more bold, eventually snatching food from people directly. The mischievous monkeys continued to scramble around, clamoring for food.
Returning to our bus, it was time to end the day. Our driver brought us safely back through the city streets to the residence. As we said goodbye to Sue-Ann and Carlyn, they made arrangements for us to have dinner at a local eatery, The Burger Lab.
This establishment features gourmet hamburgers with exotic, tasty ingredients. The friendly staff collected our burger orders and set aside a group table for us to sit at. As the students began to discuss the visits of the day, our burgers soon arrived. Against our hunger, the burgers didn't last very long.
After dinner, the students broke up into small groups; some heading to the mall with Ramona and I, while others formed small groups to go into Kuala Lumpur to see the Petronas Towers at night or do laundry. I had broken my Fitbit band, so I needed to get a replacement. Once I found a small stand with my replacement, it was time to head back. We quickly got a taxi back to our residence, and it wasn't long before we found ourselves drifting off to sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment