Kuala Lumpur and the Batu Caves

Upon arriving in Kuala Lumpur we weren't exactly sure what to expect, but were very impressed with what we found. Malaysia is officially a Muslim nation, the first I had ever been to (obviously Tim is not writing this one with all of his time in various Middle Eastern countries!). Because the culture is so different from what I am used to, I didn't know what I would find. We found the Malaysians to be a nice and friendly people. Kuala Lumpur is clean and modern. The people were smilely, helpful, and very welcoming. Malaysia is a multicultural society that is tolerant of different religions, so we felt very comfortable being here.

The first day we checked out the Batu Caves, actually a cave that consists of three caves, formed by the massive limestone natural formations. The most impressive and largest of the three caves is the Temple Cave, which has 272 steps to climb to the top. Inside the cave there is a Hindu temple and so all around there are various Hindu works of art.

The steps leading to the Batu Caves are in the middle of the picture.

The girls at the bottom of those 272 steps.....


The scariest part of those 272 steps are the wild monkeys begging for food. We actually saw one hiss and show all its teeth, enough for us to keep our distance!


Adayla really did make it all the way up by herself, but Tally had a little help from her dad!


The next day we headed for the Petronas Towers, what used to be the tallest buildings in the world. Beneath the towers in at attached 6-story mall with all sorts of places to shop and eat - where we at at Chilis as previously mentioned. We even found a Auntie Anne's Pretzel shop! The whole area surrounding the towers was beautiful with fountains, a little swimming area for the kiddies and the biggest park we had ever seen. After taking pictures, we let the girls enjoy the playground for quite awhile.

Navigating the streets of Kuala Lumpur with two strollers is kinda fun!

The Petronas Towers passed the Sears Tower in Chicago in 1996 to become the worlds' tallest towers. They were passed up in 2003 by Taipei 101 in Taiwan that Tim visited back in October. Even so they may not be the tallest any more, we think they're the most beautiful!

Adayla with her Chinese friends at the towers.

Adayla with her Indian friends at the towers. This group of guys saw the Chinese couple taking pictures with her and wanted to do the same. So they took turns to take pictures with her. We really need to start charging money!

Enjoying the swings in the shadows of the Petronas Towers. We loved this area.

Our last day we made it to the National Mosque and the bird park. Tim picked up some brochures on the Islamic faith and read about some interesting things. They allow visitors inside at certain times of the day. Girls must cover everything but their faces and guys are allowed to wear their regular clothes as long as they aren't in shorts.

I think Adayla and Tally do make cute little Muslims.

Josie does too!

The bird park enclosed all sorts of beautiful birds, but the best part was feeding the ostriches. Tally wouldn't even try, but she was content watching them. Adayla attempted, but on her very first attempt an ostrich bit her thumb and so she was done! In light of Bird Flu in Asia, was it that smart to go to the bird park?? Oh well...