Instead of eating boring cereal like we usually do in Airbnbs, in KL we have been venturing out for breakfast. This morning we went to a healthy cafe and had a delicious version of a full English breakfast. Millie was less satisfied and said her buckwheat pancake tasted “like leaves”.

After breakfast we came back to the apartment and did some laundry. We have a separate dryer here which is a luxury. We finally left again at about noon and took a 30 minute drive to the Batu Cave.

This is a large Hindu temple structure that appears old but is actually quite new. Everything was build in the last 25 years. The manmade aspects were almost as impressive as the cave itself.

Before going up the rainbow steps, we took our shoes off and walked around the temple at the base. I bought these “slip on, slip off” sneakers before the trip (Kizik brand) and the convenience has made up for how dorky they look. Every temple visit requires taking shoes off and putting them right back on again.

It was a cool building to explore. Hindu imagery is beautiful and fun for a kid to look at. Millie enjoyed finding the animals.

It had these sort of mini shrines all within it, each with a man or two standing by them. They would quietly try to get our attention. At first this creeped me out, and then I worried we were breaking some sort of rule and we should listen to them. We finally went over to one and he offered—for a donation of course—to bless us and pray for us. Nick gave him some cash and he prayed for a long life for us and our entire family. So family, if you’re reading this and still alive, you’re welcome.

He tied bracelets around us and dotted our foreheads with ash. Millie did not want the ash but he did it anyway, which really upset her.

We left this building and began climbing the steps up into the cave. It was very hot and humid but not nearly as exhausting as the stairs in China.

We made it to the top and walked into the huge cave. Inside the cave is another temple, and another staircase up.

We explored around, and then spent some time watching the many monkeys at the top. The whole area is infested with them, and they will steal food from unsuspecting tourists. Others fed them directly, which didn’t feel right but was fun to watch nonetheless.

When we got to the bottom Millie remembered it was Friday. And then she remembered an ice cream store we saw yesterday that served comically tall cones. We agreed to go there as our next stop.

She finished it before she dripped it all over herself. I helped.

I ducked into a Uniqlo to get a new tshirt. It may seem like we shop a lot on this trip but it’s been shocking to see how quickly we wear through clothes. I wear the same thing most days, and wash things at least once a week. The wear and tear is intense.

We called another car to bring us to the second largest building in the world. Nick had seen pictures online and wanted to go to the top.

When we arrived, it was still partially under construction. The only thing that is open in the building is a fancy new Park Hyatt hotel. The security guy told us the viewing area isn’t open yet, however there is a restaurant up there that is open, though it is reservation only. We asked if we could attempt a walk-in just for a drink and he said yes. Then he looked down and noticed Nick’s Chaco sandals and said “but you would have to change your shoes”.

I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life reminding Nick “remember when we tried to go to the top of the second tallest building in the world but we got turned away because you were wearing dork shoes?”

We pivoted and walked to the nearby Petaling street market. Most of this is fake luxury goods and cheap souvenirs which are not things we care for. We walked around a bit and then found a decent little restaurant for an early dinner.

I ordered Nasi Lemak, which seems to be the national dish of Malaysia. It’s everywhere and beloved. This is the third time we’ve ordered it. The first two we didn’t like, but they were quite different from each other so we weren’t sure if we ordered wrong. I think now it’s official, it’s just not that good. It’s basically exactly what it looks like. The red sauce is spicy and fishy.

One more detail to remember about Malaysia… the bidet style here is a hose with a shower nozzle. Every stall we go into is wet as if someone has just taken a full shower in it. The walls are wet, the floor is wet, and the whole toilet seat, interior and exterior, is wet. There’s rarely any TP so I wonder if people just hose off and that’s it? But they walk out in dry clothes so I don’t really understand the physics of how you can spray a whole stalk and not your clothes. Luckily I travel with a lot of tissues, but I’m sick of having to wipe everything down before using it.