Last weekend it was time to celebrate the Festival of Lights again in KL. Unlike last year, which was spent with a traditional Indian family visiting their relatives, this year I intended to celebrate like a tourist once more.
As a tourist group, we set off in the morning for the Batu Caves to see the celebrations taking place. Unlike the Thaipusam celebrations earlier in the year, the crowds were not as large this time around. After a short breakfast at the base, we headed up into the temple to see the now familiar sight of the monkeys and statues.
On our descent back down, we decided to enter the “Dark Cave” geological site located right next to the Temple. This 45-minute tour led us into the ever-increasing dark caverns as we spotted various bats and insects. Armed with only a small flashlight, we were led deeper into the caves and shown massive stalactites and stalagmites that were dated for thousands of years.
After our expedition, we headed back to a friends condo for some rest and relaxation by the pool to kill time. Our next Diwali inspired event was in the evening to catch the fireworks.
This year, we saw the fireworks in Brickfields outside several apartment buildings. The families were gathering on the streets outside and setting fire to ever increasing magnitudes of explosions. Some of the fire shrapnel could be seen flying into the balconies of the lower levels.
With the fireworks over, it was time to head home, with another Diwali behind us. Unsurprisingly, the next day I saw the local shops in my apartment complex already setting up their Christmas trees!
