Despite the rocky start KL had two more days for a second chance.
After a solid breakfast and a full night’s sleep, we were ready to see if the city could win us back. First stop: the iconic Batu Caves.
Batu Caves: 272 Steps and Some Deep Breaths
The caves are an easy trip from KL and everyone recommends to start the day early. We arrived at 9:30 a.m.
Reader, that is not early.
Hundreds were already there, but the sprawling complex kept it from feeling claustrophobic. The caves sit inside a limestone mogote (Scrabble players, you’re welcome). The caves were once used by the indigenous Temuan people, later mined for guano (fertilizer extraordinaire), and eventually transformed into a Hindu pilgrimage site at the urging of a wealthy Tamil trader, K. Thamboosamy Pillia. In 1891, the temple dedicated to Hindu deity Sri Murugan was completed, and today a 140-foot golden statue stands guard beside 272 rainbow-colored steps.
The boys sprinted up those steps like mountain goats. I followed at a more…reflective pace. (Reflective = stopping to admire the view and absolutely not to catch my breath.) I do not love heights, and this would not be the first time I questioned why everything cool in the world is located up high.
At the top, the temperature drops and the sound shifts to a steady drip of water from stalactites overhead. The religious significance is undeniable, but it’s the sheer scale of the cavern that leaves you small and silent for a minute. Or if you are the tween, loud and chasing pigeons.
As the crowd continued to increase, we headed back down, boys racing ahead, occasionally glancing back to both check on and laugh at me. Parenting is humiliating humbling.
Some Quiet Grandeur at the National Mosque
Our next stop was Masjid Negara or, the National Mosque. Completed in 1965 as a symbol of Malaysia’s independence, the mosque can hold 15,000 worshippers. On holy days, services spill outside over loudspeakers. Visitors can take guided or audio tours or simply wander and stare, which is what we did. The geometric roofline and open courtyards feel both massive and serene.
Two heavy cultural stops in, morale was dipping and hunger threatened.
So, I did what any sneaky strategic mother would do: I steered us toward air-conditioning, food, with a dash of history on the side.
Central Market: Noodles (and Culture)
KL’s Central Market began as a wet market in 1888; the current art-deco building dates to 1937. Today it’s air-conditioned, packed with souvenir stalls (which we ignored – backpacks, remember?), and houses a solid food court upstairs.
I may have casually tried to drop those historical nuggets, but I doubt the boys were paying attention as I handed them ringgits and set them loose to grab their own preferred meal.
Yes, I let them wander with cash in a foreign market. While it depends on the kid and your own comfort level this is part of the trip experience and Malaysia, where English is one of the primary languages, is a gentle way of increasing their resilience and independence. They ordered. They paid. They returned victorious.
And I promptly sent them to wash their hands. Another thing we first noticed in Singapore and continued to appreciate in Malaysia: handwashing stations everywhere. These stations are separate from restrooms, and every restaurant, food stall, hawker center and food court has them. Originally found in halal establishments but now a standard practice everywhere. It’s brilliant.
Hangries successfully avoided, we pressed on.
Thean Hou Temple: “That’s Still REALLY Old.”
Our final cultural stop: Thean Hou Temple, opened in 1989. To provide some context I noted that, “This temple is actually younger than I am.”
“That’s still REALLY old,” the tween replied. (At which point I promptly dumped him in the lake. Kidding! This place doesn’t have a lake.)
The temple is dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu and blends elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It’s one of the largest temples in Southeast Asia, complete with gardens, a wishing well, a tortoise pond, and a sculpture garden dedicated to filial piety (which I strongly encouraged the boys to explore).
This was also the place where I finally let the tween light some incense and place it in the central burner. I had been reticent before as I wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate but a friendly local noted the tween’s interest and walked us through how to light the incense respectfully.
Six Hours, Twelve Tastings, One Side-eye (Durian)
After downtime, laundry, and schoolwork in our still slightly depressing apartment, we rallied for a five-hour food tasting tour which included twelve tastings. Malaysian cuisine is wildly varied, incredibly good and overwhelming without guidance.
We tried making roti (I’m better at eating it), discovered a new street food love in appam balik, tried perfectly grilled fish and bravely sampled durian.
The tour took us through different kampungs, including Kampung Baru. I excitedly poked the teen as this neighborhood was the primary setting for a novel I’d just read and assigned to him for his homeschooling. As we entered the restaurant for the tasting our guide casually mentioned that prior to 1970 the owner had been a popular street vendor but after “a fire” in the neighborhood in 1969 they had moved to the current location.
I was a bit agape at the careful glossing over. That “fire” was the aftermath of the May 13, 1969 riots, one of the most pivotal and painful chapters in Malaysian history. Following elections, ethnic violence erupted, a state of emergency was declared, thousands were displaced and many died. While the government’s official death toll stands at 196, other organizations (including Amnesty International) believe the figure is much higher, 600 to over a thousand. Even now, governmental policies and the constant public messaging around national unity hints at tensions beneath the surface.
It was a powerful reminder that behind every tasting and lantern-lit street is layered history some celebrated, some complicated.
For the boys, though, the highlight may have been the people. Seven other travelers, mostly in their 20s and 30s, swapping stories and recommendations. I was the “grandma” of the group. The boys loved talking to adults who weren’t me. I loved talking to adults, period.
We lingered so long the five-hour tour stretched into six. Travel friends are funny like that; intense, immediate connections forged in unfamiliar places. You may never see them again. Your paths might cross somewhere else on the globe. You may stay in touch and become lifelong friends. It’s a bit of travel magic that I love.
Merdeka and Meandering
The next morning, we slept in. A pool day would have been ideal, but alas, swamp pool. So we opted for moseying.
We started at Merdeka Square, the field or “pedang” was originally a British parade ground, then a cricket field flanked by British administrative buildings on one side and the British Social Club (looking hot and stuffy with its incongruous Tudor style and thatched roof) on the other. Midnight 30 August 1957, the British flag was lowered and the Malayan flag was raised for the first time here. The actual independence ceremony was held at Merdeka Stadium to allow for the huge number of onlookers.
From the green space, we wandered toward the “heart” or center of KL where the Klang and Gombuk rivers converge (fun fact Kuala Lumpur actually means “muddy confluence”).
The oldest mosque in KL, Sultan Abdul Samad Jamek Mosque is situated at the center of the convergence and it was the primary Mosque until the National Mosque was built. The government is currently conducting the “river of life” project in this area which has resulted in walking and biking lanes, art projects and continued water clean-up. Historically, KL began as a tin mining town and these rivers served as the necessary waterways for that industry.
Taking in the sites we moved slowly through Little India which is centered around the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple. The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple is the oldest functioning Hindu temple in Malaysia and was founded by K. Thamboosamy Pillai (you may remember him way back when I wrote about the Batu Caves) and was initially a private shrine for the family.
We continued wandering into Chinatown admiring the street art and hunting for a cookie shop recommended by our travel friends the night before.
We found the shop the way all great food is found: by scent and by line length.
Cookies secured, and exhausted from the heat we headed back to pack for our flight to Langkawi.
KL certainly stumbled out of the gate with traffic and the disappointing apartment, but by the end…. Between limestone caverns, mosque courtyards, temple incense, street food and the enjoyable wanderings maybe it had redeemed itself. I’m not sure if I can give it a full-throated song but maybe a redemption…jingle?
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