While there we talked with several locals and heard their side of the story.
We also visited a local Hindu temple in the village. While there we were able to participate.
It was very interesting to interact with locals and get away from the commercialized sectors that we have become accustomed to. The highlight of my experience in Malaysia was when we were able to interact with some of the children. 
They would come up to their Tamil school fence and smile and speak the only English they knew, “hello” and “goodbye.” But it seemed like we didn’t need to speak the same language, it was enough that we were just there. They were so excited to see us. We took pictures but were hurried along to keep up with a tight schedule.
Later we made our way to a governmental office where we had speakers talk to us about Muslim women’s rights and the growing need for educational reform in Tamil schools. It was very interesting and the speakers were very nice.
They would come up to their Tamil school fence and smile and speak the only English they knew, “hello” and “goodbye.” But it seemed like we didn’t need to speak the same language, it was enough that we were just there. They were so excited to see us. We took pictures but were hurried along to keep up with a tight schedule.Later we made our way to a governmental office where we had speakers talk to us about Muslim women’s rights and the growing need for educational reform in Tamil schools. It was very interesting and the speakers were very nice.
After a nice lunch we made our way to our bus for the long journey to Taman Negara National Park. Our tour guide, Eddie, decided that since we were already running late that we should go ahead and take our time. So we stopped at the Batu Caves on the way out of KL. This endeavor required climbing 270 stairs fighting off monkeys to reach the mouth of the caves. 
The cave compound is a Hindu temple. All around the exterior and interior of the caves are shrines and statues of Hindu deities. 
As we were climbing down from the caves I was taking my time and snapping pictures of the monkeys that were frolicking around the staircase. 
When I was about 20 steps from the bottom two of my friends motioned for me to come down quickly. I was confused because I knew that I had plenty of time and had no need to hurry. When I reached the bottom they informed me that one of the guys in our group had been bitten by one of the monkeys. Apparently he was on his way down the stairs and after snapping a few shots one of the monkeys decided to attack. But he was alright and we all got a nice laugh at the situation.
We were supposed to arrive around 7:30 but ended up not arriving until 9:30 or so. In order to get to the park we had to cross a river. This required us boarding a river taxi, 6 at a time, to venture across the rough water. When we arrived on the other side we enjoyed a great dinner that included many of our American favorites (i.e. pasta, French bread, chocolate desserts, etc.). Finally we were given our keys and allowed to go to our huts for the night. It was just our luck that the huts assigned to our group were the farthest away from the main lodge. We figured it was because we were American… :)
The cave compound is a Hindu temple. All around the exterior and interior of the caves are shrines and statues of Hindu deities. As we were climbing down from the caves I was taking my time and snapping pictures of the monkeys that were frolicking around the staircase. When I was about 20 steps from the bottom two of my friends motioned for me to come down quickly. I was confused because I knew that I had plenty of time and had no need to hurry. When I reached the bottom they informed me that one of the guys in our group had been bitten by one of the monkeys. Apparently he was on his way down the stairs and after snapping a few shots one of the monkeys decided to attack. But he was alright and we all got a nice laugh at the situation.We were supposed to arrive around 7:30 but ended up not arriving until 9:30 or so. In order to get to the park we had to cross a river. This required us boarding a river taxi, 6 at a time, to venture across the rough water. When we arrived on the other side we enjoyed a great dinner that included many of our American favorites (i.e. pasta, French bread, chocolate desserts, etc.). Finally we were given our keys and allowed to go to our huts for the night. It was just our luck that the huts assigned to our group were the farthest away from the main lodge. We figured it was because we were American… :)
Again, more to come!
Lots of Love,
Sarah
1 comment:
I just saw your pictures and they were beautiful and when you get back you need to make a scrapbook. Watch out for those monkeys!! Love Mommaw
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