HOME Travel Guide Common Sense Travel
decorative font style

Polaroid of the Week: Majestic Entrance to Batu Caves Near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Polaroid of the Week: Majestic Entrance to Batu Caves Near Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaDiscover the Batu Caves, a triple attraction just outside Kuala Lumpur. These stunning limestone caves serve as one of the largest Hindu shrines outside India. Used for religious purposes since the 17th century, they were dedicated to Hinduism in 1890 with the first shrine built inside. Today, Hindu pilgrims from Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and beyond visit, especially during the Thaipusam Festival in January/February. Over 1 million devotees undertake a 13 km pilgrimage from central Kuala Lumpur, piercing their skin with hooks, spikes, and skewers in devotion to Lord Muruga.

The towering 42.7-meter (140 ft) golden statue of Lord Muruga at the entrance is the world's largest. Throughout the year, worshippers in traditional Indian saris climb 272 colorful steps to the cave mouth, carrying silver milk pots as offerings.

The spectacular Temple Cave boasts 100-meter-high ceilings, multiple shrines, and playful long-tailed macaque monkeys. On our visit, we spotted over 30 monkeys, including adorable babies clinging to their mothers and energetic youngsters snatching bananas.

 


Tourist Attraction
  • Polaroid of the Week: Effortlessly Floating in Israel s Dead Sea

    Last week, I embarked on an unforgettable road trip across Israel, from the Lebanese border in the north to Eilat on the Red Sea in the south, glimpsing the Egyptian and Jordanian borders during morning runs. Highlights abounded: the stunning blue grottoes of Rosh Hanikra near Lebanon, the historic fishing village of Akko, and the breathtaking Baháí Gardens in Haifa. Heading south, we reached the Dead Sea, where I hiked Masada at 5:30 a.m. for a sunrise vista, explored Ein Gedis desert oasis wat

  • Polaroid of the Week: Majestic Castle Spotted in the Alps

    Embarking on a scenic drive from Innsbruck, Austria, to our housesit in the Bavarian mountains, we cruised the Autobahn in a rented Smart car. Suddenly, a stunning castle emerged into view—blink and it was gone. We captured this fleeting moment with a quick Polaroid snap. Not quite a castle in the sky, this idyllic fortress perfectly embodies the Alpine charm. Our drive-by Polaroid of the day!

  • Polaroid of the Week: Epic Cycling Adventure Through Berlin

    Apologies for the recent hiatus—Ive finally rolled out the long-overdue mobile-friendly website redesign. The transition hit a few snags, so please bear with me as I squash the remaining bugs. Exciting new posts are lined up and ready to publish. After an unforgettable first weekend in Berlin, we kept the momentum going with vibrant street art hunts, classic German breakfasts, our first-ever vegetarian currywurst, breathtaking sunsets over Tempelhof Airport (one of my favorite city gems), and an