Melaka
Malaysia

26 April 2010

The Jonker Boutique Hotel is very new.  No breakfast is served.  I wander about looking for an open shop.  I never found any breakfast….

I spotted a small group of gold-clad Indians walking up the street in front of the hotel.  Then another small group, a family, carrying pots on their head.  Is there a festival today?  I ran back to my room, grabbed my camera, ran back down to the street and followed along.

And I followed along and followed along and followed along.  The streets became filled with devotees.  The sidewalks were crowded with observers: Chinese residents, Malay residents, other Indian residents. And me, snapping away.

Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia

25 April 2010

At the Batu Caves in Kuala Lumpur, I bought a small pamphlet for a souvenir.  The title of the little book is Mystical Thaipusam: A Pictorial Book to Batu Caves and Thaipusam Festival.*

Some of the color photos in the book are of the caves and the shrines.  But the writing and most of the photos are of the Thaipusam Festival.  Here are some of the key phrases: