During the five week plus that we stayed in KL, it rained before 3:00 p.m. just once. Yesterday was the second time, and of course it happened the day we finally rented a scooter, which we have been talking about since getting here.

We wanted to check out some other areas, so headed west towards the coastal town of Kuala Selangor, combined with the plan to finally go to the Batu Caves, one of the biggest attractions in town. We (mostly) dodged raindrops on the way out, but did get wet…and just as we got into town to gas up, the sky opened up just as we were finishing. Great timing! We hung out for an hour, which gave us time to find a hotel, which we got for less than $20. By the time we got to our room, relaxed, and left for dinner, the rain had passed, and we enjoyed a terrific dinner at a seafood restaurant. Since the weather was so nice we did some exploring and found Malawati Hill, which has a scenic lighthouse, but more important, there be monkeys. But these guys were more docile and chill than most we have seen, and a few tour guides literally had the monkeys eating out of their hands.

On the way home we stopped at Sri Shakti Temple, a beautiful Hindu temple, where we got quiet for a bit. Then onward to Batu Caves, with caves that are 400 million years old, with shrines inside that were built a century ago, and the largest statue in Malaysia of Arulmigu Murugan standing guard, which was built in 2006, and is 42.7 meters (140 ft) high. Getting into the cave was only 272 steps, but in the heat it can still be challenging. The inside is truly huge, with ceiling that soar 100 meters and seem like candle wax drippings.

And of course…more monkeys, including SWIMMING and diving monkeys, which I have never seen. All in all, a good getaway, and in a few more days we leave KL for our next port: Ipoh, a 2-3 hour train ride.