Rizz goes round the world

Full Circle (Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

Yes, I am back in the States, but I'm taking advantage of the down time here in Indianapolis (where there's not much to do) to finally grab the heel of some of the thoughts that have been flying through my head while I flew around the South Pacific and Southeast Asia. The next few entries will be some flashbacks for you. Enjoy.

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Kuala Lumpur, 19 December, 2006

The air conditioning on the bus that sat at the curbside in Kuala Lumpur made my quiet yet eager anticipation all the more visceral. A shiver ran through me, as I sat wishing I'd brought a jumper. But who knew you'd need something warm on a bus in a tropical country like Malaysia? Even in the so-called third world, the joy of modern air conditioning was still felt. At this point in my travels, I was still learning.

Finally, after a few more farang hopped on board, the bus pulled away from the curb. As we rode out of the city, in unusual fashion, I paid no heed to the scenery flying by outside of the bus. Instead, my thoughts turned to a cold winter day in Attleboro, Massachusetts, as I sat behind my computer during my 15 minutes of lunch at work, munching on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and reading my friend John's blog.

I had met John the previous summer, in true 21st century fashion, and in the only way we 20-somethings seem capable of befriending people in our hometown these days: through that glorious vehicle known as myspace. We both have a strong love for travel, and I remember sharing in his excitement as we sat at Border's and he talked about his forthcoming plans to travel the world over coffee. Along with Monika and Dara, John was one of 3 friends of mine who set off on their own to embark on long-term journeys around the world. I was envious of their guts in taking on a challenge that seemed as daunting, scary and lonely as it was exciting. I was also incredibly proud of them.

Back to that cold March day in my dark, dusty, claustrophobic classroom, where I munched on my sandwich happily and read John's account of the Thaipusam festival in Kuala Lumpur. Thaipusam is the Hindu festival of penance and is celebrated worldwide. In Kuala Lumpur, tens of thousands pour out of the city and walk the many miles out to the Batu Caves, many with needles piercing their tongues and noses, some with hand-constructed papier mache altars hanging from hooks in their backs. John's description of the bloody, sweaty, entranced masses making their way in states of religious ecstasy up the many steep stairs into the Caves took my breath away. Whatever breath remained was sucked out by his incredible pictures of the event. I got goosebumps and my heart started beating more rapidly as I stopped chewing and marveled at how amazing and colorful and vibrant life can be. I remember going to the back of my classroom to check on my world map where Kuala Lumpur was. I sat back at my desk and read John's entry again.

"Wow," I thought to myself, overcome by this refreshing and incredibly alive humanity, "I wish I could experience something like that one day."

And that was it. That was the seed of the dream. Of course, I've had the travel bug for my whole life, though it lay dormant until the life-changing summer of my 16th year, where I boarded a trans-Atlantic flight for the first time and spent 2 weeks in London and Madrid. The next 4 years were interspersed with longing and planning to one day get back, and I finally did, during my junior year at university. I remember sitting in my bedroom at that time in Madrid, spending hours upon hours reading my Let's Go Europe, full of so much wonderment and anticipation that at times my eyes would spontaneously fill with tears of joy over the utter sense of amazement I felt upon contemplating humanity and this planet. There's so much! Just so much!

After a bit of a depressing foray into the world of solitary travel around that same time through France, though, I was a bit off-put by the idea of traveling alone, and figured myself just simply not resourceful or brave or extroverted enough for it. I just wasn't cut out to travel by myself. The idea of embarking on a journey like the one that Monika, Dara and John had set off on just left me feeling scared and nervous.

At some point, though, while reading that entry about the exotic-sounding Thaipusam festival in the very far away and equally exotic-sounding Kuala Lumpur, something changed. I had been hoping and planning to go to Thailand with my friend Nate for a couple of months, but that had unfortunately fallen through. I felt disappointed and depressed: what in the world would I do now? I NEEDED to travel. The need was visceral; I could feel it pulsing through my veins. But the reality was that if it was something I truly wanted to do, I would have to do it alone. While the idea frightened me, there was too much out there that I needed to see and feel and experience to miss out on simply because I was nervous to go it alone.

So, one day in June I walked into the STA travel office and booked some tickets. After that, I just went with the flow, and dealt with life as it came to me, step by step.

And now, here I was, on a bus heading out of Kuala Lumpur to the Batu Caves. I had done it. I was here, I had come full circle and arrived in this far-away, exotic-sounding place that was much more familiar that I had expected it to be.

As the bus pulled up outside the Cave and temple complex, the scene was familiar; I'd seen it in John's pictures. There was the enormous golden statue of Lord Murugan, the ceaseless-appearing staircase up into the caves, and the monkeys that cavorted on the railings. I shivered a bit as my mind again returned to that day behind my desk on the other side of the planet.

My experience at the Batu Caves was of course much different from John's: I arrived well before the Thaipusam festival, and instead of hordes of worshipers, the caves were infused with a sense of tranquility and quiet. I was happy to have the solitude and peace inside the caves, reflecting on dreams and their immense possibilities, as I looked up at the open ceiling, dappled sunshine bathing the lush, damp foliage that draped the upper walls of the cave.

You actually can live your dreams. And it's pretty easy, at that. Who knew?

Labels: Batu Caves, Malaysia, RTW

posted by La Rizz @ 5:08 PM