We had an interesting time exchanging money at the immigration center. The current exchange rate for every US Dollar is 3.14 Malaysian Ringgit. I had been carrying around US $20s that I wanted to exchange, but when I approached the counter, the lady told us that for any denomination that was less than $50 we would have to take a lower exchange rate of 2.8 Ringgit. I didn't want to accept that, so I went to another adjacent money exchanger. They had a similar story, but at that counter I was offered 3 Ringgit per dollar for my $20 bill. I know 3 Ringgit is pretty close to 3.14 Ringgit, but I still felt like I was losing money. I was talking to another student on the trip, and he had been able to exchange $20 bills for the 3.14 Ringgit at the first counter (but with a different teller). So, since he had been deemed the favorite for some reason, I had him take my money to the same teller he had worked with, and I got the full 3.14 exchange rate after all.
We walked to our hotel through a giant shopping mall. Not wanting to pass up any visible food, we got a sampling of dessert on the way. My favorite that I tried was a green sticky rice square.
Our hotel is beautiful, and features a very strong Muslim influence. The squares of cement outside the building are decorated with a typical Muslim design, all the female staff that I have seen are wearing a head scarf, and the ceiling of our room has an arrow decal that points towards Mecca.
After settling in to our hotel, we went to a Sikh temple. Upon entering, I donned my head scarf and took off my shoes. We followed the priest up a flight of stairs and washed our feet and hands before entering the sanctuary. The priest told us a lot about the church's beliefs, and was very patient to answer our detailed questions in near-fluent English. I say near-fluent because he occasionally mixed up "too" and "so." At least that's what I assume. He told us that the Sikh religion requires that men have too much respect for women. Also, he described his various trips to the United States saying that he had been there too many times. Being nearly-fluent in only one language, I applaud his efforts, and talents.
They were so hospitable. After we were done viewing the sanctuary, they took us back downstairs for a cup of very hot tea. It was so good. It tasted a lot like the tea we had for lunch, but with more spices added. Maybe people get accustomed to the heat after a while, but devout religious people of Malaysia--men and women--are often required to layer up their clothing. And let's not forget that it's pretty humid here. Just adding a head scarf to my outfit made me feel like I was nearing the overheating point. Then I drank a mug of hot tea. Seriously though, I must say that I really appreciate the hospitality of the Sikhs. They made a point to emphasize that their doors were open to men and women of all ethnic backgrounds and various religions, and that anyone could come to their temple for a free meal, or as in our case, a spot of tea.
We walked around what must have been Little India after that. It was beautiful, with fragrant strings of flower garland being woven and hung from the roofline above our heads. We found a Hindu temple just as a service was starting. Woodwinds were blasting out tunes that reminded me of bagpipes, bells were ringing out a steady rhythm, and drums were backing up the bells. Meanwhile, a small group of priests was walking around the temple courtyard performing the ceremony. The temple was decorated with such vibrant colors, and beautiful fresh fruit was prepared as an offering to the gods. The service was as loud as a marching band, and everyone seemed to enjoy seeing it. It is always interesting to see how different religious groups express their devotion through worship. For some, complete silence is preferred. For others, certain types of music are chosen over other genres. And then there are services like the one we witnessed today, that seemed like an all-out religious jam session. It was very cool to see.
We went to dinner after that, and had various South Indian delicacies (although I didn't eat with my hands this time) and fresh squeezed orange juice, my favorite!
After dinner we walked to the Hindu Mirror Temple through an area of the city that Tori aptly named the
"valley of the shadow of death" because it was very dark. But we stayed with our group and made great time with all of our aggressive powerwalking.
The Hindu Mirror Temple is entirely covered in mirrors. It's very beautiful and shiny. It took 5 years to construct and decorate. It just makes me so sad to think that after 12 years of use they will go through and completely redocorate it. Sigh.
On our walk back to our hotel, we stopped at a convenience store where we tried lots of different fruit. The durian was not as bad as everyone made it out to be! After that, we found a two-level store full of saris. Each one was so beautiful with vibrant colors, elaborate beading, or intricate patterns. I was slightly overwhelmed by all of the options and I didn't end up buying anything.
Tomorrow we will have a flight to Kuching, where more adventures await.
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