Many of you saw the picture of Kavitha and me that she posted two days ago. We were schoolmates for eleven years beginning when we were seven. Even though she had to rush back to the office for a meeting, we managed to do a lot of catching up, to confirm that it really has been 22 years since we last saw each other, and to remember our schoolmates who were taken by cancer way too young. Now, on the train, we are still enjoying the many pieces of delicious cakes she brought for us. Kavitha, I won’t call you from jail since you don’t practice criminal law anymore, but I will definitely call for another get-together!

After lunch, Kenric and I stayed to check out the arts and crafts at Pasar Seni (Central Market). We didn’t buy anything because I didn’t have the mental fitness to haggle. Then, we went to Kampung Baru, a predominantly Malay village in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. There are many warong (restaurants) and hawker stalls. We had fresh sugar cane juice, apam balik (a thick semi crispy crepe) with peanuts, and a Musang King durian.

We admired the beauty of Masjid Jamek (a mosque) from outside. We wanted to visit the Sikh Temple called Gurdwara Tatt Khalsa Diwan, but the sign clearly says to cover the head. As we were walking away, a lady walking by encouraged us to go to the front entrance where the “jaga” (guard) is. She said he would have something for us to cover the head. We did, and he did. He had us remove our shoes and socks, tied the scarves that covered our heads, and led us to where we washed our feet and hands. Then, we took the elevator up one floor. There was a golden canopy at the end of the big hall.

The guy was more a guide than a guard. He told us attendance at the temple is down because people are busy with work. We made a donation in honor of our friend who dined at a Sikh temple in California as a guest of his landlord. The guide led us into a big dining hall downstairs, told us to take a seat, and brought us two mugs of Chai and some vegetable fritters. Just like the temple in California, this temple and others around the world have snacks and drinks out for guests regardless of their beliefs. Similarly, anyone can go to any temple for a vegetarian meal at dinnertime and feel welcome. One day a week, the people from this temple deliver food to those in need around town.

We like the tea a lot because it was not too sweet. There were only a few people in the big dining hall; three were girls taking selfies. They were together. We observed them taking their dirty dishes into the dish room and washed them. Minutes later, we did the same. On our way out, I saw people doing prep work in the kitchen, so we went there to see if they needed help. There were a few ladies rolling out the dough to make chapati (a kind of flatbread), a few people grilling the chapati and one guy greasing the finished product.

I asked the ladies if they would like Kenric to help roll the dough. They invited him to sit, and showed him how to do it. We chatted with the lady nearest to Kenric and she helped him improve. On our way out, another lady stopped to chat with us. Turns out she’s from the same village I grew up in, Buntong. Then, it started to rain really hard. We waited for an hour for the rain to pass. Then, we had dinner at a warong. As if the day was not heartwarming enough, we saw a young man feeding a homeless cat with the cat food he keeps in his car trunk.

Map of Places Visisted