But, while we were down the hill from our apt we stopped by the mini-mart to pick up a few things. We ran into our friend Raja, who operates a car-wash across the street. His wife Mathi (I don't know how to spell her name, I only know that I normally pronounce it wrong and unintentionally call her the Tamil word for "death".) was at the Hindu temple right next door and we stopped in to see her and her two kids. Little did we know that they were about to start their celebration of the full moon, which apparently happens every month. We stood in the back and watched the women (it was all women minus Reuben and the temple priest) fill metal jugs with concoctions of coconut milk, cows milk, and water. When the priest rang the bell to start, they put the jars on their heads and walked around the temple 3 times, praying to their various gods. The temple priest took the jugs and then, over the next 20 minutes or so (we eventually snuck out, we didn't know how long it would go for!) poured the milk and lots of water over the god in the sacred area in the center of the temple.
Needless to say, there was lots and lots of milk wasted in the process. I could have made so much yogurt with that!
This all happened after a day of wandering around the ultra-modern and luxurious Straits Quay mall. This is one of the things I love about Malaysia. There's such a dynamic conglomeration of people, places, and cultures. Everyone here has a niche but lives in the midst of everyone else's space. Only in Malaysia!
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