Steep Stairs, Light-fingered Monkeys – Batu Caves, Malaysia

DSCF4628FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/50 sec, ISO400)

My second day in KL. We went to the Batu Caves late afternoon. This is a truly beautiful place. There is a massive golden statue, the 272 steep steps to the upper caves and finally  all the temples in the area. A picturesque and exotic place especially for a european catholic like me. I have learned that churches and cathedrals are impressive but mostly dark and somehow daunting. Here it is different. Temples are bright and colorful. Instead of crucifixes with a suffering Jesus there are elephants, thick men and women and strong monkeys. Instead of suffering and death there is life. Looks more promising to me.

DSCF4566 DSCF4569FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO200)

There is another difference: Compared to the cathedrals and churches some of these places have been built literally yesterday. The 42 meter high statue, Murugan ( a god ), was finished in 2006. But it’s not Murugan’s statue that makes this place so special. It’s the caves, the small temples, all the colorful figures and the monkeys or macaques to be more precise.

But before you can see anything of that you have to climb the 272 steep steps. They are really steep and because Asian people are smaller and have smaller feet the are steep but not very deep. I had no problem on my way up but downstairs.

DSCF4571FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/8, 1/170 sec, ISO200)
DSCF4573FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/8, 1/125 sec, ISO200)
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Up there bats are flying around and in the caves there are macaques waiting for the gifts for the gods like bananas and coconuts. Nice gifts for gods and for monkeys. There is even a monkey god. I will post an image in one of my next posts.

DSCF4595FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/3.6, 1/30 sec, ISO800)
DSCF4598FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO640)
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DSCF4624FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/50 sec, ISO500)

Most of the images I took with my 14mm lens but my favorite ones, the monkey with the coconut and the colorful temple in the background, I shot with the 35mm. I love this lens. It’s shallow depth of field really makes the difference. It gives the photos a “full frame look”. These two lenses are the ones you need to use if you want to achieve a different look. If you just use the zoom there is little difference in between they Fuji X or other mirror less cameras but these two lenses have no equivalent in other mirror less systems today.

They can create a special look. All images are straight out of camera JPEGs, Velvia setting. Auto – WB, all other settings standard and zero post processing. I think I have become a Velvia shooter again.

DSCF4627FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/50 sec, ISO200)
DSCF4628FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/50 sec, ISO400)
DSCF4629FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (35mm, f/1.4, 1/50 sec, ISO400)