Nuts for coconuts

As I've discovered over the years, a trip to Malaysia is all about the food. Having two breakfasts (one at home, one outside - maybe roti canai or fried noodles), or randomly popping out for a laksa, even if it's not actually a mealtime, is pretty normal. Even going to the food court at one of the malls in KL is a gastronomic experience: my favourite is the sleek, glossy, upmarket one in Bukit Bintang's Pavilion Mall, where I had a hot, hot curry laksa yesterday and a Penang-style turnip and peanut wrap. 

The Batu Caves just outside Kuala Lumpur is definitely one of the best sights to see in the area. We were just in time to see the end of the Thaipusam festival and the roads around the cave and its temple were packed with stalls and stalls selling brightly-coloured sweets, snacks and drinks, Indian slippers, bubble machines and beaded jewellery. The place was jangling and jostling with energy and people and music and traffic. After a sweaty trek up the 250-odd steps to the cave and back down again, we stopped for a coconut break. The top is sliced off with a sort of machete and inside is a slightly acidic, clear but very refreshing 'milk' - it's more like juice, but apparently as the coconut ages and dries out it becomes a creamy milk.