Batu Caves Entrance

Guarding the entrance to the Batu Caves is a 43 meter high golden statue of the Hindu diety Lord Murugan, followed by a staircase of 272 steps. I’m not sure which is more formidable. Regardless, the caves themselves were breathtaking!  The ceiling is a towering 100 meters high, and extends through multiple caverns. The inside of the caves has been leveled and cemented with stairs, so walking through it is easy.

Inside the Batu Caves

At the cave’s end was a Hindu temple where priests were accepting food offerings and performing rituals with paint and fire. A mystical and reverent spirit was in the air in that impressive setting.

Hindu Priest

On our way back down the stairs, we took a tour of a second cave known as the “Dark Cave” which is home to the endangered trap door spider, poisonous centipedes, several varieties of bats, large cockroaches, snakes, and more. This tour was optional and the only part of the trip that cost money, but we thought it was worth it. There were some beautiful formations in the cave, a smooth and sparkling limestone wall, and giant stalactites and stalagmites. At one point when we all turned out our flashlights, complete darkness came instantly, and all you could hear was the chirping of the bats. It was fun to feel that for a minute, but I’m glad I had a working flashlight.

The Dark Cave

After exploring the caves, we had a nice Indian lunch, and then the girls had a henna artist decorate their skin. Emily had one painted on her foot, and Marie on her hand.

Emily's henna

Marie's henna

We really enjoyed the Batu caves. Tomorrow, they’re celebrating the huge festival of Thaipusam, an eight hour pilgrimage where men pierce their skin with large metal hooks to which they attach ropes and pull heavy decorated carts on wheels. We won’t be witnessing that, but we’re impressed with the devotion.

Check out the video below for more footage and pictures of our time at the Batu Caves.

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It’s been fascinating to hear others’ experiences and beliefs on this topic, and to have the chance to clarify my own views as I’ve responded to questions, accusations, and praise for my decision. I admit that I was afraid at how others might react, but am pleased to report that most of the responses were positive, and that many of my relationships have deepened as people opened up to me like I opened myself up in the document. I’ve also met some new friends both in and out of the church. This has been a wonderful learning experience for me and has taught me more about myself, human nature, and why people believe what they do.

It’s also made it even more clear to me how each of us see the world through our own filters of reality, and how difficult those filters are to remove. Even when we think we’ve removed them, we usually haven’t. I’m reminded of the common mistakes we all (including me) make in our thinking, so well explained in the book Don’t Believe Everything You Think which I reviewed last year. It’s a great book that really increased my awareness of how our brains work and how we form our beliefs.

I thought it would be interesting to summarize the most common responses I received to my announcement. While each response was as unique as the person writing it, there were some common themes that kept coming up. Each of the items listed below is an idea I heard several times in the responses I received. I think this list demonstrates that people have their own minds, experiences, opinions, and emotions that vary greatly even within the same belief system. Personally, I think that kind of diversity makes the world a more interesting place to live and probably helps us grow more than if we all felt the same way about everything. That is, if we can all learn to love and accept ourselves and each other with all our differences.

Here are the most common responses I received:

• You’re an anti-Mormon, deceived by the devil, and are just trying to destroy people’s faith.
• You will regret this at Judgment Day when you’re forced to humbly kneel before Christ.
• I know you left just because you wanted to sin / have more free time on Sundays, etc.
• I’m really sad and disappointed in your decision. You must be very unhappy. I will pray for you.
• I know the church is true. It brings me so much peace and I can’t imagine going through life without it.
• I’ve heard it all before, and I’m still strong in the church.
• I don’t agree with what you said, but I still love you.
• You will always be our friends. It doesn’t matter to us what you believe.
• Your document was well-written, but your logic is flawed because you’re not taking into account the witness from the Holy Ghost.
• I think you over-thought some of these things, and intellectualized yourself out of the gospel. You’re “too smart” for the church.
• I’ve had more powerful spiritual experiences than the ones you describe that I could never deny and they prove to me that the church is true.
• You were an inspiration to me growing up and helped strengthen my testimony through your example. I’m really shocked to hear this news, but I still consider you my friend.
• I can tell you’ve really thought this through. Here are some other questions you might want to consider.
• You’ve caused me to think a lot, and you’re right about many things. But I still believe in the church.
• I don’t believe everything the church teaches, and it doesn’t really matter if it’s true or false because it makes me a better person and/or it’s what I’m comfortable with, so that’s why I believe.
• I want to believe the church is true. It’s really scary for me to think that it might not be. But I have to know the truth. I’m going to find out for myself. Thanks for sharing your journey.
• It’s so nice to know I’m not alone! I feel the same way as you do, but my wife/husband/brother/mom/etc won’t even try to listen to my concerns.
• Your article makes perfect sense and I completely agree with everything you said, but I still go to church to keep my family together (my spouse would divorce me if I left, and my kids would disown me).
• You’ve really helped me at a crossroads in my life and your document brought me so much peace and has given me courage to do what I know I need to do. Thank you!
• I left the church years ago for many of the same reasons you did, and have been so happy ever since. You put into words beautifully what I was never able to articulate, and it really resonated with me. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
• We’ve been trying to figure out how to tell our family and friends that we left the church, and your document really helps spell it out in a non-offensive way. I’m going to share it with them / use some of your words in my response.
• I just want you to know that you’re not alone and that despite how some people will mistreat you for this decision, there are thousands more who support you. It’s great to see you being true to yourself.
• You should write a book about this and publish it! There are so many people struggling with these issues who feel so alone and afraid and they need your help.
• Writing that took amazing courage and integrity, and you handled it with such grace! Well done! You inspire me!

What a spectrum of responses! Do you see your response (either thought or written) in the list? Of course there were many more, and some went into great detail, but this is a summary of the most common ones.

Interestingly, when we decided to sell our material possessions a couple years ago and travel the world as a family, we received similar backlash and support from various people (although the severity was on a different scale). Some people thought we were crazy and stupid. Some were concerned about our health and safety. Others felt like we were living the dream and wished they could join us. Some ignored us. Others were inspired by us and made preparations to do the same thing themselves. I suppose whenever we make a radical decision, or a choice that breaks the barriers of culture and “normal” expectations, people will react differently, according to where they’re at in their own life, their own fears and desires, their own experience and expectations. These reactions say much more about the speaker than they do about our decisions or about us as individuals, but we can learn something about ourselves from each response if we choose to, and help each other grow.

We’ve been fortunate to come to a place inside of ourselves that we’re very happy and content with. We’ve realized that we don’t have to live to meet others’ expectations, and that’s not what ultimately brings happiness to anyone. Instead, we do what ignites our passions, fills our lives with meaning, and makes the world a better place in our eyes. My hope is that we can all do just that, in our own unique ways.

Howard Thurman said, ”Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

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Perhaps part of why we’re enjoying it here so much is because we decided to splurge on a nice apartment with views overlooking some greenery on one side, and the cityscape on another side, including the famous Petronas Towers. We’ve found that having nice views, large windows, and nature close by help us feel more relaxed, reflective, and elevated, so it’s worth the expense to us. We’re paying RM 6,900 (roughly $2,220 USD) for one month in this 2 bedroom, 1800 sq ft apartment, which includes furniture, all utilities and Internet, cleaning service twice a week, and amenities like a swimming pool, gym, and playground. It’s also just a 10 minute walk to the train station and the Mid Valley Megamall with hundreds of shops, restaurants, and activities to choose from. Of course, this would be much cheaper if we committed to a year lease, and maybe we’ll come back and do just that. Here’s the view from our master bedroom.

And the night view out our bathroom window.

Yeah, we’re enjoying it.

The only thing our apartment lacks is decent kitchenware. We have the basics: an oven, a microwave and a small refrigerator/freezer. But we only have four plates and four cups, no blender, and not much in the way of pots and pans, beaters and other utensils. So we still haven’t been doing much cooking. We’ve been buying a lot of fruit, though, and we try to at least eat breakfast at home because most places here don’t open until 10am anyway. Fortunately, we also found that we can order food in from a variety of restaurants via http://roomservice.com.my. It’s been great for those days when we don’t feel like going out, but don’t really want to cook either. Who needs a private chef?

Our first few days here were just spent looking for a place to live, and our first week here, the girls were involved in a fun technology day camp where they made computer animations, stop-motion video, and learned the basics of engineering with legos.

Kuala Lumpur doesn’t feel as hot as Penang. That’s probably because it’s much less humid, being further from the ocean. But it’s still hot when the sun is out. As for traffic, despite rumors we’d heard, we found the drivers to be quite courteous, at least compared to Costa Rica and Penang. But the roads themselves are often crowded with cars, and because of how they’re laid out, it can take a long time to go short distances. Fortunately, Kuala Lumpur has an excellent train system every bit as developed as the one in Japan (although not quite as expansive — it’s just for getting around the city). We haven’t tried the buses yet, but we hear they’re nice as well, and very cheap.

One of the major attractions here that surprised us has been the shopping malls. Wait, malls? Seriously? Yeah, we’ve never really enjoyed malls or shopping, and certainly wouldn’t think to go there just for “fun.” But these malls are different. First, they’re massive! Usually at least 5 stories high, and with hundreds of shops each, selling lots of unique items we’ve never seen before, restaurants with every type of food you can imagine, and even activities like ice skating, laser tag, bowling, and movie theaters. One of the more spectacular malls, Sunway Pyramid, follows an Egyptian theme with a giant pyramid and sphinx out front, and even has a ferris wheel inside!

Maybe we wouldn’t think the malls were so cool if we hadn’t arrived during the celebration of Chinese New Year, when the malls are decked to the hilt with red lanterns and golden dragons, and when there are regular free performances of Chinese acrobats, cultural dances, and musical artists to liven up the air. On the night of Chinese New Year, we also got treated to the most spectacular fireworks displays I’ve ever seen, and at eye level from our apartment window. It’s an amazing time to be here in Kuala Lumpur.

Unfortunately, the prices on everything are much higher than Penang, but I guess that’s what you get in a bigger city. Still, it’s very reasonable and probably cheaper than most other major cities in the world, especially the food prices.

Next post I’ll be writing about some of our outings around KL. Until then, enjoy the pictures and video below. This video includes some cool acrobatics and dance performances, fireworks, and lots of baby Aysia footage, as requested. :)

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Our first stop was Orang Utan island, in the middle of a large lake, where some of the last of this amazing animal are being protected. In the Malay language, orang means person, and utan means forest. These forest people are even more intelligent and human-like than I expected. For example, I saw an orangutan pick up a long stick and put it through a fence to draw a piece of fruit closer to him. I also saw him use it as a weapon to hit his friend when he tried to take the fruit for himself. The babies in diapers were especially cute.

We then drove to the Cameron Highlands, a mountain town at the end of a very winding road, first settled by the British in the early 1900′s. We hadn’t booked a hotel in advance and just thought we’d look around once we got there, but we all felt so exhausted and car sick from the drive, that all we wanted to do was rest at a nice place. After the first hotel we checked was closed, we gave up looking and settled on the Heritage Hotel, which was fortunately a lovely hotel with a large room, beautiful views out the window, and a great dinner and breakfast buffet, for $115/night.

The Cameron Highlands has many farms, and the next day we toured a tea plantation, a strawberry farm, and a bee farm. The tea plantation was an especially beautiful sight to behold, with rolling hills of tea plants, and we learned a lot about how the crops are farmed. There are other things to do in the Cameron Highlands, and we enjoyed the cooler temperatures, but because it made us so sick to drive anywhere on the winding roads, we decided we’d had enough, and drove back to the town of Ipoh at the bottom of the mountain to spend the night.

We were really impressed with Ipoh. It’s a clean and spacious city surrounded by jagged limestone mountains covered in foliage. The size and overall feel of the city reminded me a lot of Salt Lake City, where we grew up.

The next day, before leaving Ipoh, we walked around an impressive temple we passed the day before that was built right into the side of the mountain cave, called Ling Sen Tong. You can see more pictures in the gallery below.

From Penang to Cameron Highlands, to Kuala Lumpur, the drive was beautiful all the way, and we enjoyed the greenery, the mountains, and the clean and fast roads. There is a lot to love about Malaysia, and we’re glad to be exploring more of it. Here’s a little video and some photos we took along the way.

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Here’s a list of some of the highlights of 2011 for us, in no particular order.

1. Had a new healthy baby girl, Aysia, who was born at home in our bath tub in Costa Rica.
2. Enjoyed visits from my mom, sister’s family, Jen’s parents, and her uncle and cousin.
3. Watched a guy kiss a king cobra on the mouth, then put the snake’s head in his mouth.
4. Moved from Grecia, Costa Rica to Escazu, Costa Rica, to Penang, Malaysia.
5. Enjoyed a fun week in Kauai, Hawaii with my mom, sister, niece, aunt & uncle, cousins, and more.
6. Got robbed in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Lost 2 Macbook Pros, 3 iPads, camera, binoculars, backpacks, and more. Got one computer back thanks to PreyProject.com.
7. Threw a party in Utah and enjoyed visiting with dozens of family and friends on our way to Malaysia.
8. Drove my car (99 Rav4) through several rivers in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, and almost got stuck.
9. Enrolled the kids in art classes, Chinese class, community choir, day camps, and other fun activities.
10. Donated Emily’s birthday and our Christmas to charity (Emily’s idea).
11. Went to a weekly playgroup in Escazu and made many friends.
12. Played with monkeys at a rescue center who crawled all over us.
13. Tim Ferriss, author of the 4-Hour Workweek, wrote about me on his blog.
14. Watched how the indigenous Bribri indians in Costa Rica made chocolate, then we ate some.
15. Got chased and almost attacked by monkeys in national parks in both Costa Rica and Malaysia.
16. Bought my first real estate investment property. Thanks Shaun!
17. Took family yoga and horseback riding classes in Costa Rica.
18. Enjoyed soaking in several hot springs around Costa Rica, always with friends.
19. Lived for 8 months in this beautiful and artsy house in Escazu, Costa Rica.
20. My eight year old daughter learned to love reading, and has become very fast at it.
21. Toured several organic farms and learned about the farming business.
22. Saw two opossum mating noisily on our deck one night.
23. Spent 6 days without Internet in a Costa Rican rainforest with our friends, the Kings.
24. Physically left the Mormon church. (We left emotionally/mentally in July, 2010, but continued attending until March 2011.)
25. Ate delicious Indian food (roti) for breakfast almost every morning in Penang, Malaysia and usually paid less than $6 to feed our whole family.
26. Changed my blog title from Fulness of Life to Pearce on Earth and changed the design.
27. Went to a fish spa and got our feet nibbled on by doctor fish.
28. Got used to driving on the left hand side of the road.
29. Read several interesting books on my iPad and learned a lot from them.
30. Visited Kek Lok Si temple, the largest Buddhist temple complex in Southeast Asia.
31. Saw the most beautiful orchids at the Orchid Festival in Penang Botanic Gardens.
32. Ate the most delicious, unique, and cheapest food we’ve ever had in our lives in Penang, Malaysia.
33. Watched the dragon boat races at a dam in Penang.
34. Went to a jazz festival evening concert at a tropical spice garden in Penang.
35. Continued to grow my online businesses working less than 5 hours per week on average.
36. Hung out with friends at least 2-3 times every week.
37. Explored a huge 7-story shopping mall in Penang.
38. All my kids (except the baby) now know how to ride a bike.
39. Played Mario Kart wii enough that I got bored of it, but not enough to beat my kids. (It came with our Penang house, and they played it a lot.)
40. Went to a Chinese medicine man for a very strange herbal massage treatment.
41. Watched a Lion and Dragon dance parade in Georgetown, Penang.
42. Watched amazing Indian dance performances — such energy!

What did you do in 2011? Any plans for 2012?

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Let me put all rumors to rest and state openly that yes, we have left the LDS church. As shocking and saddening as I’m sure this news will be to many people, I feel the need to be honest about it and to clear up any misunderstandings as to why we left. I realize that this announcement may cause us to face rejection and ostracism from some family and friends. Sadly, we’ve already experienced some of this. Of course, when the beliefs you deeply treasure are disregarded by someone else, it’s easy to feel like you’re being attacked personally. Please understand that no attack is intended and I completely respect those who continue to remain in the church.

Below you’ll see a link to a document I’ve written that explains everything about my journey out of the church. It’s not anti-Mormon propaganda meant to dissuade you from belief, although it’s definitely not faith-promoting either. Mostly, it’s a personal story about me and my journey out of the church, which was much harder than it sounds. The church was everything to me and was very much a part of my identity and the filter through which I saw the world. Leaving was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and one of the most painful. At the same time, it’s been one of the most rewarding, joyous, and enlightening experiences of my life.

The letter is pretty long, but I hope you’ll take some time to read about my journey, the events and thought processes which brought me to where I am, and how my worldview and beliefs have evolved since I left. Hopefully after reading, you will be able to see us for who we are, not just for what we believe, and to continue loving and accepting us as we still love and accept you.

Also, feel free to email me or post a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Read Why I Left the Mormon Church (PDF file)

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I’m amazed at the energy level and talent of the dancers at these performances, the intricate and unique music, and the bright colors these individuals bring to the stage. I’ve put together a video of some of the music and dances we’ve seen in Penang recently. I’ve also included some pictures below of these events along with a few other photos I took at the Penang butterfly garden (excellent), toy museum (so-so), Fort Cornwallis (interesting), and other outings with friends.

If you haven’t been following us on Twitter or Facebook, we’re now in Kuala Lumpur and loving it here! Chinese New Year is approaching, and red lanterns and Chinese displays are everywhere. We’ve even seen some additional dance performances in the malls as we’ve been walking around, like beautiful fan dances. We love living in such a culturally diverse and interesting country.

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One of my favorite activities we did in Penang this month was visiting the Kek Lok Si Temple, or the “Temple of Supreme Bliss.” It’s the largest Buddhist temple complex in Southeast Asia and I consider it a must see for anyone visiting Penang. Both the beautiful buildings themselves and also the hillside setting contributed to an awe-inspiring experience for all of us.

We spent several hours there walking through the different temples, dropping our jaws at the intricate wood and stone work, and feeling the serenity that accompanied the high ceiling murals and impressive statues. The largest statue was outdoors and can be reached by taking an inclined glass elevator to the top of a hill where stood the giant 30 meter (100 ft) statue of Kuan Yin, or the Goddess of Mercy. They also have lovely koi and turtle ponds which were a hit with the kids, especially when they got to feed them.

If you donate 30 MYR (about 10 USD), they write your name on a roof tile which they’ll use in the construction of future buildings, schools, and more. We decided it was a nice way to leave our mark.

Earlier that day, we also took a tram (inclined elevator) to the top of Penang Hill for impressive views over the entire island. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day and we couldn’t see the mainland clearly, but the weather was nice and cool compared to the hot and humid climate at sea level. There was a beautiful Hindu temple at the top as well as a playground the kids enjoyed for a while. I hope you enjoy this video I put together about our experience in these places.

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Because we’re in a fairly touristy town right now, one of the questions we’re often asked is, “Are you here on holiday?” At first, we always answered, “No, we live here.” After all, we did plan to stay in Malaysia for at least three months. We rented a house and a car, signed the girls up for art and Chinese classes and a community choir, and even made some friends we hung out with regularly. I work a little every day, and we homeschool the girls. So it’s not a vacation in the sense that most people think of it.

But since we’ve arrived in Penang, Malaysia, I’ve felt more like we’re on vacation than like we’re living here. It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the variety and magnitude of all that is around us. There are new foods to try, unique temples to visit, beautiful nature to enjoy, educational classes to enroll in, seasonal activities to participate in, cool friends to get to know better, interesting cultures to understand, and we want to do it all right now!

Coming from Costa Rica where the pace of life is slower, and there is simply less to do, Penang has been an exciting stimulation to all our senses. We partly expected it, but I think our excitement has caused us to try to do too much at once, and we’re feeling a bit tired and drained (or maybe that’s just because of the heat). This is a night town, too, where some restaurants don’t open until 7pm, and they stay open until two or three in the morning! So we often don’t get to bed until after midnight and we wake up late, which gives us the illusion of having shorter days. It’s an interesting cycle.

So right now, I feel like I just want to slow down, finish writing my book (or even just read a book), focus more on building my business, and relax with my family. I’ve made that a little more difficult than necessary by purchasing some extremely discounted AirAsia tickets to Singapore, Bali, and Japan for this Spring. Each of those trips is requiring more time for planning than I anticipated. I know they will be rich and rewarding experiences, and I’m trying to leave some things to spontaneity, such as any longer-term (7+ days) accommodations which we’d like to see in person before we commit to. But I don’t want to go unprepared, either.

We’ve also decided to not spend a full 3 months in Penang, but to spend our last month in Kuala Lumpur, renting an apartment there, if we can, and taking life a little slower. We’ll leave all the beautiful islands with crystal clear water and the nature of the Sabah/Borneo side of Malaysia for another time. Kuala Lumpur is a new city for us, though, full of fun activities and interesting sites. But we’ve decided that we’re not going to try to do them all. We’ll focus on a few highlights and the things that are most important to us, and take a lot of rest days in between. We’ll refocus on creative education (for example, we’ve enrolled the kids in a 5-day children’s technology workshop), and maybe I’ll finally even get some time to work on my book.

Vacations are great. But sometimes I just want to “live.”

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Each of these activities deserves its own post, but because I’d rather be out doing more fun things instead of writing blog posts, I’m summarizing them all into one video, which you can watch below.

Also, if you’re looking for a good cause to donate to this holiday season, please consider contributing to our Charity: Water fundraiser project. We’re trying to raise $5,000 by December 31 in order to provide clean and safe water to 250 people in developing countries. Please click here to learn more about why we’re doing this or click here to contribute to improving someone’s life who has very little. Every little bit helps.

Interestingly, even though Malaysia is a Muslim country, Christmas is still widely celebrated. The shopping malls contain elaborate displays for Santa to come visit the children, Christmas carols are played in stores and restaurants, and “Merry Christmas” (not “Happy Holidays”) is written on marketing material. Likewise, some restaurants have private booths so Muslim women wearing burkas don’t have to keep their faces covered while eating. And many restaurants advertise that they don’t serve pork (which Muslims aren’t allowed to eat). It’s great to see such religious diversity and respect here.

Anyway, Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all my readers.

Note: Since I switched this blog from brandonpearce.com to pearceonearth.com, I’ve had some reports of people not getting email updates or the RSS feeds not working, and have had to delete the old feed. Please re-enter your email address in the “Get Updates By Email” box under the big picture on the home page to receive an email whenever a new post is published. And you can resubscribe to the new RSS feed here.

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