Arrived in KL to stay in a HUGE hotel which we booked as its the closest to Batu Caves where the Hindu festival, Thaipusan takes place. The hotel concierge laughed at us for considering going to the festival but as most people were asking which mall was the best to shop in, we ignored his advice, jumped in a cab and headed off early to see what we could see. Thaipusan is a hugely celebrated festival at the Batu Caves where 900,000 people make their way up 272 steps to a huge temple situated in the cave over three days.

It is a festival that is covered by National Geographic style reporting for the devotees of self-flagellation style displays. Spears of metal through their faces with various fruit and veg spiked onto their bodies are reported. In all honesty, we thought these sightings may be few and far between.We made our way, contrary to the hotel advice, very easily to the site.

Just like NottingHill carnival, street stalls selling all sorts were set up. The atmosphere was so incredible. A very happy, calm place to be.We made our way to watch the procession. In front of us were the steps up to the cave with its legendary gold statue. People all around with their shaved heads, carrying their offerings on their heads.

Instantly we saw one chap, speared through the right of his nostril, right down through his chin, with hooks all over his torso carrying various flowers and fruits. Thinking we had lucked out, we were a little pleased with ourselves to then realise that the guidebooks really didn't exaggerate the level of devotion. (Maybe we had become a bit sceptical about the truth of guide book descriptions?) Group after group passed us by, all doped up on cherouts to cope with the pain, some displaying greater feats of suffering than others. One chap had hooks all over his back, pulling a chariot!

Truly truly neither of us have ever seen something like this before. The dancing, music, drums - it really was no surprise that some of the group were in a hynotic trance. One member of one 'troupe' (Wrong terminology i'm sure as we think each group must have represented individual regional temples) had one of those 'frenzied hypnotic' moments and had to be calmed down by someone who couldn't speak as his mouth was speared!

O seemed not at all to be freaked out by this. Writing it sounds so much more gruesome that actually being there. The atmosphere could not have been less threatening and could not have felt more welcoming.

We left feeling that if there was one reason to be happy to have come to Malaysia, it was this!