Hotel 'Aldy'

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Hello everyone, lots of things have happened in the last three days. I left the Hangout Hotel, Singapore on Sunday morning and headed for Malaysia. It was a straight forward 3 hour drive in a comfortable bus with air conditioning. I really have got to get rid of some things out of my rucksack though, it is still far to heavy for me to carry on my back. I fear I may come back Hunch Backed if I don't take somethng out.
On first appearance Malaysia is a lot more rough round the edges than Singapore and we were a little worried at first when we saw some of the surrounding buildings. However, when we were presented with the Hotel Aldy I knew we were in safe hands. We spent the afternoon walking around. You do feel slightly less comfortable here; everybody stares at you when you walk past but the majority are friendly enough. Also, it is Chines New Year here at the moment so it is a lot more busy than usual. We looked around some historical buildings, a local market, and shopping malls (a real variety).
In the evening we went to the hotel restaurant where Denise and Claire tried a local dish; curry laksa. They had one mouth full followed by a bottle of water each. I am glad that I stuck with my pasta. We then went onto a local bar for a free cocktail (on Arif, the tour leader) but didn't stay too long because we were tierd and also wanted to avoid using the drop pit toilets.
The following day we had a free day to explore. We took a walk by the river but couldn't get a boat because water levels were low so opted for a ride in a tuk tuk instead. Tuk Tuks are bicycles that have a two seater carriage next to them. They are all very colourful (ours had an arsenal seat!) and some play music (we have heard the crazy frog a few times since being here....). There seem to be a lot of Western influences around Melaka, which is quite a small, quiet place itself, and they just seem very out of place. We then sunbathed and went in the Jacuzzi and had an early night. It is a hard life, lol!
On Tuesday we left Melaka and drove to Kuala Lumpar, the capital of Malaysia. On arrival at the toll gate, we were greeted by a sign saying 'Say No To Porn'. I can happily say that I have seen no porn since being here. We visited the Batu Caves in the afternoon and climbed the 272 steps to the top. It was a very pretty place and there were lots of local people there praying and burning incense. I also managed to get my picture taken for the local paper; feel like a celebrity over here, but I'm not too sure that it is a good thing. Anyway, this women had me holding my hand to my face and posing as if I was looking out to sea. We left shortly after this because we were not sure how genuine she really was. I have to go now but I am still a few days behind on my travels so I will have to update you all with the rest of my adventures soon. Just for a taster, they include climbing the worlds tallest twin towers, getting very lost, and visiting a mosque in traditional dress. Love Rachelxxxx

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