Blogs from Melaka, Malaysia, Asia - page 12

By 7:45 we'd taken the #30 bus and arrived at the Petronas Towers to secure a spot in the already substantial waiting line. I bought some sandwiches and drinks at the convenience store located conveniently across the way from the line and sat down to wait. We saw all kinds of people waiting there: Europeans, Americans, Asians, old, young, small, tall, clad in running shoes, sandals, high heels, dresses, suits, pants, shorts, headscarves, burqas (jubah), you name it. As a tangent, if anyone can explain the headscarf thing to me I’d appreciate it. What I’ve been taught is that women wear them as a means of protection from the lust of men. If that’s correct, then I don’t understand why there is so much fashion centered around this piece of clothing – it comes in any ... read more

We did more wandering in Malacca, eating and sightseeing. Tried the "best" rice ball and chicken, which was no kidding, the best. Frank lashed out and ordered us these two huge drinking coconuts, which seemed to be bottomless. We gave up in the end and slithered off, hoping that the aggressive Chinese lady who ran the place wouldn't scold us for being wasteful. Most days were hot, very hot, so we spent them in the air-conditioned room, before venturing out at dusk. This seemed to be the plan of the locals as well. One thing that did draw us out during the day was the fabulous Cendol at 88 Jonker street. Covered in a local palm sugar called Gulah Malacca, coconut cream, condensed milk, with red beans and some strange Pandan green noodle things, these ice ... read more

Melaka history dates back to 1400, when it was a major trading centre and is still considered a major sea-port today. It has been occupied by the Portugese, the Dutch and the British and much of the architecture still remains, making for interesting exploring. We spent a lot of time exploring the old city, had a walk along the canal, took a boat tour and generally checked everything out. Next installment: Singapore... read more

I dag har vi forflyttes oss fra storbyen Kuala Lumpur til en litt mindre by som heter Melaka. Byen bygger på mye historie om det malaysiske folkeslaget, og vi gleder oss til å oppleve mer av dette i morgen. Vi reiste fra KL på ettermiddagen i dag. Før vi dro hadde vi store planer om å ta turen opp i Petronas twin tower, som er i dag verdens største tvillingtårn. Billettene er gratis, men en må stille seg i kø tidelig på morgenen for å få tak i dem. (Ikke noe jeg hadde giddet for å si det sann:P) Aleksander som den fantastiske personen han er sto derfor opp 06.30 for å stille seg i kø! Han dro med motet på topp, og kom tilbake med skjegget i postkassa.. Tvillingtårnene var under rehabilitering akkurat denne uken ... read more

Malacca. It is old Malaysia. Not the ultra-modern Kuala Lumpur, the capital. But Malacca or Melaka, with vestiges of its Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese and British influences. The place is so ethnically diverse -- the stuff that makes it legendary. And speaking of legends, Hang Tuah is one legendary warrior/hero who lived during the reign of Sultan Mansur Shah of the Sultanate of Malacca in the 15th century. Touted as the greatest of all the warriors or "laksamana" , Hang Tuah was known to be a ferocious fighter. Judging by the many shops, streets, restaurants and buildings named after him, Hang Tuah is obviously held in the highest regard in present-day Malaysian Malay culture. Since I found him to be the most well-known and illustrious warrior figure in Malaysian history and literature, I thought I should start ... read more