Into Malaysia - a whole different culture!

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We left Singapore and took the EXPRESS bus bound for Melaka, Malaysia. Apparently it's only a 3 hour journey... But again, it turned out to be another long travel day. We showed up to catch the "hourly" bus...only to find that "hourly" in Singapore doesn't mean "every hour". It actually means "when we choose to leave". So we chilled out for a few hours, dodging another massive rainstorm and then boarded the bus. Oddly enough, it took 5 hours to get to Melaka - maybe it has something to to with the bus randomly stopping on the side of the highway to let passengers jump on and off. We found a guesthouse called Sunny's Inn Guesthouse. It was Lindsay's first "true" hostel experience in Asia. The place was alright with friendly, helpful staff - but the bathrooms were not the sparkly clean that we were used to at home.

Today, we cruised around some of the sights of Melaka. I was VERY pleased to finally enjoy some sunshine and the start of my browning skin. Melaka is quite the historic place. It was settled by the Portuguese and the Dutch in the 16th and 17th century. Much of the sites look quite European and I could definitely see the influence. We strolled to the Porta de Santiago at the base of a giant hill that housed the ruins of St. Paul's Church. There were great views of the city from the top. We crossed the river (after walking past the bridge like SIX times - we were seriously directionally challenged!) and headed into Old Melaka, through Chinatown and along Harmony Road. Harmony Road is a street in Chinatown that is home to several different places of worship - from a Hindu temple, to a Buddhist temple, a Muslim Mosque and several Chinese temples. I think I was all templed out by the end of the day!

We headed back and I discovered my first experience with Bed Bugs. How fun is that!!! I had a few bites on each ankle and along my elbows. I kicked it to the Pharmacy and bought some meds - sooo much relief. We changed hostel rooms, thankfully! Oddly enough, it was Lindsay's bed that had the bugs but somehow I was the one covered in bites. Strange, but totally recoverable.

Tonight we took in the night market in Chinatown. The street was lined with various venders all trying to sell wallets, shoes, food and flashy hair pieces. There was also a massive stage surrounded by hundreds of onlookers, watching and enjoying karoke. Funny!

Tomorrow, Lindsay and I are parting ways, as she heads to KL and I find refuge at the beach. I am so in need of some serious chill-lax time!

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Photos

Porta de Santiago
Portuguese dancers and musicians

Sitting in a park
...at the top of the hill

Buddhist Temple
On Harmony Street