Melaka: Snakes, Lizards and Tiny Shoes!

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Melaka, if there was ever a city geared up for tourism with loads of attractions, beautiful architecture, fascinating stories to tell and welcoming people its melaka, but there was one problem - hardly any tourists.
Melaka having been a trading port for a succession of euro colonial powers has developed a very unique culture. Throughout the old city colonial fortifications, churches and buildings show its europeanised past. Even today a large population of portuguese decendents still live in the city. The old city square is surrounded by Dutch and British buildings.
The old town of melaka is beautiful to walk around, the old chinese shop fronts (which now house row upon row of antique shops) although a bit delapadated show masses of history. We walked around an old chinese mansion similar to the one we saw in Georgetown so richly decorated and full of rare antiques. The original family still own the building and according to the guide still very wealthy.
We also visited the maritime museum which was housed within a huge replica Portuguese Galleon. Although the exhibits were a bit scarce the information was good and it was cool just standing on the foredeck looking around the harbour.
Perhaps the most weird and disturbing stop came at the old bound feet chinese shoe maker. Prior to 1911 it was fashionable and custom in China and Chinese communities around the world for the women to bind their feet. They would wrap their feet in cloth in an attempt to mutilate their feet to make them look very small. The woman would start at an early age about 5 or 6 and then steadily pull the cloth tighter and tighter over the years. Eventually their bones would break and the end result after years of minipulation were 5 to 10 cm feet!! They did this because prior to 1911 the women thought this made them look beautiful - it was banned in 1911. Anyway the shoe shop we visited is the last shoe shop in the world to make shoes for this custom. We saw the family making the shoes and they told us the history of the shop and this strange custom.
The most intense moment of the stay in Melaka came when we stopped at the old main square and were approached by a street vendor carrying a very large python. We watched for a while watching other people try it out then we braved it. I stood there and let the man wrap a huge python around my body while tash took a few rapid pics - it felt very strange. Afterwards tash opted for the Iguana. He sat there on her forearm quite happily for a while allowing Tash to pet him.

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