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Published: January 30th 2015
Historical building
One of the oldest in the cityI took the free walking tour offered by the tourism bureau and it was well worth getting up early on a Saturday for! It's offered three times a week and starts promptly at 930. (They highly suggest you sign in before 915, though.) The good news is that you can spend the extra time chatting with fellow travelers and enjoying air conditioning. I had a lovely tour guide who made the experience educational and memorable.
We started along the river, standing in the shade while she pointed out various things along the river and talked about the history of the city. We progressed to Dutch Square (aka The Red Buildings), the church on the hill, and then back down to the fort, a former palace, and Independence Hall. While we didn't go in any of the sites that had a fee, she did tell us about the opening hours so we could plan to come back later in the afternoon.
We then walked around historic Jonker Street before working our way up to the Hindu temple, a mosque, and a Chinese temple. By this time it was about noon.
Two fellow travelers and I stopped to use the
On the tour--along the river
Cannons near the water. They were supposedly used when ships wouldn't stop for inspection. toilets and when we were finished we found our guide was still at the temple. She then graciously took us around and explained the temple in detail to us! After five years in China, I was glad to finally understand all the temples I'd seen! Each statue has a specific purpose, each prayer area a special meaning.
We took her out to lunch and she recommended some of her favorite local foods for us to try, as well as the local coffee. (Each state has a special coffee drink.) By the time we were done, we were all so full we could barely walk.
I bid them all good-bye and slowly made my way to my next destination.
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