sat day 29

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Finished packing my bag and caught a taxi to the correct bus station, joining a 15 long queue to buy a ticket to melaka - just south of kL. There was approx 12 different bus companies going to melaka within that hour - how on earth do you choose! Anyway, closed my eyes and picked one and it seemed fine - comfortable, clean, fans etc. 2hrs later and we were there - well, still 9km from the centre so had to get another taxi into the centre to find a hotel. Found a tourist information place who pointed me in the direction of many guesthouses so off i went in search. After visiting about 3 or 4 i found one that suited me - a double room with air con and a shared bathroom for 50 ringgit a night - £10 so not too bad. 5 minutes from the hotel is a canal and also china town - so after going on a pleasant boat ride past an old Malay village and some other scenic spots i stopped off at a reggae cafe for some dinner - which was overlooking the canal. After a lovely dinner i thought id have a quiet wander through china town on the way back to the hotel - i turned onto the main street and it was mayhem - a street market with hundreds of people squeezing down a narrow central walkway all clambering to see what's being sold at the many stalls. It seemed to be mainly chinese food and drinks, but also shoes, bags, clothes etc. As i slowly made my way through the market i stopped for a sugar cane drink - a man who looked like he was in his 80's was feeding pure sugar cane into an industrial blender which was producing a pulp, then mixed with something then put in a cup with or without ice for 2 ringgit - 50p! It was very tasty. At the end of the street was a large Chinese building with a stage with children and adults performing tradional Chinese dances to the crowd and to some dignitaries sitting in the front row. This weekend is the main celebrations for the Chinese new year - the year of the goat, and at midnight there was a firework display to welcome in the new year.

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