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Published: September 12th 2006
Hello, thank you for all your messages and e-mails (Dad, Racheal, Andrea, Grandad, Kate, Sam, Steve etc). We have moved on from Singapore and are now in Malaysia in a town called Melacca (there are about 5 spellings of it). It is great to be back in Malaysia although it is strange beacuse it doesn't feel different or even very exciting or out of the ordinary, especially being here with Sam. I guess living here for six months before uni had a bigger impact than i throught. Compared to Singapore Malaysia is MAD. No pavments here and cars everywhere. But it's all good fun. It is very hot here at the moment. Yesterday it got to about 33-34 C and its very humid.
On to Melacca.... it's a bit like York really (only Malaysian) in that it is very historical and has been a very important center of power. Plus it is crawling with tourists. It started out as a fishing village but then this dude set up his sultanate here and it became important for trade and very powerfull. Then the Portugese got it and the Dutch took over form them then the brits got it but couldn't really be bothered so it ended up being Malaysian run again.
Due to the history every other building in the town center is a museum. We chose three to go to today (they are small). We started off in a replica palace. It was were the Sultan would have lived and the exibits are very informative about all the ins and outs of how the palace would have been used. It's lovely, all made of drak wood it's cool and airy.
Then we went to another Museum which has a floor dedicated to body modification practices for around the world (nothing to do with Malaysian history). It's a bit grusome but I just had to see it. There is stuff about foot binding (yuk). Did you know that the foot is actually forced into a shape like high heals with the center or the foot completely crushed. It's actually exactly the same idea as high heals which make you totter about and makes your bum and boobs stick out. I always knew high heals were just a grim invention inented to give you pain!...Anyway (enough feminist rant) there was also neck elongation, corsets, plate lips, scarification and tattooing.
Downstairs was the most wonderfully random exibition i've seen. It covered Melacca town planning and had lots of unexplained photos of biuldings. Next to this was a spinning top dispaly. In Malaysia there is actually a game that looks a bit like boules but with spinning tops. It was all very amusing anyway (not sure it was meant to be).
After lunch was the maratine museum which is inside a recration of a Portugese ships. This museum was suprisingly interesting. However there were many amusing and unfathomable translations in the enlgish information boards.
We have also been around china town and found a hindu temple were a puja was going on and were invited in. Sam had never seen one before and seems to be somewhat auestruck. I'll write about it another time as i'm sure we will be seeing many more. One thing i do like about Hindu temples is that the priest dudes will bless anyone and everyone who happens to be in the temple even if you don't look remotly Hindu (like us).
Well times almost up. Sorry for all the typeos, no time to read back over. Also sorry for no photos. I didn't take any photos as i have already photoed Melacca to death when i came four years ago. We are off to Ipoh tomorrow hopefully to visit the center I worked at. We will just have to turn up there as i haven't had a reply to my letters and have forgotten to bring the phone number, so hope it's still there!
Take care everyone and keep the e-mails coming.
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Dorothy
non-member comment
Sounds like you're having a lovely time :-D Is Sam enjoying himself? It's really nice that we're all getting news from you so regularly - makes you feel less far away. D xXx