Blogs from Melaka, Malaysia, Asia

Melaka River Cruise The river cruise is a 45-minute round-trip and covers 9 kilometres. The boat passes under a number of historic bridges reflecting the history of Melaka including a foot bridge that resembles the Rialto Bridge of Venice. Further down the river is the Pirate Park, a conventional amusement park with Ferris wheel, bungee trampoline and a rocking pirate ship. Pasar Bridge (either during the 1500’s or 1600’s) Linking Kampung Hulu to the Old Central Market, this wooden bridge was built during the heydays of Portuguese rule. Old Bus Station Bridge Quaint arches now decorate the bridge which was once a barren of steel and connected to the now relocated bus station. Hang Jebat Bridge (rebuilt in 2008) Unique styrofoam technology supports the foundation of this bridge. Tan Kim Seng Bridge (1862) Tribute to a ... read more

On our final evening we went to a fabulous vegetarian restaurant, the best I’ve ever eaten at, and it was just round the corner from our hotel. It‘s called the Mori Vegetarian Tea House. We were unfashionably early at 6pm but a tour group and a family arrived just after us. The food was sensational, sweet and sour jackfruit, mushroom satay, olive fried rice and drinks cost £6.50 each. It’s quite stark inside, not full of atmosphere but the food is to die for. They close at 9, so you have to be there by 8.15 at the latest. Then we walked down to the quay for the boat trip, 25 ringgits including a bottle of water in a carrying bag and a cute (not) keyring. We thought ho hum, this will be a bit boring ... read more

De reis naar de Cameron Highlands was lang. Eerst moest ik vanaf Langkawi de boot terug naar Penang nemen (gelukkig nu met een rustige zee en een film om te kijken), vervolgens de boot van Penang naar het vaste land en vandaar nog een busrit. Deze was langer dan ik dacht en ik kwam in het donker aan. Het was echter niet heel erg, want de route door de Highlands was erg mooi en nu het donker was waren alle aardbeikassen verlicht, maar daarnaast was er bijna geen andere verlichting waardoor ze er echt uit sprongen. Daarnaast waren de groene heuvels op zichzelf erg mooi. Je zou misschien niet direct verwachten om verse aardbeien in Azië te vinden, maar het klimaat in de Cameron Highlands is verrassend koel, ik moest in de avond zelf mijn vest ... read more

The Straits of Malacca held the key to wealth in the 17th through 20th century. This was a shortcut between China and Europe, and the city of Malacca – or Melaka – was located on the Straits and bisected by the Malacca River. Spices, silks, and all manner of trade goods flowed through here, and whoever controlled the straits controlled a whole lot of wealth. I was staying in a hotel near the river. I like walking along rivers, and since there was some interesting history along this river, a walk seemed in order. Past the local craft market and the Maritime Museum, I saw a building labeled Museum of Malaysian Customs. Now, at various times Malacca has been under the control of the Chinese, the Sultan Muhammed Shah, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the English, the ... read more

The breakfast was a real treat and we all agreed it was the best on the trip so far. At 10.00 we met on the foyer for a tour of old Melaka City. The influence of the Portuguese, the Dutch and the Chinese. How Dutch and British ships loaded up with bricks and tiles as ballast and sold them in the Eadt Indies for silks, spices etc. It became a world heritage site about ten years ago and there is a constant fund to resort the mish mash of buildings. Harmony Street was particularly interesting as it had a Hindu Temple, Mosque and Budddhist Temple all within two hundred yards of each other. After an hour and a half we called it a day as the kids were melting. We retraced our steps to an air ... read more