Blogs from Melaka, Malaysia, Asia - page 15

Squat toilets. Seriously, whose bright idea was that? Yes, we’ll go to the trouble of constructing most of the infrastructure necessary for a proper sit-down toilet, but fall at the final hurdle and instead just put a hole in the ground. But wait, we’ll try and cover up our laziness by craftily disguising said hole with a toilet bowl seat set into the floor. Then, for good measure, we’ll install a garden hose that can perform the functions once so successfully carried out by bog roll and flushing. The entire system is an affront to the memory of Thomas Crapper (inventor of our much beloved loo). I understand that part of travel is embracing the cultural and lifestyle differences that exist between countries, but this is taking the piss (or more precisely, making it a balancing ... read more

Although I 've already read before that the city has a European touch, I was surprised how strong it still is. It feels like somewhere in Southern Europe with the tiny streets with colourful houses, the heat and the friendly people. Part of the locals are the so called 'Eurasians'. Interesting mix between Malay and Europeans...looking very different. The city has a very own charme. People enjoy a very relaxed and laid-back lifestyle. They are really interested in Europeans and just start talking to me which is not that common for Asians. I found a possible spot for my retirement...European atmosphere combined with beach location nd inexpensiveness..awesome. ... read more

Ya llegamos a Malasia despues de 4 horas de viaje de Singapur. El clima es muycaliente y humedo, la gente muy amable excepto los taxistas que son unos ladrones, nos cobraron 40 Rm cuando solo costaba 5RM pero bueno asi uno va aprendiendo.. Viajamos a Malaca en busca de playa y nos salen que aqui el agua esta contaminada asiq ue no playa por ahora pero sin embargo la ciudad es bonita, nos paseamos en unos cochecitos, visitamos los museos y un fuerte donde hubo una batalla para la independensia entre gente de malasia e ingleses. Vimos un caiman en un rio y los ninos jugaron en el parque, la comida es muy rica una mezcla de china e india. Samanta es tratada como una proncesa creo porque es un bebe y ademas es rubia y ... read more

FOREWARNING - THIS IS QUITE A LONG BLOG, SO GO AND GET YOURSELF A NICE HOT CUPPA AND A BISCUIT We were in Melaka (also spelt Malacca) until 8th June after arriving on the 28th May following a short but bumpy flight from Borneo to Kuala Lumpur and then a two hour coach ride to the city bus station. Melaka is on the west coast in the south of Peninsula Malaysia and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Town in 2008. The city was founded in 1400 by a Prince who fled Sumatra after an attack in 1377, the legend goes that the Prince landed on the coast of Malaysia and went out hunting. Whilst he was hunting his dog ran off and when he found it, it was face to face with a mouse ... read more

What's cool about Malacca (now) is that's it's been invaded so many times it's hard to keep track of. Chinese, Portugese, Dutch, British, Japanese, then British again. The reason this makes it all the more interesting is because every one of these cultures is present in some form or another in Malacca. Mostly, it makes for fantastic architecture and of course....FOOD! One of the first things we noticed when we walked down the street were the intoxicating wafts of herbs and spices, and then our favourite...bakery smells from all the goodies famous in the area, most notably...pineapple tarts! The multiculturalism of the area was made apparent when we asked our guesthouse host Pinto, who looked suspiciously Chinese, whether we was seeing his family on Saturday night (as is the custom for Chinese on CNY). He replied ... read more