Blogs from Melaka, Malaysia, Asia - page 22

Sorry everyone, we haven't updated our blog for the past 2 weeks, our Mac gave out. Here is a brief rundown of what we have been doing in Malaysia: When we think of Malaysia, what immediately comes to mind is FOOD. Day 54 - December 3, 2008 We landed at Kuala Lumpur (locals call the city "K.L.") and stayed there for the night. We reached KL a few days late as we were stuck in Nepal for a couple of days. We were supposed to take Thai Airways but due the upheaval in Bangkok, the airport was closed for a week, so we decided to get a different route through Delhi. Day 55 - December 4, 2008 When we reached KL, Amy (Gim's younger sis) and Edmund (Gim's cousin) picked us up. Gim's other cousin, Joseph, ... read more

Saturday 6th December - KL to Discovery Cafe and Guesthouse Melaka Laden with backpacks for a short but exhausting 10-minute stroll through the humid busy streets of Chinatown, we made it to the sweaty melee of Puduraya bus station. Fortunately we had only five minutes wait there, then to our air-con coach, which was on street outside. The journey along mostly jammed motorway (due to it being a national holiday weekend) was interrupted by an unscheduled stop at a service station for puncture repair. It was a pleasant break where we bought a slice of refreshing local fruit (not sure what is was) and some delicious peanuts from a roadside stall. Driver had amusing technique of taking slip road off at most junctions and then muscling back in to jump the traffic queues. Arrived at Melaka ... read more

One of the most surprising things about Kuala Lumpur, apart from using British plug sockets, how developed it is, and how old most of the tourists are (40+), is the increbile amount of rubbish everywhere. Street cornbers are piled with the stuff, and tourist attractions fare no better. Jenga-like stacks of plastic bottles are everywhere you look. Before leaving the capital we decided to visit the caves of Batu just outside of town. They are the site of the annual self-mutilation ceremonies that many of you have probably read about, or seen in pictures of hoards of people whipping their own backs to get over their sins. That's in February, so all we got to see were some monkeys and a massive golden statue. The caves were large and small at the same time. The roof ... read more

Melaka is a lovely little town which has been given world heritage status this year - and deservedly so! The Dutch, English and Portuguese settled there many moons ago, so the buildings are a mixture of styles and very pretty! The streets are very narrow and cobbled which makes you feel like you’re in an old Spanish town, and there is a river running through the middle - just a very relaxing, gorgeous place! We arrived early in the afternoon on the 5th and didn’t have anywhere to stay booked, as there were a couple of places in Lonely Planet that sounded good, so we thought we’d try them when we got there. Hmm, after looking at the place which was Lonely Planet’s ‘top pick’ I think we’ll be going off our own judgment in future, ... read more

Our first stop in Malaysia after crossing the border from Thailand was the northern island of Penang. Penang is a busy port town and was the British Empire's first step to controlling the entire Malay peninsular. When they first arrived, British Explorers fired silver coins into the thick jungle that covered the entire island. They did this to incentivise their crew to hack away and clear the thick growth to begin building a port. Penang is a strategic town in that it lies on the important trading route from China to India which was vital for the British opium trade. Penang is now a busy place with a traditional old town heart surrounded by new shopping malls and office blocks. The town is connected to the mainland by South East Asia's longest bridge. Our mini-bus crossed ... read more