Blogs from Melaka, Malaysia, Asia - page 36

27.04.06 We caught our 8am speed ferry back to Mersing. It took us 2 hours so there was certainly nothing 'speedy' about this boat! Looking back at Tioman, something we forgot to put on the other blog was that we saw 2 wild porcupines, there were always lots of butterflys and cats. In the evenings there were lots of little low flying bats. Everynight there was a massive thunder and lightning show with thunder like we'd not heard before. As soon as we were off the boat we are greeted with touts and taxi drivers. We bypassed all them and were met by Dave who had caught the 7.30am ferry back. We dumped our bags and went in search of a ticket to Melaka, on the west coast. We bought our tickets, but the bus wasn't ... read more

Yup, so I didn't eand up going to Cameron Highlands, but decided on Melaka, in the more southern parts of Malaysia. Johan decided to join me to get away from Pangkor life for a few days, so we embarked on the the last ferry out and caught the 10:30 pm 8 hour bus ride here. After switching buses 3 times, we finally made it here this morning at around 6:45am. Without a ounce of shut eye, we jumped in a cab and headed to this great guesthouse called Sama-Sama. It's yet another reggae theme with really nice owners. The place is so serene, with beautiful sunlit rooms around an inner garden terrace with a coi pond. Very nice place and at a good price too. I haven't done much today as I feel like this journey ... read more

Legs feeling much better today so we embark on the Lonely Planet walking tour of Melaka's historic centre.... read more

Trying with all it's touristy might to be quaint. Melaka has some old buildings, a couple of museums with mannequins and the like, and a lot of market stalls. I like it! We checked out an old chapel that was built by the Portuguese, taken over by the Dutch and then used by the British as a gunpowder storage unit. Ah the British. The only remaining part of the old Portuguese fort was pretty cool. It too had been rescued from sure destruction at the hands of the British. Melaka is not a very big city and no matter how hard we tried to get ourselves lost, it was impossible. -Fi P.S. we have found a great fish restaurant that makes fish 'n' chips almost as well as any fish 'n' chip shop in NZ. Love ... read more

Melaka is the original heart land of Malaysia with a colourful history. There is plenty to see of past colonialisation including architecture and artifacts of British, Dutch and Japanese origin. We particularly enjoyed the quaintness of China Town and the Old Square which houses the Stadhuys Museum, reported to be the oldest Dutch building in the East. We caught the last few days of Chinese New Year here and spent time at a excellent Saturday night Market we spent ages browsing and even had our fortune told by an old-time Malaysian stallholder.... read more