Singapore and Melaka

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Singapore wasn't as busy as we were expecting., though rush hour was much busier. I think our main impression of the city so far is the intense humidity and temperature! We have never felt as hot though and I cannot say that I have ever been absolutely drenched in perspiration before. And it is only the first month of summer here....
We've been fascinated with all the tiny shops we've discovered whilst exploring the narrow alleys leading off the main streets. and have thoroughly enjoyed exploring them. I confess that we've found it hard to eat from the many food stalls on the streets - the locals live their lives behind those stalls - we've seen people cutting their toenails, spitting, changing babies nappies etc on the food preparation areas. Some of the stalls looked really dirty. Also we don't fancy eating internal organs of pig or turtles - and that was the food that we could identify!
We actually ate at Subway one night! We went down to Clarke Quay for a meal at one of the riverside restaurants but were absolutely hounded by restaurant touts as we walked past .They made it so unpleasant we left and found a Subway instead. A lot of tourists felt the same way I think. On the last day in the city the heat got the better of me - I was feeling totally exhausted - so I spent the afternoon in the a/c of our room whilst Jerry visited Changi Prison. That evening we had the worst thunderstorm with the most incredible lightning. We have enjoyed our few days in the city but neither of us particularly mind if we don't return.
We bought tickets for the bus to Melaka - $8 each - for the 4 hour trip. No problem clearing customs as we crossed the causeway to Malaysia (though we had to unload all our luggage a couple of times) and then we drove along a freeway all the way to Melaka. there were constant stops for tolls and not much too see of any interest but acres of palm oil plantations. It wasn't at all what we expected. On the outskirts of Melaka our 'express' bus stopped for a 15 minute petrol/meal break and the drivers went off for a meal. Ten minutes after starting again we arrived at very chaotic and temporary looking bus station we had ever seen. Lugging our luggage behind us we crossed an old narrow wooden footbridge over a very polluted river and made our way to our hotel, luckily a mere half a block further on.
The May Chiang Hotel was Chinese owned, all of eight rooms but clean and acceptable for the 40 ringuets ($20) a night we paid. It had a great shower and proved to be a secure (nearly too secure as we found out when we were leaving that the front door was locked tight at night time with another locked barred door behind it!) place for the three nights we spent in Melaka.
That afternoon we wandered around the old city and got our bearings. All the building of historical interest are from the Dutch Colonial and are bright brick red in colour. That evening we ate at a restaurant in the same street as the hotel - the street really came alive after dark. The young waiter who served us was a pharmacist by day, 6 days a week from 8 till 5, then each evening he worked from 5.30pm to 1am. On Sunday evening he studied and Monday - his only night off - he slept from 5.50pm! All those hours at work for the grand total of $250 a week. He told us that his brother and him both work two jobs now they've finished their degrees to support their parents - now retired after years of very long hours at work to pay for their children’s uni degrees.
Next morning we found a bakery which sold pastry and good coffee for breakfast before heading off to the old town again. We went on a river cruise and saw some really old buildings supported by high stilts along the riverbank. We passed many small fishing boats in the river. Also lots of iguanas in the water. I love peeping into peoples' lives and homes. After that we had a friendly trishaw driver waiting for us - he took us a 2 and half hour tour of the city. I loved the ride - though it was a bit scary to say the least - the drivers go where ever they want, crisscrossing over the roads in front of the oncoming traffic. In fact our main memory of the city is the traffic - cars coming from all directions, no traffic lights or zebra crossings - utter chaos!
The driver took us to his temple (Hindu) and explained his religion and the temple workings to us. He then proceeded to do the same at the absolutely beautiful Chinese Buddhist temple 2 doors down. He knew so much about both religions and obviously had a great respect for the Buddhist religion as well as his own. In the same street was a mosque and a Methodist church. You must take your shoes off before entering places of worship here - something we will get very used to before we return to Australia! In Bali you had to wear a sarong and scarf around your waist before you could go into any of their temples. He took us to visit a typical Malaysian house where we had a conversation with the elderly man who lived there. He lives on the income he gets from visiting tourists.
Footpaths in Malaysia are not a problem as there just aren't any! You walk along the edge of the road in a narrow area within a yellow line and the edge of the bitumen. I have already been nearly run over once - I was tired, hot and not totally concentrating and started to cross the road, not noticing an approaching car (they drive on the opposite side of the road here) and the car actually ran over the toe of my sneakers. It gave me one hell of a fright! And I still have the tyre marks on my shoes.....
Next day we visited a superb museum, a house that was originally owned by a wealthy Nonya (Chinese Malaysian marriage) family. We both thoroughly loved it as it was full of beautifully carved furniture inlaid with mother of pearl. The Chinese culture is fascinating - and I have really enjoyed our exposure to it so far. That evening we ate in Jonker Street in Chinatown - an interesting vegetarian pizza - the vegetables comprised of tinned peas, carrot and corn. The Chinese families seem to socialise on a Friday night here and that evening there was a large karaoke competion on for their children in the main square. They took it all very seriously! It was the first time that I've seen local women wearing shorts. The dress here borders on conservative so I was surprised. I love exploring the local shops - you get a good idea of what the locals actually buy (eg clothes like underwear) and eat. The markets are colourful, busy and to my eyes at least very interesting. Much of the population here is Muslim so the women wear headscarves and four times a day you hear the call to prayers being broadcast over speakers in the streets. There was a major traffic jam at lunchtime on Friday when a lot of businesses shut so the Muslim men could go to their mosques to pray. The main mosque is actually in the Chinatown area - on a street called Harmony Street and it is between the Hindu and Buddhist temples....
We walked in the heat of the late afternoon to the top of the hill overlooking the city to visit the church where Francis of Xavier was buried. We also visited the Sultan's Palace - a reconstructed wooden house (now a museum) built from the original plans and constructed with no nails! Lovely wide verandas all around and a very impressive building.

We were so pleased that we had decided to visit Melaka and we were sad to leave the pretty historic city.

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Photos

Our hotel in Melaka
Certainly not 5*, but comfortable