Melaka, Malaysia

During spring break, Yvonne and I took a side trip to Melaka, Malaysia, which is about three-and-a-half hours north of Singapore including immigration delays, etc. It's amazing how incredibly cheap it is to travel using the little travel agencies in Singapore. For the equivalent of less than $150 U.S. we got round trip bus transportation in a 'luxe coach, two nights in a five-star hotel with a crazy buffet breakfast every morning. And we only spent about $75 on food (lots of it), drinks, transport and other goodies.

Melaka was incredibly hot, but it was beautiful and colorful too. During the day, it was difficult to even walk around too much, but it was easy to duck into a little cafe for some watermelon or starfruit juice to cool down. It was a lot more pleasant and tolerable to walk around in early evening or late night.

Everything in Melaka was a bit shabby, from peeling paint to roughtrodden streets and stray garbage, but it was in a way that really worked. The city was alive with people, from makeshift food stalls selling satay and nasi goreng in the evenings, to the lively guys in their wildly decorated bike rickshaws, calling out to tourists looking for a lift to a different part of town in the shade.
























Melaka is also an incredibly diverse community, with 50% Malays, 40% Chinese, and minorities of Indians and Kristang (people with partial Portuguese ancestry, left over from when it was a Portuguese colony). This of course, makes for some interesting architecture, including vibrant Malaysian buildings and Chinese Buddhist temples, but most importantly some excellent food. But I'll leave the food for another blog entry ... Hehe...
























These are two of the churches left over from the Dutch colonization of Melaka. Christ Church, on the left, was built in 1753 and the leftovers of the facade of St. Paul's Church, the oldest Catholic Church in Malaysia.

Here are some buildings along the Melaka riverfront.

And colorful dragon sculptures atop a Buddhist temple in the Chinatown quarter of Melaka.

More views of Melaka

Dueling bike taxis often congregate at the center of town and many of them decorate their rides with plastic flowers, shiny tinsel, and bright lights during the night in order to compete for the business of tourists. They're friendly, but not too in-your-face about garnering your business. That was one of the other things that I really liked about Melaka.

Views of the Melaka town center at night

Here's an *erm* interesting bathroom/hostel/tattoo parlor