Hinly Hotel Melaka

... Chris seemed more interested in the Church than I did; it looked pretty plain and boring.

We wandered around a bit more trying to go up St. Paul's Hill, next to the Dutch Cemetery, but we were unable to because the path leading there was blocked by a path. We walked around the Dutch Cemetery and accidentally stumbled upon The Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum. The museum itself is a modern reconstruction of the Sultan's Palace in Melaka and looked pretty damn impressive ...

... her tomorrow...

Melaka (Malacca) is a great town to walk on foot, and while doing so, it's amazing to see the numerous cultures that have made an impact on it...Portuguese, Dutch, British, Malay, Chinese, Indian - all left a mark on this city. Temples, mosques, churches, ruins, government buildings, and a windmill stand within walking distance of each other and all contribute to the favourable impression one gets while strolling lazily through the streets...

... Bus travel is tiring - give me a break...it could happen. Decided to grab lunch at McDonald's - was eating among the big groups of scarfed Muslim girls and very cute boys - seemed like a college town atmosphere, my prescence creating somewhat of an interest point and conversation piece as I certainly don't look like most of the other travelers - and I had not seen any white faces there. It is predominately Muslim so the women are in very fashionable long tunics and use ...

... afgestapt bij onder andere het oude Portugese fort Á Famosa en de daarboven gelegen Saint Paul's Church met Nederlandse graven (zie foto's).Na de middag zijn we met zijn allen het bed in gedoken en sliepen we tot 16.00 uur: heeerlijk ;-). Kris had iets in de lonely planet gespot: een restaurant met Westerse kaart. Dit leek handig omdat de kinderen nog niet helemaal aan het eten waren gewend en we wel wilden dat ze genoeg binnen zouden ...

... an alternative if you prefer, Melacca, was absolutely the best stop on our Malaysian itinerary. It is a gorgeous town with quaint Dutch and English architecture, little streets, a bustling Chinatown and a river that winds slowly straight through the middle. A cooling breeze blew in from the ocean (the first day anyway), and eating a wonderful chicken curry right on the riverfront, we were happy. The guy running our first hostel takes anyone who wants to join for ...

... stage erected for the Easter celebrations - and another open-mike night (yet more Chinese songs, this time with one of the worst vi\voices ever!). For a change of culture we paid a visit to the local bowling alley where we had a change of musical tempo. This time, Rock'n'Roll. As soon as the music started, all the bowlers suddenly started jiggling and wiggling in time to Elvis?Chuck berry ...

... coisa, depressa encontrei um restaurante indiano [2], onde comi comida vegetariana servida sobre uma folha de bananeira à boa moda hindu. Mesmo no centro da cidade ...

... Then, the incredibly friendly and helpful "gatekeeper" at our guesthouse in KL told me to try to pronounce Bahasa like I would Spanish. Then it was pretty easy. Apart from a few deviations (e.g.: c is pronounced as "ch"), it's just like Spanish. Unlike most Asian languages, Bahasa isn't tonal, so once you figure out the pronunciation, you're pretty good to go. And, unlike English, the pronunciation is straightforward. Vowels don't change sounds, like they do in English ...

... Most of the original Chinese stores are turned over to curio, antique and souvenirs shops. The former 'millionaires' row' includes some fascinating ornate mansions dating back one hundred years. It's hard to imagine Melaka as the thriving maritime trading centre it was until Europeans bled it dry. Now the port is quiet and the exit to the sea disturbed by a concrete overpass. The traders have been replaced by walking tour groups, and the wares of spices and ceramics replaced by souvenirs.