Hotel Grand Continental Melaka

... how to finish our Malaysian tour. But if you give it a chance it soon becomes apparnt its a quirkly little town with bags of history and a cool modern arty feel, it was growing on us more and more. We ate and went out with our fellow guests and swapped traveling stories, something that hasn't really happened in other hostels, for one reason or another people have just kept themselves to themselves, this was the type of experience we were hoping to find ...

... sometimes about absolutely nothing! haha. (We love you Mo!) He even looked like Mo! Really really like Mo [Tom: I think it was the glasses that did it]! He told us how to get drunk quickly in Malaysia (to find places that sold alcohol that we not licensed), or where to get cheap alcohol from the local shops. He told us a story about this time that he got so wasted that he tattooed his own name on his arm! And there was the evidence; George Philip was tattooed on his left arm ...

... is gravy, as they say. I didn't know a thing about Malaysia until a few days ago and had never had any desire to see it. It just happened that you had to get here to go there, and there was the Perhentians for Janice so I was along for the ride. That brought us to the Camerons and on the way; I read her the history of Malaysia from her Rough Guides book. It is a pretty fascinating history - especially since the country itself is only 52 years old. What the hell was ...

... wonderfully preserved. (Some to the point of excess, so that I felt at points as though I was in Epcott Center rather than Malaysia). Most of the tourists are Singaporeans who travel to Melaka for the delicious "Baba Nonya" cuisine, which combines elements from traditional Chinese and Malay dishes. As usual, I was particularly impressed by the desserts. My favorite was Cendol: A pile of shaved ice topped with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup, green-bean ...

... of Chinese origin who have married into Malay families). It was the end of Chinese New Year while we were in Melaka, and our guesthouse was just a couple of doors down from a Chinese Temple, which meant that we were treated to lots of drumming and fireworks. On the morning of my birthday they had a parade of shrines, which we were able to watch while having breakfast at a nearby stall.

... stuff", culture, and history. It also offers a different taste of Malaysian food as it dwells on fusion of different spices - Chinese with Indian, Malay with Chinese, and all those stuff. Staying there for a couple of days would be such a bore for there isn't much to see. We had it only for a day trip then planned to go to Genting Highlands in the state of Pahang the day after for fun. 

... opportunity to visit. A charming older lady, wearing a traditional sarong, showed us through her "living museum". The house had been built by her grandfather and is now quite famous. On the walls were photos and news clippings of famous people who had visited as well as a guestbook and stacks of photo albums. It was amazing to see all the old antiques as well as displays such as family wedding clothes. The visit to Villa Sentosa was a definite highlight of our time in Melaka.

Another sad day as we say our farewells to Jason as we leave for Melaka and he's staying in K.L. It's been great travelling with him and hopefully we'll get chance to meet up with him in either Australia or New Zealand. We get the bus which is very swish and only takes two hours and find a nice place to stay getting a room to ourselves for the first time since Thailand. We for an hour become junk food addicts firstly having a KFC and then a Burger King it's ...

... ristoranti Indiani , Malesiani e cinesi ,anche se troverete M'cdonalds , KFC and pizza Hut un po' dapertutto. Direi di passarci un paio di giorni, non di piu'. Traveller's lodge e' un ottimo indirizzo , costa poco intorno ai 25 RM , molto pulito, possibilita' di breakfast , in centro e lo staff e' disponibile. Ottimo direi no ? !

... for us! We stopped at a chinese temple, the Victoria fountain, and then we had a talk from a local Malaysian about different herbs and spices, which are what attracted Europe to the town. In the evening we went out to a bar, and.. well.. we had a few cocktails etc. etc.. you know the story.. by the end of it, I was really quite tipsy, and we poddled across the road, to a little bar with a band on, and our tour leader found out that I played ...