Melaka

Trip Start Sep 11, 2008
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Trip End Jun 05, 2009


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Where I stayed
(Melaka hotels)

Flag of Malaysia  , Melaka State,
Wednesday, December 3, 2008

We stayed 2 nights in Melaka in an air con room which cost about a tenner when we could have stayed in fan rooms for half the price. I was feeling rough with tonsilitis so wanted a bit of comfort. The room also had a TV but it only had 2 Malaysian channels so I didn't stay in bed recuperating much. The town centre is a bit crazy, we got off the bus in the main square, Dutch Square as its known, which has the main Stadthuys or town hall and a church, both built by the Dutch and painted red. Also theres a fountain with Queen Victoria on from the time the Brits were there. The Portuguese took it first from the Sultan of somewhere, then the Dutch fought them for it and held it for 200 years, then the Brits decided they wanted it to go with Penang and Sinagpore and own the whole lot to control the trade. So the town has wierd bits of old European architecture. Across the bridge over the little river from Dutch square is Chinatown, loads of small buildings along about 4 streets occupying a large area whcih are all lit up red at night. We went into a teahouse, or rather got dragged in and had a chinese tea ritual in a proper old tea house where we felt like we were in a set from Crouching Tiger or another period kung-fu film. We went to the maritime museum for some more history which was OK but made a lot better by the fact its housed in a full size replica of the Dutch ship Flor de la Mar which was lost off the coast full of gold. We went on a boat trip up the river to see the whole city, which was super cheap a quarter the price of going up the tower and seeing it from the air. In parts it felt like the Amsterdam canal cruises. We ate the local chicken rice balls (actually chicken with balls of rice, nothing dodgy) for breakfast after being adopted by three old chinese Malay guys as we wandered round looking for Nasi Lemak (coconut rice). They were from KL and Penang in Melaka purely for the food so we heeded their advice and it was great, I'm all up for eating the local food for brekkie now.
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