Monday 21st January
The
night had been warm and humid, and the fan stayed on for most of it.
I had been used to air-con in my room when I stayed with Mark &
Jess in Singapore, and the lack of it would be something I might have
to get used to in the long run. I was up and about early enough to
get some laundry done and then headed in to town to check it was
happening on the Melaka scene.
Melaka
is quite a big town, and used to be a key trading port in times past,
governed variously by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the Brits, all
with the care and attention that colonies have come to know and love
from such wonderful landlords as these stellar nations (it's a pity
for them that their football teams aren't as brutal on their
opponents on the pitch these days).
The
town centre is small enough to see most of the major sights on foot,
including Chinatown and the area around the town hall, which itself
retains the name given to it by the Dutch settlers who built it in
the 17th century: Stadhuys. I came across a few Dutch
people who were in town to see for themselves the remnants of their
nations presence in the town.
It's
an interesting, picturesque place which is maintained well by the
people who live there. Indeed, the people I met in Melaka seemed very
friendly and keen to pass on useful information, and I took a shine
to them straightaway. They say that people make a place, and I liked
Melaka, despite the fact that there wasn't that much to do. The area
outside of this 'old town' may have lacked any real character, but it
was clean and the shopping malls and supermarkets (a big new
Carrefour beside the hostel, and a Tescos beside the bus depot) meant
that people are catered for well here.
The
hostel was the perfect place to relax and meet fellow travellers, a
great advantage of which is the opportunity to discuss tales of
places that have been visited and trips to be planned. These chats
can have a significant influence on your plans. It's always
interesting to speak to other people about where they have been and
what they are going to, what they have enjoyed and the things they
have disliked. It is a very useful source of information, allowing
you to make better informed decisions on the future of your trip.
Also, it's just good to simply have a chat and a laugh about random
stuff, and I try to make the most of it when other people are open to
it as well.
Lene
and Anna had booked onto an 'ecotour' bike ride of an area outside of
Melaka and, feeling that I had seen most of what the town itself had
to offer during the day, I decided that this would be a good way to
spend the extra day that I had chosen to spend before making my way
further north to Kuala Lumpur.
