20WOC

Sitting outside enjoying the balmy darkness at 6.30am, breakfasting at the same family shop, as yesterday, with a better choice of food. By 6.40am the day is lightening quickly and by 7am warming up and I was already away. A maybe 400m walking track enclosed a patch of grass. I ve been this way a few times and this time a woman is jogging towards me. So I turned and ran and chatted with her, it was a delight to run again. I left her to return to the famous hll, where the children over-ran me yesterday. At this tranquil time of day groups of people were doing tai chi to soft music, others doing exercises individually, both at the park at the bottom by the A'Formosa ruined stone archway and up the hill with the ruined St Pauls church. Actually it arrives in the recorded history of this hill fairly late, not till 1711. Such a gentle feel to the day, warm breeze, the humans exercising carefully and without strain, the cats hopeful. Who would have believed in the tour party hoardes 14 hours back that now the ruins are deserted of humans, with only Missy's sister greeting me as if she owns the place and I am bringing her a purple packet. How this calico would love such a packet. She lies on the cobblestones to rest her full belly. If half the cats of Melaka are female then 50% of the cats of Melaka must be pregnant. It was nice just to sit and rest and gaze at the stillness with people doing their exercises. But you know me, sit under a tree with the hlltop breeze and soon I am chatting with an interesting lady, aged 60. She was born in Melaka and told me of her sadness that she remembers when the field I'd run round was real grass with trees, when there were beaches - the reclamation of the land has come at a cost. She spoke of ethnic differences in today's society that I would never pick up, not really relevant to me. Interesting her comment that her generation learned English as the subject of instruction for all subjects, whereas younger students have English as a subject, and maybe taught maths and science in English, but are primarily taught in Malay. This backs up my constant experience that people understand me if we go carefully, but I should assume nothing, and they often resort to working as a pair to comprehend my unusual accent. It was really nice chatting with her. The benefit of travelling alone is that such connections are readily made. Its only say 100m max back to the river, took some images of sunrise that even Kathie would be proud of. Also took notes, hey my notebook is as useful as my camera. I planned to walk till the museum opened and my feet took me not up the main tourist drag but two streets parallel. By this stage ready for second drink, I ducked into a typical Chinese place again, sat at the back near the kitchen, had a cup of 'tea with milk' (learning that 'teh tarik' is the Malay phrase not the Chinese). Sat and chatted with two Korean women. more to come xxM