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Articles Tagged ‘melaka’

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What is that in my soup?

Saturday, February 10th, 2007

CURRENT LOCATION: Melaka, Malaysia

Today was jam packed for me. I have actually used the internet 4 times but I swear this last one was important. I seemed to have left my universal plug converter in Singapore so I wanted to charge my ipod before bed so I have found myself in an internet cafe at 1am. Rather convenient.

As for the other 3 times, well… I was just trying to get out of the sun a bit. I ended up going to see a movie. There were plenty of local films to choose from but I ended up going with Epic Movie. Terrible idea and lesson learned. No more American teen oriented movies while traveling.

I walked around and did some sight-seeing, visiting the People’s Museum which housed a great exhibit on body modification and mutilation around the world. It covered everything from labret wearing South American tribes to lip-plate wearing Africans to western tatooing. It was fittingly called “Enduring Beauty”. I continued on walking around the parts of Melaka I hadn’t seen yet. I visited St Paul’s Church on the hill in the town center and saw the old Dutch cemetary.

I eventually made my way back to my hotel and then out again for some dinner. I picked at a few items from the food stalls in China Town and then settled in for some local cuisine at Jonker 88. I wanted to throw myself into it otherwise I would never find something. It is quite overwhelming to order something off of a menu not having any idea what it is. I took a few notes at the People’s Museum which had an exhibit on Malay, Indian and Chinese food. The style of cuisine known as Nyonya looked especially interesting so I went with that. I ordered Baba Laksa. Nyonya is named for Chinese women who dress Malay. It is a mixture of the 2 foods and is usually cooked up in spicey curry with noodles and seafood. Baba Laksa was spicey but the soup was delicious and the noodles were great. There was a whole hard boiled egg in it along with mystery meat that I later advised was probably lung. I only took a few bites of the mystery meat but I think I took a huge step in trying the unknown this evening. I never took a photo of the meal itself but I found a shot on the internet.

(not my photo – check image address for credit)

Tomorrow I head for Kuala Lumpur.

Goodnight.

Posted in Malaysia & Singapore | No Comments »

The Reality of Perception

Friday, February 9th, 2007

CURRENT LOCATION: Melaka, Malaysia

I had this whole post thought up about how I was just about over Melaka and ready to move on to a new city and quite possibly even a new country. However, just when I thought I could write this place off as nothing but mall after mall, it came to surprise me.

I stepped out of the neighborhood I was currently in and literally had to walk through another mall to get to where I was going. While inside that mall I decided to do a bit of shopping. I picked up some new sneakers and 2 new t-shirts. Looking sharp I hit the road. I headed for the town center which for some reason eluded me the first day. It is quite a walk and taxis aren’t abundant.

I entered Jonker Walk which is Melaka’s China Town. Malaysia is a melting pot and that would come very clear over dinner. Picture this. I am eating at a restaurant in the middle of China Town in Malaysia. I ordered a Dutch beer (heineken) and sweet and sour chicken and did a little bit of people watching. Suddenly I hear the unmistakable and melodic sound of the Islamic call to prayer and just at that moment 2 Indian men ride by on their bicycles. To top it off one of the shop owners across the street was a white man. That is Malaysia. A mixture of Indian, Chinese, Malay and Islamic and Western influences. If it first Malaysia comes off as ordinary just look a little harder.

I can say with confidence that Malaysia has been the easiest country by far to travel in. This includes the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. I am probably one of only a handful of people who felt that traveling in the UK was overwhelming. Not because it was actually hard but because I percieved it to be easy before arriving and didn’t expect the simple cultural and language differences. So, my first day in London was filled with confusion and terror as I realized just because they speak English too doesn’t mean it will be a breeze. However, arriving in Malaysia my perception was that it will be difficult and the reality is that I have come across more people that speak a dialect of English that I actually understand than in any other country. Try asking for directions in Prague or ask where the post office is in Mexico. At least this is how the experience has been for me.

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Bored but content

Friday, February 9th, 2007
CURRENT LOCATION: Melaka, Malaysia I have to admit. I have been struggling to find stuff to write about over the last few days. My trip has taken a dramatic turn away from the excitement and adventure of Africa to ... [Continue reading this entry]

Posted in Malaysia & Singapore | 1 Comment »