For this blog post I will start off with a few words about my posts for this trip to Malaysia and beyond. You will have noted that I have not assigned any dates to the posts, and as I indicated that I was playing catch-up on our trip the dates the posts are published have no bearing on the post content whatsoever. The posts are all in order, and it is possible (nay, it is likely) that some may span more than one day, so dating them is not necessary.
Today, first order of business was Dim Sum with Cynthia. Quite a selection of choices and very enjoyable. I must admit that I do have favourites, such as chicken feet, tripe and curried squid.
As we were eating and looking out the entrance, I noticed that there was a rather unusual mosque across the street. After breakfast we walked across and had a look. It was different and it is unique, reflecting the Malaysia composition and history.
The Kampong Kling Mosque was completed in 1748. The architecture is Sumatran, with strong Hindu influences, particularly evident in the minaret which resembles a pagoda. Looking closer you will notice an unusual blend of English and Portuguese glazed tiles, Corinthian columns with symmetrical arches in the main prayer hall, a Victorian chandelier, a wooden pulpit with Hindu and Chinese style carvings, and Moorish cast iron lamp-posts. The mosque remains central to Malay community life.
Then we were off to do one of my favourite things. While the ladies did some shopping (this is not it folks), I was able to wander, observing and taking photos of people and places. I would love to put all my photos here, however will select a few to share at this time. The place on the left is quite elaborate. Features like these are not uncommon and do add much to the neighbourhood. The empty street on the right was a rare opportunity, thanks to a tour bus unloading behind me and blocking all the traffic, including the motorbikes (if you can believe that).
With the tour bus gone, traffic gets back to normal (this is code for stay on high alert while walking along, or crossing, the street). I quite like the variety of names used by businesses here. Imagination and uniqueness are both in wide display.
While walking around, it began to rain, which was, as Kim likes to say, "cooling" on quite a warm day. The rain didn't seem to bother either of these two folks who were passing by me on the street. The chap on the motorbike made me smile. After taking his photo, he saw me, and as he went by I could hear him say "Ah-yaaaa". The lady on the bicycle made no indication that she saw me, and went on her way, focusing on the tasks at hand (like avoiding the motorbikes and cars). She is so typical of many older folks we have seen in Melaka.
Next, we figured it was time to be a tacky tourist and go on the Melaka River Cruise boat ride. Only it didn't work out that way, it worked out better. We got to the departure spot (empty parking lot), went up to the wicket and bought our tickets. Cynthia's was less expensive than Kim and I due to the fact that she was from Melaka and we were not. Then we moved to the departure area for the cruise. We were the only ones there. So we waited. Then along came two Malay boys and their father. So we all waited. While waiting the father approached and asked if I was a visitor (good guess). He indicated that his son, for a school project, was to interview some visitors and ask how they found their visit to Melaka. I obliged and was interviewed (and videoed by Dad), then we had a nice chat about the project and I gave them some interview tips and suggestions. And we waited.
While we were waiting, I observed the monorail that isn't. Henry had told me about that on a previous occasion. Seems that Melaka had built a monorail system (well, a track that went from one end to the other, then back). It ran for a while and now sits, decommissioned I suppose. Not sure if it will ever run again. And we waited.
Finally, a tour bus pulled up and disgorged its load of humanity, a school group, junior high range I think. Aha, this is why we have been waiting (we thought). But no, we were then loaded onto one of the boats, all six of us, and off we went. The busload were on a different boat. The result of all this was that we basically had a private ride and had a great conversation between the six of us and the cruise boat operator, who was a most pleasant young lady.
The cruise goes quite a good distance along the Melaka River, past where Henry and I had walked, past Auntie Ming's house, past the old clock tower and the start of Yonker Walk. If you are in Melaka, I do recommend it.
All in all, it was a very good day, wrapped up with another visit to Yonker Walk and a wonderful dinner with friends and family.
Tomorrow brings some travelling and more family. See you then.
This morning Henry took us to a traditional Malay foodery for roti canai. Once we had arrived and parked (parking at times is a highly competitive activity), I opened the car door and came face to face with the locals pictured on the right. They were quite friendly and totally unfazed with happenings around them.
Once in the foodery (in is a relative term as there are no walls, only a tent type roof), we got our table and then made the acquaintance of the folks preparing the food. They were, as has been everyone I've met so far, very friendly and accommodating, kindly allowing me to take photos as they prepared the food. Breakfast was delicious and as we left we got friendly waves, not only from the workers, but from some of the patrons. A good start to the day.
Our next stop was the Cheng Hoon Teng Chinese temple. This temple is the oldest in Malaysia with its initial construction in 1673. It is equally devoted to three doctrines - Taoism, Confucianism and Chinese-Buddhism. When exploring the temple it tells a story about the Chinese in Melaka, covering their lives, their beliefs and their concerns.
This is the temple that Kim went to when she was a child and growing up so there is a lot of Gee family history here as well. We didn't just go to visit, we went there to pray as well, as there is great meaning for Kim there.
While exploring around the temple we saw many different, and interesting, people from all over the world. There was an East Indian lady and her daughter, who was deaf, and they kindly let me take their photo. There were a number of monks, likely from a variety of places, who were busy taking pictures of the temple, and each other, with their cameras and smartphones. There were Westerners (besides me) sightseeing and locals praying. It was quite a place.
Then, across the street, was a "new" version of the same temple, built to replace the original at such time it might become unusable from age. This had definitely not happened yet as those who care have worked very hard to keep it in very good condition. Both temples seem to be in continuous use.
Later, Henry took us to the Portuguese section of Melaka to show us some of the old Portuguese buildings. When we got there, lo and behold, there were no old buildings but rather a new hotel. A bit disappointing to say the least. We understand that there is another way to get to the old Portuguese buildings and we will do some more exploring.
Off we traveled then to another example of what I consider to the be big inconsistency of Melaka. We visited a beautiful beach area (certainly in my opinion) that is unused, complete with a very nice bricked walking area between the road and the beach, lined with trees. The beach is littered and the walk is falling into disrepair.
There is a ship docking area close by, which may give people second thoughts about swimming, however for the area to be unused totally doesn't seem to make sense. On top of that, there is a hotel, and not a small one, across the road which is entirely abandoned. There was some activity at the front entrance but is was not hotel related.
This blog post had been delayed due to Wi-Fi issues, hopefully they have been resolved so the next post will appear shortly.
Thanks for reading, comments are always welcome.
Today is "D-Day" - Driving Day. This is when I hit the roads in Melaka behind the wheel. We will see how I do driving on the wrong side of the road (to me that is).
First off, some observations about driving in Malaysia in general and Melaka specifically. Some of these observations had been made prior to my first day driving, others are the result of experience and observation (more of the latter than the former) in the days since then, not only in Melaka, but in Johor Barhu and even in Singapore.
Berhenti (Stop) signs and speed limit signs are merely suggestions, usually not to be take seriously. Speed limit signs do not seem to be all that prevalent, other than on the primary highways, which also tend to be toll roads. Berhenti signs, on the other hand, are all over the place, and appear to have a number of meanings. On rare occasions they mean stop, usually they are treated as we would a Yield sign (to hopefully exhibit caution), and the rest of the time they don't seem to mean a damn thing.
Now traffic lights, they are a different story entirely. For the most part they appear to be quite strictly adhered to, with only a very occasional vehicle driver not obeying one. A large number of the traffic lights have a very interesting feature as well. If you look over the vehicle to the right, you will see a red light with the number 109 beside it. That is telling everyone that it will be 109 seconds until the light turns green. When green, there are green numbers that count down the number of seconds until it turns red. Also, the lights are set in such a way that it is very rare anyone would have to make a right turn across traffic (readers remember, here they drive on the left side of the road). Although the wait at lights may be longer than those in North America are used to, it seems that the traffic light system here works extremely well, likely why there seems to be no great impatience at the lights (especially when compared to the rest of the time). Another aspect that one can find at traffic light intersections (and to a lesser degree at other intersections) is a built-in, fully configured U-turn. Quite a number of the roads here are at least partially divided and the structured U-turns make getting somewhere somewhat simpler.
In Malaysia they do have legislation about what you can, or can't, do while driving. Back in Canada it is commonly called "distracted driving" legislation. For instance, here one is not allowed to use a cellphone while driving, for talking or texting. However, distracted driving laws also seems to be more of a suggestion than anything else, as demonstrated by the photo on the right (and yes, that is the driver).
Now I'll say a few words about traffic lanes. Once again these seem to function, to a great extent, as suggestions. As I believe I mentioned, the vast majority of cars here are small, of the sub-compact to mini-sub-compact variety (and I don't mean the Mini Cooper or Smart Car, as these are both very expensive here). I have found it amazing the number of cars that seem to fit into one lane side by side on a great many occasions. The expression "if my car had been dirty there would have been contact" springs to mind.
Now you will note that I have not said a word about motorbikes. The reason being, the actual rules pertaining to motorbikes seems to be completely unknown, particularly to motorbike riders. I actually believe that the number one rule is that there are no rules. Therefore when driving a car it is wise to expect absolutely anything. Not only do car drivers appear to utilize all of their mirrors (shoulder checks are pretty much unknown), they actually put little convex mirrors on their mirrors (both sides) to increase their field of vision. You have probably noticed the photo of the mother and daughter on the motorbike. This is a very usual happening. I have seen a family of five on a motorbike and seeing a parent (or older sibling) with one or two children is commonplace. Another thing, helmets are required by riders on motorbikes, by law. The majority of riders wear them, although it seems many do not fasten the chinstrap. Others carry them (go figure) and quite a number just ignore the whole concept.
Now I know all my readers will like and appreciate this (said in words dripping with sarcasm). Malaysia is the land of speed bumps, sleeping policemen, traffic calming devices, whatever you want to call them. When driving in any area near (notice I said near, not only in) residential areas there are at least one or two speed bumps every (I will say that again - every) block. At least one or two. I think you get the idea. It is the land of speed bumps, some of them moderate, some of them pretty darn big. Everyone really slows down when going over the bumps, however not everyone drives slowly between the bumps, making for some interesting traffic at times.
So, how did my first driving day go. Well I did much better than I had anticipated. The one thing that I try to keep in mind is that the driver sits on the side of the car closest to the centre line. That seems to work quite well. By the way, I was driving an automatic, the challenge of a standard is still to come. Interestingly, some of the cars have the turn signal stalk on the right of the steering wheel and some on the left. The can result in un-necessary windshield wiper activity when changing cars.
I likely will have more to say about drivers and traffic in different cities in a later post as there are some distinct difference between Melaka, Johor Bahru and Singapore. A trip to Kuala Lumpur is in the works.
After the excitement of driving in Melaka for the first time, there was a need for a nice relaxing dinner. Henry and Cynthia had just the location in mind. They took us to a lovely place called the Sunset Bistro, with a beautiful ocean beach, just on the outskirts of Melaka.
We got to enjoy our dinner as we watched the sun go down, wrapping up a good day. Good food, good company, good view, what more could one ask.
So long until my next blog post. Still trying to do a couple a day to catch up before we leave. Once again, I hope you enjoy reading. As always, comments are welcome.
The morning started as many a morning could start. Doing laundry and some cleaning around the house, although not quite in the way as would be done in Edmonton. Where we are staying has an old washing machine but we usually only have a few clothes (from the day before), so we do them by hand. Then is the cleaning of the area around the doorway so as to deter ants and other critters from hanging around.
Then it was off for breakfast with Stephanie to another coffee shop. During our trip we seldom make return visits to any fooderies, not because they are bad, but because there are so many good places to try. We have developed a couple of personal favourites however, which we will keep to ourselves so as not to influence any other visitors. Of course, no surprise, Kim ran into a lady that she had known for years. The photos here are of the coffee shop and then a look down the street, to give you a flavour of the area.
After breakfast Stephanie took us to pay respects to her sister, and our niece, Ah Yong who passed away in the Spring of this year at age 42 after having polio since she was age 2. Her older sister Ah Kim still lives with her polio, since she was age 1. In addition to the three girls, there are also three brothers, two living in Melaka and one in Johor Bahru. Both Ah Yong and her father, who passed away in 2004, were cremated. This is an indication of the change from the age old Chinese tradition of burying the deceased. In a later post I will be visiting a three cemetaries, two Chinese and one Malay.
These facilities are quite an efficient use of land, while at the same time are fully equipped so as to provide for the traditional ways of praying and respecting the deceased, including many aspects of the tradition of the Ching Ming Festival (also known as Grave Sweeping Day, among others) every Spring. This is an event that Kim and I participate in every year in Edmonton (regardless of the weather) as it is considered to be an important family and cultural event.
Now it was back to the home front as Stephanie headed to work. Off to lunch with sister Hong for a delicious plate of Ho Feng (noodles, vegetables, pork & prawns in a flour and egg sauce). At this point I find it reasonable to remind my readers that seem to be always eating, we actually eat quite reasonable portions and there is no snacking along the way, well maybe the odd mango or coconut or some such item.
From lunch Hong took us to a real supermarket. Wholly mackerel, what an interesting place. When one hears a person use the expression "soup to nuts" this would very well apply here, and it is not restricted to foods, but includes clothing, household and cooking items, and so on. A great selection of fresh vegetables, fruit, fish & other seafood, chicken, pork and so on. And then, wouldn't you know it, Kim bumped into another old friend who works there. Sometimes I think she knows half the city, but then again she did grow up here and live in Melaka until we met so it really is not all that surprising.
Later on, in the evening we went with Henry and Cynthia to the night market. This is the largest night market in Melaka and stretches for what I estimate as close to a kilometre. Want to buy food, fruit, vegetables, household products, clothing, watches, jewelry, DVDs still in the theatre, and oh, did I mention food.
I could include dozens of photos here, however I am only posting a few. Many more will be available when I get my photos up (should be sometime in the next 57.35 years). You will notice in the photo on the left, this hawker has his cooking stove firmly fastened to his motorbike. This was by no means the only example of this sort of mobile kitchen that was on site. On the right, "wanna buy a watch".
Overall, the night market is a fascinating place to go, and we will return at least once more while we are in Melaka.
As you can tell, once again the day has been very busy. As we move further into our trip some of our days are much more laid back. And then again, there will be a few jam-packed ones.
I hope you are enjoying these blog posts. Feel free to give me any feedback if you like.
