With the year of the rabbit only days away Jill and I got a bus south, from Kuala Lumpur to the town of Melaka, famous for its historical buildings, great food and very lively China town. It was also half way to Singapore and therefore the perfect stopping off point as we approached the southern tip of the Southeast Asian peninsular. Singapore would mark the end of this leg of our journey and it was going to be upon us all too quickly.
We had a day to find our feet, and a good venue for Chinese New Year before the festivities hit full speed. Melaka is an amazingly attractive city with European influences at its heart, invaded by Portuguese, Dutch and British over the centuries, all of whom left their mark on the architecture of the buildings which sit at its heart. A Dutch square which would sit happily in any town in Holland marks the centre, but cross the 20 metre bridge to the east is Chinatown, ruby lanterns hang from every crumbling, wooden shuttered building and criss-cross every narrow winding street for a square mile. It’s an area you can walk around for days and continue to find new streets to explore and new cafes at which to sit and watch the world go by, which is pretty much exactly what we did.
We walked around the sun filled streets, browsed shops filled with lanterns, waving golden cats, strange and very Chinese smiling figures, furry red dragon heads and much more, we saw the locals burning calendars and (fake) money for luck, we wandered passed bustling Mosques and Buddhist temples and saw people preparing the streets for the celebrations to come.
When we were in need of refreshment we found ourselves at the Baboon House, this is one of the most incredible places to relax with a coffee, beer or wine by day or night and serves some damn fine burgers too. You enter what looks to be a small shop with wooden shuttered windows and a black and white tiled floor. Dark wood furniture and soft crumbling plaster sit side by side. This TARDIS-like space continues into an internal courtyard filled with plants and lanterns, surrounded by inward looking windows on the first floor and with chairs and tables in and around it. Then there is a bar area and beyond, is another small room which leads into a beautiful, haphazard garden. We spent a couple of afternoons and evenings in this, and similar spots around town.
For New Years’ eve we were on the very busy Jonker Street in the heart of China town eating pineapple cakes with the locals and shuffling from stall to stall in the tightly packed street. It was a fun evening and a great experience to be in a place where the celebrations meant so much. We were at the far end of Jonker street as midnight was fast approaching and saw a huge Chinese dragon being carried through the street, complete with police escort. Unfortunately, it was too big to get through the arches that spanned the streets and we watched as the panic ensued, as they attempted to squeeze it under. They eventually forced it through and with a little celebration from the crowd who had stopped to watch and help they were on the way again.
The next morning we were up early to catch our bus over the border into Singapore where we were catching a flight on to Sydney...
The old Dutch buildings on the riverfront
The old Mosque
Baboon House, if you are ever in Melaka go!
Let the festivities begin!
Stepping out of the madness of New Year to grab a beer
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