Next we headed south via bus to Melaka. The process was made much smoother by the helpful dude with the walkie talkie at the station without whom we would never have figured out where to go.
Melaka is a pretty port town. It's been an important shipping hub. A lot of cultures mixed here, leading to tasty cuisine and interesting history. In fact, while checking out the remains of an old Portuguese Catholic church (later turned into a gunpowder facility by the Brits), we were treated to a thickly accented rendition of various Doobie Brothers classics by a guy with a guitar. It was a very spiritually rich experience.
Of course, we had to check out the Portuguese settlement and try the food. The verdict was: very tasty, but very different from any Portuguese food we were familiar with -- and there was not a malasada in sight. However, there was butter and garlic.
After Melaka, we hopped a quick flight to Penang, an island with a bunch of beaches and colonial architecture. Today was beach day, which was beautiful and relaxing except for the occasional speedboat hurtling by. We also had great conversation with a helpful fellow at a restaurant and checked out a fishing village nearby.
Tomorrow we'll see the architecture (Kristen has always been a sucker for colonial architecture and has been having an urban planning nerd field day in all these new cities). We promise to write more soonish. Hope all is well with you and you are enjoying the start of the fall!
Location:Pulau Penang, Malaysia
