Good morning Malaysia!
This morning we awoke to the sounds of motorcycles and Malaysian traffic sighing. We hit Malaysia yesterday, and after a couple of hours waiting at the border and a 3 hour bus journey, we arrived at Melaka, one of the oldest and most historical towns in the country.
Singapore was not very different from Sydney, and except for the food and the cleanliness of everything, we could have been in Australia. English is readily used and understood, and all road signs, radio stations and TV programs are broadcast in English. A good place to get used to being in Asia- sort of like a half way house......but eventually we grow tired of the halfway house- so Malaysia here we come.
Expecting a big change from the obsessive cleanliness of Singapore, we are pleasantly surprised. Melaka is a thriving metropolis of 700 000 on the south west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Its position on the Strait of Melaka have seen progressive Portuguese, Dutch and British settlements attempt to gain a superior position for spice trading routes.
Today, Melaka appears to be a fairly industrial town with lots of museums. Although the city is steeped in history, the push to modernise means that shopping centres are everywhere and McDonald's, along with all the other hallmarks of western capitalism, abound.
This morning we awoke to the sounds of motorcycles and Malaysian traffic sighing. We hit Malaysia yesterday, and after a couple of hours waiting at the border and a 3 hour bus journey, we arrived at Melaka, one of the oldest and most historical towns in the country.
Singapore was not very different from Sydney, and except for the food and the cleanliness of everything, we could have been in Australia. English is readily used and understood, and all road signs, radio stations and TV programs are broadcast in English. A good place to get used to being in Asia- sort of like a half way house......but eventually we grow tired of the halfway house- so Malaysia here we come.
Expecting a big change from the obsessive cleanliness of Singapore, we are pleasantly surprised. Melaka is a thriving metropolis of 700 000 on the south west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Its position on the Strait of Melaka have seen progressive Portuguese, Dutch and British settlements attempt to gain a superior position for spice trading routes.
Today, Melaka appears to be a fairly industrial town with lots of museums. Although the city is steeped in history, the push to modernise means that shopping centres are everywhere and McDonald's, along with all the other hallmarks of western capitalism, abound.
Around Melaka, there are pockets of history and the city retains some rustic charm, but it appears that the Malaysians are looking down the barrel of modernisation with little or no regard to the history of the region. Kind of sad really.
A big highlight was a visit to the shop of Charles Cham, a local artist. Charles designs t-shirts and paintings with a socially aware message (see image above). Great to see positive energy for change abounds in all parts of the world. Check out his website http://www.charlescham.com
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