A tourist city, with a twist

Our only picture from Melaka. Sorry.
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We knew we had to leave Singapore, but we weren't quite sure where to go.  So we caught a bus to Melaka (or Malacca, depending on where you're from), because it just seemed convenient.  Turns out Melaka is a pretty big city, and a big weekend destination for people from Singapore.  Got that?  It's a touristy place, where the tourists are not all white people.  In fact, most of the vendors we expected to bother us and chase us down the street trying to sell us souvenirs ended up ignoring us completely.  Maybe backpackers have a reputation of being cheap compared to Singapore-ans.  In any case, it was a nice change of pace not to be the center of attention.

Melaka is a historical town, which has fallen under the rule of, or at least been influenced by: the Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, British, Indian, and Chinese.  Plus of course the local Malay people.  That means a lot of different languages to learn, and a lot of amazing fusion foods to eat.  The most memorable meal was Satay Celup, where there is a boiling pot of satay sauce in the middle of the table into which we dipped skewers of raw meat, fish, tofu, vegetables, etc. to cook.  Jenny ate some fish (it was stuffed inside all the tofu and vegetables!).  Still, a big step for the vegetarian she is, or once was.

We went to a couple museums, got to know the Chinatown and Little India neighborhoods, saw one memorable exhibit on body modification used in different cultures for the purpose of beautification, and shaved Jenny's hair (#4).  Watch out for photos in the future...