Malaka, One of the Most Sought After Destinations LP? I Think You Are Wrong!

The good of Melaka
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My final night in Singapore, I decided to treat myself for dinner so I head over to The Quays as there was supposed to be a restaurant specializing in garlic - sounded yummy.  However, much to my disappointment it was gone.  I decided instead to have some tapas and a glass of wine.  Even more to my disappointment was the lousy dinner and wine I ended up having :(

The next morning, the bus to Melaka set off from the Lavender Street bus station which was pretty close to the first hotel I stayed in, however this time I opted for the cab ride instead of walking especially because just as I headed out the door, the heavens opened up upon me.

The not so good of Melaka
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The bus ride (approx $11) to Melaka was 4 hours long which included of course the stop at the border (where the person stamping my passport to get out of Singapore kept looking at me and then my passport several times before finally allowing me to continue) and a 20 minute stop at Ayer Hitam which was basically a food hall.  I had my first experience of my trip with only having a squat toilet as my option.  Let me say one thing, I miss having a friend that could have held my daypack and shoulder bag that were still on me (the floor was not suitable for placing anything down)!

Oldest functioning temple in Malaysia
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Once in Malaka I opted to take the local bus in town as the bus stop was about 2.5km north of the town and then the guesthouse I was staying was another 1km or so.  I was happy to see a fellow traveler on the bus especially as he was the first person that I had really spoken to since starting my trip so needless to say, I probably was a bit more enthusiastic than I needed to be ;)  Anyhow Craig was an Australian who decided the weather was just cold in Australia and had just decided to take off for warmer weather.

I thought that the bus was supposed to take me pretty close to my guesthouse (which I found out later it did), but the lady you paid for the ticket (approx $0.27) was yelling at us to get off.  Craig was pretty sure he knew which way my guesthouse was, but after he left to go on his way, I realized that he was pretty wrong and I ended walking twice as long as necessary.  Oh well, meant getting more used to carrying my backpack!

Arriving at Kencil Guesthouse , I was greeted by Agnes who operates the guesthouse.  When she showed me my room, I was a little shocked at first.  In the living room on the house, to the left were four doors that each lead to a single room with no window, but opened up at the top to the living room.  I guess it couldn't have been more than 8x8 (but then again, I did only pay about $5 per night).  The rest of the guesthouse though was very charming, with an open foyer that led to the kitchen and bathrooms and then a very pleasant garden out back.  (Review to come with pictures).

I decided to chill at the guesthouse that afternoon and ended up chatting with two other guests, Freddy and Michael.  Freddy was a very tall French man covered in tattoos who after being told he had to work at the age of 14 by his father, ended up teaching himself English by traveling back in 1999, starting in India.  He was one month into a 6 month trip.  Michael was an Asian Scotsman that you could actually understand!  He was on a 6 week trip and had about 2 weeks left before heading back to start a new job.  I was happy to have some company and we ended up going to a great little Nonya (combines chinese, malay and other influences) restaurant not too far from the guesthouse called Ole Sayang.

The following morning I explored what I hoped to be a more interesting part of Melaka.  What I had seen so far, was less than impressive.  I really couldn't see why this was a sought after destination.  I made my way to the Chinatown area, having an American breakfast (since when did an American breakfast include baked beans?  I guess it was the hotdog, aka, sausage that made it American?) at the Hereen House.  I can see how this part of town was quaint and I am glad that I saw it, but really, I didn't think it was given the high praises that the Lonely Planet had given it.

Heading back before noon to make sure that I gave Freddy the 23RM (approx $4) he had to lent me (silly me, although I changed my Singapore dollars at the bus station, I meant to hit an ATM and forget before heading to dinner.  Quite the embarrassing situation) I then decided to just chill, having seen all of Melaka that I cared for.  Poor Agnes seemed quite concerned about me and didn't seem to understand that I was quite happy just reading my book.

I did venture out for dinner after a recommendation to head to the Portuguese settlement on the ocean just a few km out of town.  Of course, when the guy realized I was San Francisco, he did back peddle a bit.  Having arrived there, after taking the same bus from the previous day, I could see why he had his reaction.  The view of the ocean and the ocean itself  wasn't exactly that great.  However, I had a cheap dinner of fried rice and a Tiger beer for about $2.50 - so I can't really complain.

That was it for Melaka and probably a day too long, but I guess you just don't know until you go there!

Next stop, Kuala Lumpur and let me just say, my stay at the Kencil Guesthouse seems like heaven compared to the place in KL :(