Thursday 18 June 2009

Melaka, Pulau Perhentian (Kecil)



From Kuala Lumpur to Melaka it was only a tiny hop in a nice, air-conditioned Bus. Melaka is well known as an important harbour in former times and also the area between Sumatra and Malaysia is called “Strait of Malacca”. Nowadays it’s famous for its bustling tourism. The city of Malacca consists of a core historical area (listed by UNESCO as world heritage), buffer zone and the rest of the city. The Malaysians try very hard to give the city an historical touch. Many buildings are beautifully renovated but also many buildings are just copies of houses that are long gone. On top of a hill is the remaining of a church and around the bottom of the hotel are many museums and other attractions. Some of the main attractions are: The two mega shopping malls, a kind of elevation unit that gives the spectators a view from a high level, a big ferry wheel and of course the food.

Food is one of the most important things in daily life of Malaysian people. You can see the eating anywhere, anytime. It’s simply amazing but very understandable. The variety of food is big and its pure pleasure to try out all the different kinds of food and drink. The only unpleasant thing was that I’ve lost again my GPS-unit. In Africa I’ve lost my handheld and here my unit for the camera. A big loss for me.

Links:

http://www.melaka.org.my
http://www.amazingmelaka.com
http://www.malacca.ws


Pulau Perhentian (Kecil)

After a few nights in nice, but crowded Melaka the next destination was already figured out. In the north-east of Malaysia, close to the border of Thailand are a set of beautiful islands. Pulau Kecil, where I’ve stayed, is the smaller one of two islands and has a long, sandy beach and turquoise water. There are many young backpackers here and the main attraction is to soak in the water, snorkelling and of course diving. The island has no streets and cars but that means nothing when fuel-driven generators are running all the time, heavy boat traffic is in the bay and trash is burned in the woods. After a few more or less relaxing days the next destination is coming up: Kuching, the main city of Malaysia on south Borneo.

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