A bit of Europe in Melaka

We're now in Melaka about two hours south of Kuala Lumpur. It's a very old Malaysian city and is full of charm with narrow colourful streets, wooden shutters, historic sites and a canal reminiscent of Venice . It dates back to about the 14th Century and has buildings still standing from the era of Dutch, Portugese and British rule.

This afternoon we took a rickshaw ride around the old part of the town (which is heritage listed by UNESCO). Our guide was this charming 52-year-old Malaysia man (he mentioned his age) who told us some of the city's history. Melaka was where Malaysia's independence from Britain was announced in 1956 and among the things you can see is an old white Chevrolet (you know the big old American cars) which the first prime minister drove on the historic day. There is also the ruins of an old Portugese fort, and a quaint square flanked by red brown buildings with a fountain in the middle dedicated to Queen Victoria, who visited Melaka at the turn of the century.

OK, I am sure that's enough of a history lesson. On another note, Larna and I met a Brisbane couple who are staying at our hostel. They are in their late 30s/early 40s and have two young kids. They're spending the next few years travelling around the world (he is a web designer) because he says Australia is way too expensive. He says he can rent a five bedroom house in Penang (in Malaysia) for a month for what he would pay for a week's rent of a small flat in Brissie! Guess it goes to show you can still do the big travel thing when you have kids, but it must be exhausting! (But what an experience for the kids).

Pics from Melaka and KL to come soon....caio!