Malaka

The name of this town reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies. In Weird Science, Anthony Michael Hall says "she's into malaka's deano". It is a long story, so you have to watch the movie yourself to get the joke.

Otherwise, Malaka (which is just south east of Kuala Lumpur) is a nice place to visit. Apparently, this port city has been disputed and fought over for hundreds of years. The Portugese first invaded in the 1500's, the Dutch arrived in the 1600's, and the British held it until right after WW2. Today we visited one of the oldest Christian churches in the area, along with the oldest mosque, and oldest Buddhist temple. As is the case in Singapore, everyone appears to get along with their neighbors in a nice racial and religious harmony.

The weather here is hot, but the humidity is what is really stifling. We have kind of lost our appetites because of the heat. However, the sketchy food also contributes to the lack of eating. Many restaurants are just on the sidewalk, and we haven't quite gotten bold enough to eat anything which looks like it has sat on display in the sun longer than it was cooked.

We did visit an excellent coffee shop today. It had a beautiful spiral staircase which led to an apartment above the shop. It may seem like a contradiction to have coffee in such a hot environment, but it was necessary. Trust me - there is something to be said about a good espresso, even when it is hot out.

Everyone is still celebrating Chinese New Year here. I think the celebrations last for a month, but in reality it is more like 6 days. There are arbitrary fireworks and there are lots of folks here who are clearly on holiday. Additionaly, when we visited the temples, there were some parents showing their children the appropriate rites and rituals. According to this doco we saw on tv, this is an auspicious time of year to introduce children to their religions and traditions.