Melaka, Malaysia

The bus from Singapore took just over 4 hours and there were lots of foreigners on it; Brits, Americans and Russians. It was air conditioned but both seats where I was sitting were stuck in the reclined position so it was very uncomfortable on my neck.

Melaka was an important maritime trading centre to Europe in the 16th century and it was ruled by the Portuguese, the Dutch and then later by the British. The city has UNESCO status and there are still many historical buildings to visit from these times.

I caught a local bus from the huge bus terminal on the outskirts of the city. We saw similar styled terminals during our last visit to Malaysia; they are circular with all the bus companies offices in the centre so it is easy to find your bus. I had directions from the hostel I had booked so it was easy to find a bus to Dutch Square, and I was able to recognise the square because ... you guessed it, it had a windmill.

The hostel was a 200 year old building in China town and was very basic and I had a comfortable single cell with a bed, desk, chair and mosquito net. WIFI was free so I could research my next move, do my blog, and read emails. The squat toilet and shower were at the end of the courtyard and were reached by a covered timber path that I had to negotiate and dodge the dripping wet hostel bed linen on the way. There was a second courtyard between the reception area and my room and when it rained, as it did everyday from sunrise to lunchtime, the whole floor area was wet. The whitewashed mud walls soaked up a lot of moisture and so there is always a lot of mildew.

Jonker Street was a short walk away and is popular with tourists for antiques, galleries and restaurants. Near it are many private museums, restored houses, and boutique hotels and B and Bs. The Chinese street market only happened on the weekend so most shops were closed around 5pm and some of the local restaurants closed early to so it was a quiet place after dark.

Some of the old landmarks include the official residence of the Dutch governors and their officers, several churches and forts, with many of them are now painted red. The rickshaw drivers in their trishaws wait by the square and take the tourists for hour long rides through Chinatown and along the canals. Some have huge speakers thumping out western music and all are covered in plastic flowers and bright coloured ribbons, plastic windmills etc.

I went up the revolving tower to look over the city and see the new megamalls and huge hotels dwarfing the old town. There is a lot of construction still going on and the place must get pretty busy when the cruise ship season is in full swing.

Along the waterfront I spotted two tourists with their feet in a fish tank like this and a sign on the shopping window advertising "Fish Spa". They pay 10 Ringgit and sit with their feet in the tank so the tiny little fish can nibble them-human fish food!

The locals left me alone and I was not hassled for anything so it made my stay relaxing. I was able to find a vegetarian buffet restaurant when I wanted a change from Asian style dishes. The local egg tarts and coconut cakes were also very nice with fresh juices.

It was easy to get money from ATMs and generally things away from the main touristy square and Jonker street were much cheaper and it was safe to walk around in the dark by myself. There were many foreign families in the tourist shops.

Tampines, Singapore

I contacted Ling on the couch surfing site and she accepted me to stay at her place in Tampines on the north east part of Singapore.

It was easy to take a bus to her place and they are very cheap and run frequently. Ling's elderly parents, a helper and 2 Indonesian students live with her in a huge residential block. The students were on holiday so not at home when I stayed.

Tampines is a huge residential area with hundreds of huge residential housing blocks that all look alike. I will know how well I can distinguish them apart when I return for a night with Ling before I leave Singapore.

Ling and I caught a bus to Changi Town and walked along the beach. The beach was crowded with people cooking on the charcoal grills. A large Philippine group invited us to share their grilled crabs, chicken wings and pork. They love to do things as large groups and have so much fun.

Nearby was a group of Muslim Malays cooking chicken and fish.

We had a meal at the covered food stalls not far from the beach and ate Singapore chilli crab with yam leaves sauteed in garlic and finished off with a teh tarik (milky tea poured from a great height- also known as stretched tea).

I needed a sewing kit as I had left mine behind so we wandered the street stalls to find one.

Ling's dad loves to watch the soccer so he is up all night and then sleeps all day. Ling's mum is an ardent mah jong fan and has a group around twice a week to play with her.

On Sunday, Ling went to church and I had breakfast in Changi Village; battered bananas, yams and green bean fritters. I caught a bus to the Changi Chapel Museum and saw a display on the POW internees and murals painted by an internee using whatever he could find to make paint from. It was very interesting. There were displays of radios concealed in a shoe and a broom, so the prisoners could listen to BBC radio and find out what was going on in the world.

There is an enormous military base in Changi and lots of cyclists were breakfasting in the town and I guessed by their short hair cuts that they were military personnel.

Later I met Ling and we went to Little India and visited the Mustafa store; a huge place with a supermarket and anything you would want. I managed to find some NZ manuka honey for Ling.

Using the public transport is easy because you buy an Ezylink card and then top it up and scan it when you get in the bus or train and then again when you leave, so much easier than having the exact change as none is given on the buses.

On Sunday evening Ling's sister and her family arrived to have dinner with us and we were also joined by a cousin and his daughter. It was a great evening. One of Ling's nieces wants to work on a farm so I have invited her to visit our orchard in NZ.

Ling has kindly offered to store some of my extra gear so I don't have to carry it and I will stay another night with her before I leave for Cape Town. She wants to travel to Cambodia so I have been able to give her some tips for the journey.

I leave for Melaka in Malaysia next.

Singapore, Singapore

Our friends Paddy and Gwen drove us to the airport in Auckland and it was a pleasant trip up. John's brother and his son had a delayed flight from Gisborne as Auckland was covered with fog so there was a bit of a panic as we heard them announce boarding for the flight to Singapore. However the 2 boys arrived on time.

Singapore Airlines do a great job so it was an enjoyable flight. The boys had 6 hours in the airport and were looking for a TV screen to watch some of the World Cup Soccer games while they waited for their connection to Cape Town, South Africa to watch more soccer games.

I followed the directions given to me to get to my hostel and headed off as night fell to find my bus and take the 40 minute trip that cost $1.60NZ to the Katong area.

The hostel is well resourced and the staff so helpful, even down to a huge dispenser for foam ear plugs. There are bars each side of the hostel and the tables vibrate in the common room. I am sharing a dorm room with 5 other girls from Taiwan and Malaysia and being on the top floor we don't hear the noise from below.

Friday was very quiet so I headed out to explore the East Coast beach and see how the Singaporeans were spending their time relaxing.

It has been about 33 years since I was here and the place looks as tidy as ever but the old houses look newer as a lot has been done to renovate them.

The beach area is not suitable for swimming but children were playing in the sand and there was a special path for bicycles and skaters and a second paved lane for walkers and joggers. Most of the signs in the park were safety notices, information signs as well as government signs promoting healthy lifestyles and events to be held in the park.

Some teens were practising their wake-board and skiing skills on the cable ski run in the lake while others were spending the time in their tents with their family and friends. There are areas where they can camp for up to 8 days per month and but have to get a permit. There are dozens of BBQ grill pits which also need to be booked but as it was raining on and off no one was able to fire up.

The parents were out with bicycles getting the young ones skills up in order to get off their trainer wheels. Even though it was a Friday there were quite a few families with school aged children about.

I chatted to a man catching grasshoppers with a net to feed his song birds.

There were lots of fishers at the pier with their bicycles loaded up with the paraphernalia needed for day out fishing. If they had no luck there was a business that had pools where you could catch fresh seafood yourself. There were queues of ships of all sizes lining up to get their goods to the port.

This unusual tree had huge brown fruit, I presume, and then some gorgeous orchid-like flowers on the trunk.
Nearby the hostel was a street of old houses painted different colours and all in various states of renovation.

Across the street was a business that made all kinds of creations for burning for good luck for their Chinese customers who later burn them at festivals. When I went by in the morning there were dozens of frames made of thin bamboo sticks and this was was finished in the afternoon ready to be loaded on a truck. The rice paper is thin like tissue paper.

I managed to find a restaurant for a Malay curry and a blurry TV showing one of the soccer games, but decided against the restaurant with this advertisement "Die, die, must try"