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Here it is 2nd time lucky the first time i attempted to compose this the computer i was on jst restarted after 40 mins of work bt we are in Asia now so we dont get angry with things we get on with things!
I arrived in Melaka on the 6th Feb it was a little bit short of a 5 hour bus journey from Singapore to Melaka Sentral, butr with its air conditioning, dvd player and massage chairs it was the more comfortable of my two bus journeys that day. As i took the number 11 bus to chinatown it was just over 20 mins but was quite a journey on a tin shell of a bus it appeared to have been stripped inside and then a few chairs stuck in travellers with there huge bags on there laps didnt leave much space either it was a bumpy, sweaty, dangerous but enjoyable ride for the price of 1 ringgit! When i arrived in town i enjoyed the local chinese dish nonya laksa whilst sitting in a very lively chinatown, listening to the Chinese karaoke and night market where i was hit by a car but i was okay but the same cant be said for the poor chinese man's stall that i was knocked in too. Today i left chinatown for accommodation nearer town square but unfortunately i dont think i left the bedbugs behind!! I walked down the quayside visiting some of the historical sights there such as Melaka Fort and spotting a Monitor Lizard in the river. I also explored town square with it's red buildings including the former Dutch Governors House. I also climbed the hill to Porta de Santiago and St Pauls Church where i took refuge from the pouring rain outside sheltering next to the graves of portuges and dutch settelers from more than 300 years ago was a bit strange. I returned to chinatown for the food i had Popiah( Spring Roll) made there on the spot by the elderly chinese vendor. I tried to enjoy the favourite local dessert Cendol but why is there Kidney Beans and sweetcorn in the bottom. Then in Mahkota shopping Mall came a bizzare encounter in which a local man named Mohan wanted to give me his number so i could call him tomorrow unfortunately for him i was leaving for Kuala Lumpur!
So on the 8th Feb i left Shariahs Guesthouse and headed for Kuala Lumpur, sayin goodbye to a couple of Japanese travellers i had shared a room with trhe night before including Takkei who has been travellin for 16 months!! I caught the bus to Melaka Sentral and it proceeded to a loop of Melaka for 45mins back to where i had started and then took 10mins to Melaka Sentral i just caught the 2pm bus to KL by 5mins. I arrived in KL with no idea where i was (i would later find out this is because they are refurbishing the main bus station so there is a new temporary one far away from the city centre) but i managed to navigate the LRT and Monorail systems to Bukit Bitang where i just had looked around and had some lovely Sattay and sum how ended up watchin get him 2 the greek in the hostel ha.
The following day started with me queing for 1 and a half hours to get my ticket for the Petronas Towers. I then moved accommodation in Chinatown called Suzies very nice, clean and cheap best value so far (thts up to 20.02.11 ths why it has earned a mention ha). I then went to Merdaka Square, the sight where Malaysian independence was declared on August 31st 1957 (Also the date in 1996 i think when petronas towers were officially opened) it has a very flagpole to celebrate this i also seen the Masjid Jamek Mosque. I then went to the Petronas towers where after watching a 10 minute video about Petronas we took the lift to the skybridge at the 41st floor followed by the observation deck at 86th floor. Afterwards i went to the Suria Mall below where i was befriended by a man from Tunisia who gave me a bowl of soup and told me all is good for his country now. I got out of the Petronas Towers just in time as thunder and lightning started i dont think it would be safest place to be. Returning to the hostel just after midnight after exploring the market in Petaling Street, Chinatown. I felt a chinese man in my bed luckily he never felt ha. I decided to stay 1 more day at Suzies and in KL but i had no real plans. I then bumped into a Canadian backpacker called Kate from my hostel. We spent the morning getting lost in KL but we eventually got back to Chinatown where we took the bus to Batu Caves after finally finding out of the very helpuful but not well informed locals. The journey is as worthy of a mention as the caves. An older Malay man got on and proceeded to tell me everything about KL, his daughter in England, his visits to England and how he is a retired W/O in the Malaysian Army. Then a ticket conductor got on and started berating us in Malay our new Malay friend tried to defend us and then it turns out we had been giving the wrong ticket and owed 1 ringgit ha. We arrived at the Batu caves and were greeted by the monkeys on the 272 steps up to the Light Cave. Inside there was a good sight of hindu shrines and the cave but it was ruined by rubbish and mans influence with gift shops inside. We then walked back down and seen the monkeys steal a mans bag! We returned to KL where at the Reggae bar i tried a Singapore Slinger (I knw its alcohol and a didnt really enjoy it bt apparently its a must!). Why is every1 in asia obssessed with Bob Marley there is reggae bars everywhere. Done!!!
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