Diane Again: Melaka/Malacca

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Melaka/Malacca

{In English, we say Malacca. In Malay, it's Melaka. I like to use both }

When I was in maybe fourth grade, I remember learning about the Straits of Malacca. This skinny strip of water was a passage in the far-off lands of I didn't even know where, historically important for all kinds of complicated military and economic reasons. Something about this strategic waterway stuck in my child's mind, and I've always been fascinated by it.

So today was the day that my dream of visiting this place finally came true. Well. Kind of.

^ I left Kuala Lumpur with the irrepressible Hamster as my guide, making the ninety-minute journey as evening fell over us. We ate dinner at a place where you choose your own proteins from open containers full of iced fish, prawns, shellfish and squid. The feast was so delicious that I ate it all before Hammie reminded me to take a pic.

^ Oops, too bad. So I took a pic of our empty plates instead.

Then we went to take a river cruise up the cozy Melaka River. The riverside homes and businesses, many of the built in traditional style, are beautifully and extravagantly lit. Small boats glide up and down the water, allowing passengers to feast their eyes. But we missed the last ferry of the evening by two minutes.

Oops. Too bad. So we walked along the river banks instead.

Finally, after feasting our senses on the city, Ham announced that we were heading to the beach. Finally, my longstanding dream of seeing the Malacca Straits was about to come true! Just one little problem: in the dark, I could barely make out the water lapping against the rocky shoreline. Rather than filling my eyes with the enormous expanse of historic blue sea, I observed what looked more or less like a mud puddle.

Oops!! Too bad indeed. But we went back the next day...