Melaka, Malaysia
We are in the lovely, very old-fasioned Chinatown of this, Malaysia’s oldest city. The town was founded in the 14th century and was subsequently held by Arab traders, Dutch, Portugese, and British colonists. It holds a certain charm and still has many of the buildings built by the Dutch and British. There are many elements of Portugese in the local cuisine.
On the way into the city we saw a goat with elephantiasis of the penis. It (not the goat) was about the size of a Wonder Bread XL loaf. It was truly one of the highlights of the trip, but unfortunately we could not get a picture as we were on the bus. We will just have to leave to imagine in your mind just exactly what that looks like.
We have made many sightings of that elusive and increasingly endangered species: the Mullet. The local variety is known as a “Mayllut” and is surprisingly abundant here. We have made at least 20 confirmed sightings. They are most common around bus stations and on souped-up motorbikes. They are also much less aggressive than their American counterparts.
Melaka is definitely the friendliest city we have been to in Malaysia, especially in the old Chinatown. People here ask about you out of genuine concern, not just to get you to buy something. It is very refreshing.