Melaka (Malacca)

Tuesday we took a bus from Port Dickson to Seremban and then another bus to the city of Melaka. Walking around town checking out inexpensive hotels, we settled on the Hotel Regal. While it definitely did not live up to its name, for U.S. $14 a night we had our own bathroom plus air conditioning.

Melaka became the major trading port in SE Asia in the 15th century, its fortunes and importance rising and falling in the following years. Control of the port passed from the Sultans to the Portuguese, to the Dutch and then the English and in the mid 1900's back to the Malays. Today, instead of sailing ships laden with spices you see ferries carrying people in and out of the harbor.

One hot afternoon we splurged and took a trishaw (a bicycle powered rickshaw) back to our hotel. The many trishaw operators, all vying for tourist dollars, get very creative with their decorations. Most trishaws are topped with an umbrella covered in colorful artificial flowers. Many have polished gold or silver colored ornaments and twinkly lights for after dark. A couple of them even had a sound system!

By accident we came upon the Cheng Ho Cultural Museum, too new to be listed in our Lonely Planet. Anyone who has read 1421: the Year China Discovered the World by Gavin Menzies, would especially appreciate this museum. Admiral Cheng Ho sailed to Melaka in 1405 bearing gifts from Emperor Zhu Di. Chinese settlers followed and today there are still many Chinese people living in Melaka.

Walking around after dinner one evening, passing closed up shops, we heard country-western music. Looking through the open dooorway of what we guess was a Chinese social club, we saw a group of women learning to line dance. Farther down the street was another club, also full of line dancers. We hung about the doorway awhile, hoping to be invited in, but they didn't seem to notice us.