We took the bus from Mersing to Melaka, saying goodbye to the charming Dutch family that we had met on the ferry. After watching the green Malaysian scenery fly by for a few hours, we landed at the Melaka bus station, where we were immediately accosted by various point-men who thrust their flyers in our faces, entreating us to go to their motel. This was actually welcome, since we hadn't bothered to sort out lodging and we ended up at the adequate Kota Lodge, which is located behind the lustrous Baba House in Chinatown.
Off to Chinatown in the night, winding through the gilded roads and by the grand shophouses and onto the red paved plaza of Dutch Square, and then to a little alley lined with hawker stalls. Upon closer inspection, we found that one of the first few stalls was selling Indian food. When asked if he had anything vegetarian, the proprietor said "of course" and ushered us to a cracked plastic table set with an assortment of dishware. He began to make roti, working the dough balls in his hands and frying them on his portable griddle. Soon we had piping hot fresh roti and plastic bowls filled to the brim with a smooth and spicy yellow dal. I ate my fill of a bowlful of dal and a few rounds of roti; I.L. had two bowls and several rotis. Sharing our table were several other people of various ethnicities but probably the same nationality (other than us), all chowing down happily. Sated, we paid the bill of about 5 ringgit: about USD1.50, including drinks. A great introduction to Melaka. On the way back to the hotel, we were caught in a tropical downpour, torrents of rain soaking us to the point that resistance was futile. I didn't mind. I was full, happy, and in Malaysia. We ducked in and out from under the porticoes, admiring the tilework inlaid on the sidewalk and the shop fronts.
The next few days were just as charming. We wandered around Chinatown and went to the museum at Studhuys in Dutch Square where adorable bats were hanging upside down, in repose, from the rafters. We explored Little India, with its profusion of sari shops and beautiful food: another vegetarian delight was my first experience at an Indian "banana leaf" restaurant (here's a good representation and explanation). The lunch special, another very reasonable deal, was scooped onto the enormous leaves that were slapped down in front of us as plates. Different puddles of delicious food, all vegetarian, were accompanied by rice and samosas and pakoras and drinks. No utensils in sight, everyone was eating with their non-poop hand (difficult for me - with naan or other bread I can manage it, but trying to eat a rice/soup mixture with fingers requires special skill). There's a sink for washing up before and boxes of tissues around to wipe up with after. When finished eating, the leaves are conveniently folded over to hide the mess. Beats paper plates any day.
We also checked out the night market on Jonker Walk (aka Jalan Hang Jebat) and then the next day checked out some of the arty stuff in Chinatown and Old Melaka. I wrote about that here. We also wandered into a coffee wholesaler run by Chinese folks. They spoke no English, and my Chinese is limited to the Mandarin xie xie. They were selling fresh ground sugared coffee very inexpensively, and I wanted to buy whole bean coffee, which was not on display anywhere. When I couldn't get the message across, I wrote the Japanese kanji for "bean" (mame: 豆) on my palm and showed it to the shopkeepers. Their faces lit up and they said, yes! yes! and they brought out a sackful, asking how much I wanted to buy. I bought a kilo, for about USD5, with many xie xies. They asked where I was from, that I was able to come up with such information but couldn't speak a word of Chinese or Malay, and I explained the Japan connection. Kanji sure is helpful sometimes.
Good times! Absolutely visit Malaysia if you can, and Melaka if you go. So far, it's been my favorite spot in Asia.
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