Melaka

I left Singapore at about lunch time. That is a bad idea when u have to carry your backpack in the middle of the day. Nevertheless I made it to the station. From there I went to Johor Bahru, which is located right after the boarder, where I got a bus to Melaka. This way u can save half the money as direct buses out of Singapore are very expensive.

Talking about the bus trips I have to say that all buses are pretty OK. The local ones are just normal buses, as we use them in Europe...a bit more fucked up and no AC. The VIP buses...which are available for trips >2h are very very comfortable. U got plenty of space and an AC (also good for taking a nap)...not bad at all.

Coming back to the trip. On the bus to Melaka I met Mara. Mara was from Romania. She was traveling, even on a lower budget...for free. She had found a guy via couch surfing. He was the host of a guesthouse and let her stay for free. Later that day I went with both of them for dinner.

In Melaka I got the first experience which somehow influenced my further journey, my stay in the Eastern Heritage. When I arrived at the Eastern Heritage, it looked alright from the outside, so I booked for one night before taking a look at the dorm or the rooms (NEVER DO THAT!). Even though it was really cheap (8 ringgit = 2 Euros)...its no fun to stay...so I spend most time in town and slept there only 4h.

Melaka is a beautiful city with a very historic background. The city center is quite small, and one can visit the most famous sites easily in one day. In addition to the historical buildings from the Dutch, French, Portuguese and English (they like us Germans here ^^), Chinatown was my favorite place, full of life and with nice little restaurants and shops. The weather was great...but it was really hot (36*C) and humid. Never walk in the sun too long, have water with u and spend some time in the shops or cafes. That seemed to be a good strategy for me.

People I met (the night before and the next day in the town) were mostly Dutch. Conversation starts often with football...even Dutch girls are quite into it.

After spending one day in Melaka I decided to leave in the afternoon (as accommodation was bad and nightlife didn't really exist). By bus (VIP :)), I made my way to Kuala Lumpur.