White Beaches for Old Buildings

Getting to Malaka during the morning hours one is quickly offered a myriad of taxi services. Red cab with white parts, white cab with red parts, red cab, broken cab. Dodging the most generous offers of transportation I fled into the supermarket a few feet away. Fleeing might be a strong word as they services offered weren't that much pushed in your face as one might except having traversed places like KL, Jakarta or Bali.
A short stop to hydrate and sodium replenishment after the morning buss from KL and the night buss from Mersing clearly boosted my ability to focus and I could now not only think about how to get to China Town but also divide my mind to also think of where to get my next ice cream. Breathtaking, no?
From Melaka Sentral which is just on the other side of the road from where the buss will drop you off one can get bus 17 which usually leaves from stop 6 or 7 which will take you to china town. The fare should be 1RM.

The majority of hostels, and budget hotels are located in the china town area close to most the old colonial architecture as well as historic places. Seeking out a hostel called Jalan Jalan (which means, walk walk, road road or travel in Malay) I soaked in the energies of Melaka and instantly liked it, a lot. This is a place where I can rest and relax for a while. Forget the world and blend in to the landscape of Chinese shrines, dim sum shops and old colonial style buildings. Although my sack of gold is a rather small one the innkeeper's demands for a budget traveler are.

• Dorm with fan 14RM
• Dorm with AC 18RM

For me the big bonuses here are that there are

• No bed bugs =) yay!
• Cheap
• At a central Location
• Free Wifi
• Hot Water Shower
• Clean toilets
• Nice staff
• Friendly travelers

And the big downers are

• mosquitoes
• the wifi can be a bit bouncy at times

Although beer is more expensive here than my last destination certain objects of decadence are available. In fact yesterday I went out and satisfied my human urges. And a damn good Magnum ice cream it was. It fit perfectly after the Indian food I had at Pak Putra. Locally famous for it's naan and chicken tandoori they also demonstrate a ability to produce grade a dishes in all varieties. I'd recommend some family style street dining here to make sure you get a little bit of everything. However if you time it perfectly for dinner you will be waiting for a while as it's a popular places and orders can be delayed for up to 1-2 hours at rush time.

A local amusement of mine is the rickshaws, fancy decorations and a even fancier audio system is sure to entertain. Pumping out loud music, usually sticking to a theme they differentiate themselves from the rest. So far I've definitively caught Michel Jackson, Dangdut, Heavy Metal and naturally the mainstream Malay pop/love songs. Me I'd go with any rickshaw playing jack Johnson even if I don't need to go anywhere. I'll definitively trade white beaches for old buildings in Malaka most days.