More highlights from Malaysia - Melaka

Chinatown

The riverfront in Melaka

A replica of Dutch ship which houses a maritime museum

Ryan and I in front of the ruins of a 17th century Portuguese church

There are so many things still to catch up on from our trip to Malaysia! After Langkawi, we spent a couple of days in Melaka, south of KL where we explored the city and did some shopping. Melaka has been an important trading port throughout the history of Malaysia, even before Europeans arrived. The maritime museum was particularly interesting, especially because it was inside a replica of a Dutch ship that sank of the coast of Malaysia in the 17th century. We learned more about the spice trade and about the history of European settlement in Peninsular Malaysia. I read plenty about that at the National Museum too, but only remembered a fraction. Maybe now that I've read about it twice, I'll remember more!

We stayed in a guesthouse in Chinatown - a cool old part of the city. I'm glad we stayed there; it was definitely the happening place to be. It was close to good hawker stalls (street food), restaurants, gift shops, and the riverfront. After Melaka we headed to Taman Negara National Park - more about that tomorrow...