3/29: Two very generous people, and more

Johan and Yan, my weekend tour guides

I am still staying in the house of Ridzuan, though supposedly I will be moving to the guest house "soon." Ridzuan said that his friends think he is crazy, for if he loves to travel, and if he wants to go somewhere, he just goes - no plans, no problem. "I like to gamble," he said. He suggested we go to Cameron Highlands on the weekend, but couldn't really commit. "Ask me in the morning," he replied when I asked on Friday night if we were going to Cameron Highlands on Saturday. My plan was to either to go to Cameron Highlands with Zuan, or go on my own to Melaka (not Malacca - I think the Malaysians know how to spell their own cities). But it turned out there was a PTA meeting Saturday morning that lasted longer than expected. I sat outside the meeting hall, waiting to see what my weekend would be like. Yan, an English teacher who I met a few days before on my trip to the Vietnamese embassy in KL, invited me to sit and eat a snack. While I was eating, without my knowing she called Zuan, found out that we wouldn't be going to Cameron Highlands, and then called her husband, who was driving back from the airport, having just picked up his brother, Didi, who is going to university in Australia and is on Easter break. She arranged for me to accompany them into KL for sight-seeing, and then to Melaka the next day.

So Yan, Johan, Didi and I headed for KL. But before we toured the city, we went to Johan's parent's home. Within a minute of being there, I was surrounded by food (another similarity between Muslim mothers and Jewish mothers). I immediately took a liking to Johan's mother, Salmah.

Beautiful building in KL with the KL Tower in the background

Old and new in KL

Johan in front of the high school he attended in KL

View of KL at sunset

The next day Johan, Yan and I head for Melaka, but before arriving, we stopped at Taman Mini, where replicas of traditional houses from every state of Malaysia are on display. At one point in the show, portraying the different dances of Malaysia, the dancers went off stage to collect "audience participate." Of course, the one white guy sitting there would be selected.

Melaka is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was Malaysia's most important spice trading center, with merchants from as far as Arabia, China, India and Europe conducting trade there. Thus, it was conquered by the Portuguese in 1511, the Dutch in 1641, and then the British in 1824. On August 31st, 1957 Malaysia gained self-rule.

Old British building, though maybe originally Dutch

This church was built by the Portuguese in 1511.

Dutch church from 1753 in the back ground

Nice building

There is a huge Chinese influence in Melaka

Cheng Hoong Teng, the oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia, built in 1673

There are many shops that sell all types of paper products to be burned at funerals, so the departed has everything he or she needs, such as a 6 pack of beer or a Mercedes Benz.

Batik artist

I am learning about Malaysian cuisine. for breakfast one morning in the school dining hall, I was served a white bread, scrambled eggs and hot dog sandwich with tomatoes and sambal (spicy sauce). Above is a new product at one of the food stalls in Melaka.

These bicycle rickshaws used to be the main form of transportation in Melaka, now they are just used for the tourists. There are actual competitions for the most beautifully decorated bicycle rickshaw. Not only are they quite a sight, but quite a sound as well, as they drive by blaring their music (huge speakers attached to the back), often playing Malaysian Rap music.

New addition to the "laundry collection"

At the table: Kina (Johan's sister), Izhan (Kina's boyfriend), Suarnor (Johan's father), Salmah (Johan's mother), and Johan. Standing behind are: Didi (Johan's brother), me, and Yan (Johan's wife)

To conclude the evening, we met Johan's family in KL at Restoran Stadium Negara for "steamboat." The contraption in the middle has two types of boiling broth, and a variety of vegetables, meat and seafood are then placed in the broth and cooked. but before we ate that, I had the most delicious dish ever - chili crab, eaten with mentau, a fried white bread roll.

Petronas Towers at night