Melaka

Melaka is a UNESCO world heritage town, like Quebec and Lunenburg. It was actually made one three years ago at an event in Quebec. The Portugese, Dutch and British all once considered it theirs over the last 500 years. The importance of the town was its location on the Malacca straight (Malacca being how it was once known) and the control over shipping it provided to whosever flag was flown. Now it is a nice little town but has that distinctive feeling that it is a bit of a disney world construct. For instance, there's a giant water wheel in the river, it is actually only a few years old having been built in the 90's. There's also a replica of a Portuguese galleon which serves the purposes of a museum and yet the inside isn't the same as a galleon. There's a huge shopping district with big malls, big stores, and remnants of churches and forts built by the various colonizers. Yet, away from all that there is the old town and Little India. The old town is full of small shops, antique dealers, galleries and restaurants. Little India is similar yet its stores are not tourist specific but places where a kilo of golden dates cost $2. They may make you sick so be careful which ones you eat.

I took lots of photos here but mostly at night. This is a type of transport you can get here, I've never seen anyone but a tourist in one though. They're lit up like a christmas tree and have speakers and sound system to make any Honda Civic driver jealous.

The fake water wheel with the fake Portugese Galleon

These sorts of fire escapes were popular in Singapore too.

The predominate religions here are Islam, Christianity, Hindu and Buddhist with some Taoism and Confucianism. There is a street here known as Harmony Road owning to the different religions having a place of worship there. Malaysia puts forward this idea of One Malaysia, that there aren't divides based on race or religion. Yet when we left here we couldn't get to Kuala Lumpur. Due to a planned demonstration by the opposition government they canceled public transport into the city to try and keep the numbers of participants down. While the two times we took a taxi the driver took his time to point out the lack of religious and cultural harmony. I'm not passing judgement here, just sharing the slice of life we witnessed.

Outside a Chinese temple, I say Chinese rather than Buddhist as it seems to be the place of worship for more than Buddhists alone.

As night falls all the birds in the area congregate in a couple trees along the river and the noise is deafening. One making his approach.

The fake water wheel and the tourist trap transit speaker and light show bike in the distance.

Just chillin'

All the rickshawesque guys hang out here at night waiting for tourists.

Old town.

A few shots of a mosque in old town.

There is a stark differences in the state of some buildings. This one looks perfectly kept.

This one, not so much. But more beautiful maybe.

This dog looked calm and happy till I bent down to take a photo, then all that was between me and a mouthful of teeth were some thin and, thankfully, metal bars.

Singapore

I was in Singapore on the 2nd of July so you have an idea of how behind I am. I didn't much care for Singapore. I say that because I'm watching my money and even while doing so I still spent much more than I would have like. It seemed like the kinda place where if you have the money or are on a short trip, enjoy shopping and eating then you're set. I like the later two but lack the first. That said, after 2 months of scarce vegetarian dishes it was a pleasure to find "Little India". Also there's a strong "do this, don't do this" vibe to the place which is night and day to Indonesia. It is too the point where chewing gum is fineable, so is riding your bike through an underpass, and when there isn't a law about something, well, there's a suggestion.

Durians are a spiky fruit which has a buttery textured meat inside. They are messy to eat with a strong odor but seem really popular here. I had one and enjoyed it, yet I have no desire to have another if that makes any sense.

A sculpture being made at a Hindu temple. We weren't allowed to take pictures of this temple but he said it was ok to do so of him.

China town night market.

A broom and dust bin, kites behind... I've shown these before, they're like still life in way.

They were playing for money... it was intense.

Chinatown near sunset. One street down from the busy one.

This is a Hindu temple in the foreground, I couldn't help but think that there must be a relationship between the structure of the temple and the building behind it.

The colorful building behind used to be a police station. The woman bearing an umbrella against the sun is common here and not a bad idea. It was hot, made all the more so by the concrete and pavement.

Cricket and towers.

A monument to the civilian deaths of the Japanese occupation. Locals call them "the chopsticks".

The wall of a mosque. So many small tiles went into this I can't imagine the labour.

Behind the mosque there was a cemetery.

These flowers are sold to be taken into the Hindu temple by the devoted and placed as offerings I think.

The temples bustle with activity, these are, I think, Pujaris who help the devotees and administer some of the rites.

Old and new... both in age and time.

North West Bali on the return from Java - June 15th

The return from Java, Bali side. More rice fields. It was also a full moon which is an auspicious day in Bali. We went to a temple where we were cleansed with holy water and I felt like a fool while never being judged for not knowing how to hold my hands, when to drop the flower, and how many handfulls of water to drink. The water came from a well at the base of a sacred tree. Neither of us got sick. It didn't feel right to take photos so I didn't.

More rice fields.

A Buddhist temple with a Buddha under construction. Made of cement from what I could tell.

We tried to go to another waterfall, the drive down was scary on a scooter and Jacqueline walked a bit of the way so if anything happened one of us could call home. When we got to the area we were blocked by a religious ceremony. They were going to make room for us to pass but who disturbes something like this. The sound was amazing. Percussion instruments echoing through the forest, we sat and watched.

South via the Catur/Sangiyang Pass - May 28th

This was from a while ago and lost in the archives. But as I'm now out of Bali and trying to get caught up again I'm realizing that there are some days missing. So after going North via Batur we stayed in Lovina, a lovely, quiet and forgettable town on the coast that specializes in diving. We didn't dive, we slept and went South via a different mountain pass.

Simian and sapiens crossing the road.

Parenting...

Who wants to bring a monkey to a temple anyway? This is at the entrance to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan. It was heavily touristed at the time and, well, it was nice but... it was nice.

I love trees, really love them. These roots are more than ten feet across.

Notice the swastika on the right. It is a Hindu, Buddhist and Jainist symbol used on objects and people as a mark of good luck in the East. In the West it is the mark of the Nazis, as everyone should know.

Further along the road home we came across a waterfall.

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