Malay Way

Malacca Port

Malacca originally was coastal marshland inhabited by native villagers who fished the sea and nearby estuaries for food. The indigenous peoples were few in number and left to themselves until an exiled prince arrived on the Malay Peninsula in search of a new land to rule. When the prince rested in the area, he saw a small deer fend off an attacking dog by kicking it in to a river. He took it as a good omen and decided to settle the bank of the river which he named Melaka after the local trees.

The decision was a fortuitous one. Malacca turned out to be in the precise divide between two monsoon winds, and thus an unavoidable stop for ships sailing the Malacca strait. Moreover, local mountain ranges sheltered the region from heavy storms. It was the ideal spot for a port of trade.

While small at first, Malacca gained prominence after the great Chinese explorer Zheng He visited the port in . Zheng He, in the name of the Chinese Emperor, formed a treaty with the Malacca Sultan. In time Indians and Arabs from the west arrived to trade with the Chinese and Javanese from the east. Some of the goods that made their way west (silk, porcelain, spices, tea) went to Europe where they were in great demand. For over one hundred years the port prospered and Malacca grew to become an empire encompassing the entire Malay Peninsula and parts of the surrounding islands.

The Portuguese then invaded and screwed it all up. After driving out the Sultan, they attempted to use the port to control the spice trade by imposing heavy taxes on those who did not sell to them directly, but in the process drove off many merchants. This led to the emergence of rival ports in Penang and Johor.

When the Dutch took over from the Portuguese some 150 years later they did not fare any better. The British were next, and they gave up on Malacca altogether, instead diverting trade in the region to Singapore. The Japanese even came and occupied the city for three years during the WWII.

When the war ended the British regained control of Malaysia but the cost of maintaining the colony was too much for them. In 1962 they left the peninsula. Malacca along with the rest of Malaysia at last gained complete independence for the first time in over four-hundred years.

Amphibious Tour Group out to Sea

Sailors form a Past Age

The Sultan's Court

Sultan's Palace of Old

A Colonial Gate

Fountain in Historic Quarter

Old Church

Another Church

And yet Another

Backstreet

A Tale of Two Cities

As the age of trade dawned on Malacca, Singapore rose to become the largest commercial port in the world. The British declared the island a free trade zone and drew in merchants from all corners of Asia. The port grew rapidly in both prominence and population, and the British were determined to defend the port at all costs when the Japanese invaded south east Asia.

The Japanese led by General Yamashita came from the north through Thailand. Unable to move quickly through the jungle terrain they did the unthinkable. The men abandoned their tanks and trucks in favor of bicycles. Thus the Japanese forces doubled their time and launched an attack on Singapore long before the British expected them. Unprepared and unable to mount a last minute defense the colony fell within days. The allied soldiers who surrendered were rounded up and taken to Changi island where they endured three years of suffering in a prison camps. Incidentally, the modern day Singapore airport is now located in the same location.

After the war the British eventually left Singapore and the island became part of the new country of Malaysia. The Muslim government in Kuala Lumpur however became weary of the leftist sentiment in the pro capitalist port and passed a law that essentially cut it off from the rest of the country. Singapore had no choice but to become a separate nation. To this day it is the only sovereign state in the world to have gained independence against its own will.

Downtown Singapore

The Marina Bay Hotel and Casino 

Inside

Up On Top

The Rooftop Pool

The Hotel Across the Bay

Strange Durian Like Building

Along The Canals

Downtown at Night

The Three People of Singapore

The three major ethnic groups in Singapore are the Malays, Chinese and Indians. Considering how the latter two can be divided up in to distinct racial groups, this makes Singapore a very culturally diverse city. Walking through Little India one might think they were in one of the nicer parts of Mumbai. Every which way you look are Indian people and their restaurants and shops. The same goes for Chinatown, except with Chinese of course. There is an Arab town as well but it is smaller in scale because there are less Middle Easterns in the city.

One interesting result of this mix of people is the wide variety of food available. It is the only city where authentic Chinese, Indian and Malay food can be found in such number. Of the three I like Indian food the most and set out to find a good restaurant. I opted for some cheap places first and was not too impressed but during my final night I ate at a fancy restaurant and had some very delicious butter chicken curry, my favorite. Before leaving, I also enjoyed my fare share of Chinese food which was good, but very bony and greasy which takes away from the meal.

Lastly, Singapore has a plethora of chain restaurants many of which are found in America. It is always interesting to walk in to a McDonalds or Burger King and see how the menu varies by country. On this trip I tried a double whopper junior with BBQ sauce and mashed potato added in. As a bonus the burger and fries were served with two black pepper drumsticks.

A Mosque in Arab Town

Vendors in Little India

Local Children Tour the Mosque

Chinatown

A Hindi Temple

An Old Chinese Restaurant Remade

The Various Dishes

A Buddhist Statue

Snow Ice

The weather throughout the entire trip was hot and humid. Normally, I am not bothered by such conditions but because I was doing a lot of walking the heat wore me down. While in Malacca's Chinatown I sought out a cold snack to chow down on. First I tried a blueberry Popsicle. Next there was some sesame flavored shaved ice. The two however, were not enough to satisfy my need for refreshment. That was when I came across a young girl selling snow ice. The variety of flavors immediately piqued my interests, particularly the soursop. While in Chile I had greatly enjoyed the fruit, but never came across it elsewhere, so I did not hesitate to buy some. Since I could add another flavor in my cup I also went with passion fruit.

From the first bite the awsome deliciousness that assaulted my taste buds left me in a state of ecstasy. Both flavors were fruitfully rich while the ice's consistency was much like sorbet. So impressed was I that I went back twice more before I left Malacca and tried their other other flavors--dragon fruit, mulberry and plum lime. Eating the snow ice as a reprieve from the unforgiving sun brought great joy to my heart. It was much like my trip to Italy some eight years before. Traveling the streets of Rome in August was not the best idea but I managed to survive he 42 degree heat thanks to gelatto stands that are as ubiquitous in the city as public fountains. Comparing that incredible italian gelatto to the snow ice of Malaysia I believe them to be equals in delectable greatness. In other words, they stand as two great pillars on a mound of innumerable contenders forever vying to become the best.

So yeah, Malaysian snow ice was damned good. I'm not sure where else they might sell it, but if ever the chance presents itself, do not hesitate in the slightest to buy a cup.

Sesame Flavored Shave Ice

Snow Ice

Butter Rice Balls with Seasoned Chicken

Malaysian Satay Food

Dan is Ready for Spicy Indian Food

McDonalds in Malacca

Strict laws

Singapore is notorious for its strict laws. Offenses such as drug trafficking, illegal possession of a firearm and murder are all punished by death. Not that I would ever do any of those things. But for even minor infractions, the laws can be quite harsh with their punishments. Caning for one is very common, and is used in conjunction with jail time and fines to deal with people who break the law. For example, fighting in public will probably get you caned. That is understandable, but other offenses like overstaying a visa will also get you caned. Its their way of saying goodbye before deporting you.

I myself have never been caned nor do I know anyone who has, but according to Wikitravel it is extremely painful and will leave a victim with permanent scarring on their buttocks. To avoid any such possibility I was on my best behavior in Singapore. To avoid inadvertently breaking the law I did my research beforehand and was sure to read the warning signs posted throughout the city.

When it came down to it, my biggest worry was getting fined. Something as simple as chewing gum outdoors or forgetting to flush a public toilet could cost someone fifty bucks. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Fines for other little careless things could amount to as much as five hundred American dollars. Eating or drinking on the train is a good example. Why they have to make someone pay so much seems rather excessive, but it works. I didn't see any food on the metro system and the trains were really clean.

I think the only violation of the law I saw was jaywalking. Supposedly, a person can be fined for that but everyone was doing it. But not me. For the most part I used crosswalk.

A Ring Above a Fountain

Suntec Mall

Many Joggers in Singapore

The Construction Never Ends

Made of Real Milk Chocolate

Entrance of Universal Studios Singapore

Singapore Zoo

I grew up in San Diego home of the World Famous San Diego Zoo. This kind of spoiled me because whenever I go to a zoo elsewhere the experience always left me disappointed. I always think, Where are the pandas? or why don't they have more reptiles on exhibit? It is always one thing or another, because few places can offer the same variety of animals to see and usually lack the top notch enclosures and facilities.

Well, this being the case, the Singapore Zoo became the first zoo that I ever walked away from feeling impressed by. It is not as large as the San Diego Zoo, but the space it does have is used much more effectively. The enclosures and exhibits are all made to mirror the natural habitat of the animal on display. This means that there is not a single cage in the park. The closest thing to it would be the aviaries, which themselves are very large. I was particularly impressed by the tigers. While I could not view them up close like at the San Diego Zoo, I was delighted to see that they were all white. The zoo's biggest strength however was its collection of primates. They have the largest group of captive orangoutangs in the world and their chimpanzees are also high in number. The great apes aside, they had dozens of smaller monkey species too.

I monkeys and tigers are typical in any zoo, but their enclosures and the overall presentation were what made the experience exceptional. Moreover, after hours a separate part of the park opened for Singapore's Night Safari. The animals were lit up by large stadium like lights that recreated the natural illumination of the moon. Guided trams passed from enclosure to enclosure while passengers were free to get off and walk around at certain points. This seemed a little gimmicky to me because the animals on display were mostly the same as those that could be seen during the day--like lions, giraffes and rhinoceroses. It was not until I saw the flying squirrels that I felt the price of admission was justified. They were quite lively and gliding all over the place. Then there was an aviary with giant flying squirrels that were about the size of a house cat. I have always been fascinated by this type of animal because I once saw one while hiking in Japan, but only at a distance. At the Night Safari when I went in to the aviary they were flying back and forth some twenty feet away. To say the least I was very delighted. The gliding squirrels are now my new favorite animal.

White Tiger

Rhinos

Baboons

Elephants

Sunset

Traditional Fire Dance

Muslim Malay

Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country. In fact it the place where Islam spread from in South east Asia. Back during the heyday of the Malacca Empire, Arab traders spread the word of Allah and it caught on in the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian islands. Several hundred years later the religion is still going strong.

There were a lot of mosques in Malacca and most of the women I saw went around with berkas wrapped around their heads. It is a decided way of life for the locals, but because there is a lot of influence from China and elsewhere, other religions are thrown in the mix.

That said the country is what I like to think of as a liminal Islamic state. This means the religious dogmatic views held by the majority do not impose heavily on the lifestyle choices of the minority, or in my case, that of an outsider. For example in Malaysia it is okay for anyone to drink beer freely and the Internet is not censored. This is different from when I visited Egypt--itself rather liberal. Beer was technically not illegal but very few places sold it, and those drinking it were mostly foreigners. My big gripe was the Internet which was heavily regulated. Worst off, was when I went to India. Beef and pork food items were nonexistent because of Hindi and Islamic influence, so at McDonalds I had to settle for a chicken Maharaja Mac. Okay it wasn't that bad, but were I too live there it would become a serious issue.

I've never been a big fan of the restrictions religion places on practitioners let alone those who are of a different creed, so I was happy to find Malaysia was not bogged down by strict laws and rules. It's kind of funny because Singapore to the south is much more liberal in terms of religious views, but the country overall is much more strict because of the heavy fines and penalties for simple misdemeanor crimes.

A Mosque out on the Water

A Smaller Mosque

Mala Mosque

Children Touring the Ship

Dan and Yoko about to Enter a Mosque

Chinese Gate

Chinese Temple Architecture 

Inside a Church

The Outside

A River in Malacca

Addiction

With every trip I keep telling myself I really should stop traveling and save my money. But there is always another place I want to see, and in Asia it is quite cheap anywhere you go (other than Japan of course). The truth is, even if it were otherwise, I would still find somewhere to visit. Hell, in Japan alone I have been more places than anyone else I know.

Simply put, I am addicted travel. I love seeing the sights, taking pictures and eating new foods. And if I am lucky something majestic and unexpected takes place. For example, in Thailand while hiking through the jungle I stumbled across a waterfall with a pool of water covered completely by golden leaves. Or in Egypt, Dan and I ventured across the Nile to the non touristy side of Luxor and played a game of soccer with some rural boys. Then in the Philippines, I did wake boarding for the first time, and completely on the spur of the moment. 7 hours for only 20 bucks. And I'll never forget the time in Chile, while biking along the Carretera Austral in the rural south a Pudu appeared alongside the road. It is the worlds smallest dear and extremely shy. But there it was for a fleeting moment before vanishing without a sound.

So what next?

I've decided I will go to Mongolia. And it will be as a volunteer.

In the city of Ulaan Batar there are many street kids living in the sewers, and this cruel, harsh reality affords little opportunity for them to feel like normal children. So a very kind lady from Singapore decided to do something about it. She organized a camp for these children to attend, a place where they can get away from the city and just have fun. The kids can go hiking, ride horses, do arts and crafts. But the woman can't manage it all her own. Thats where the volunteers come in. And in my case it means doing two of the things I love most in life. Travel and working with kids. As the Mongols would say, its 'Killing two vultures with one arrow.'

But this is not some self-righteous crusade to help the unfortunate. A person doesn't have to go Mongolia to help people. It's just something I want to do. The next adventure on the horizon.

Come July, Ulan Bataar is where I'll be.

Me at the Merlion Hotel