Day 175- The bus was to depart at 8am so after breakfast we set a fine pace to the bus station. Once there we discovered that including the two of us there was 3 people bound for Melaka on the 35 seat luxury coach. We didn't complain and made ourselves very comfortable. We passed through customs and Malaysian border control no problem. Once over the border the bus pulled into a station where it filled up with new passengers and continued on. We arrived into Melaka at 1pm and were hungry so stopped for our first taste of Malay food. We then had to catch a public bus to the centre where we were dropped off at the clock tower and it was only a 10 min walk from here. The guest-house was very nice and homely but no air con so we headed straight out to explore the old colonial town. The town itself has so much history; it was first settled by Malay fishermen hundreds of years ago, then an exiled king from Indonesia set up a town, next up were the Portuguese followed by the Dutch and then finally the British (or the Brutish as they were commonly known as under Queen Victoria's rule). So we had plenty to look forward to we settled for a nice slow stroll along the river and back first of all. On the way back we stopped by the Main Square where the clock tower is and it was buzzing with tourists on day trips, it was really busy and quite crowded. Feeling exhausted and very hot we wandered back to the hostel for a bit of a rest and to lie under the fan. That night we walked into Chinatown as there was a night market, we looked for dinner after browsing the very busy stalls. We opted for fish balls and carrot cake, this isn't the yummy sweet cake we have at home but a savoury noodle dish with lots of white raddish. We also bought some fresh Kiwi juice which was amazing. There seemed to be some type of small festival- or at least a big stage for KTV (Karaoke) so we watched that for a while before trying to make our way down the jam-packed street. We picked up an unusual shaped ice cream each on the way, passion fruit for Eve and Mulberry for me, both very nice!

Day 176- We picked up breakfast from a little street cafe and walked down to the river to pick a shaded spot to eat it. From here we walked up past the clock tower and up a small hill to St. Pauls church which was built by the Portuguese back in 1521, it was in ruins but well preserved considering. The spot gave us good views of the area and then we walked down the back where it brought us to a Portuguese fortress called Porta De Santiago. These buildings from over 500 years ago are still in pretty good condition so it shows how well they were built and gives Melaka a great heritage feel. After walking around a little while longer we managed to find a shopping mall with some air con and a juice bar. After a quick stop we carried on and made it back to the hostel. We did a bit of research on Thai islands as the midday day heat passed, We popped out to the cafe at the end of the road for a Teh Tarik and a bit of lunch and then at about 4 we set off out again. This time we headed in the other direction and found St Peters church which was erected in 1710 and is still fully functional. We strolled through Little India on the way back and stopped off for tea at an Indian cafe for a banana leaf set.

Day 177- That morning we decided to have breakfast in the guest-house where I ordered banana caramel pancakes and Eve went for cheese with pesto on toast. Nice western change! The heat was really getting to us so we didn't plan much but a walk through Chinatown. On the way we stopped off at the Hard Rock Cafe and had a look around and while we fully intended to have a nice drink there overlooking the river, the prices decided otherwise. So instead we started our tour of Chinatown with the 'Jonker Walk', this simply took us down the main street stopping at the odd temple or shrine. We then took a few detours down some small alleys where we found a little cafe for dinner. It was just simple Chinese food but really nice and was just what we fancied. From here we walked down the river back across to the clock tower and back to the hostel. It was a nice relaxed day which we ended with tea in a local Malay cafe where we were served satay. This was where we sat around a table with a large pot in the middle that was filled with a thick satay soup that was bubbling away. We then had to pick some skewers to cook in the soup and we went for prawns, pork, mushrooms, pak choy and other veg. It was delicious and a nice end to our lovely stay in Melaka.