We left KL on Tuesday after another 2 nights staying with my parents friends after we had got back from the rainforest. Unfortunately we managed to arrive at the wrong bus terminal as putraya and pudraya look very similar when booking! It wasn't a problem however and we managed to get a bus an hour later after a short ride on the subway to a different and 3rd bus station.
We arrived in Malacca just after midday and checked into our hostel. A nice place called Juran-Juran right in the heart of the old quarter and just off of Jonker street, the main hawker street in Malacca. We spent the afternoon and yesterday wondering round the city, seeing the old sites from when it was run by the Portuguese and enjoying the antique/nick-nack shopping. Sarah has bought a pair of lanterns and I picked up a few things for my brothers birthday in March.
Last night a large group of us from the hostel went for dinner at a local Indian which was delicious and then to watch a Hindu festival. No one could really tell us what they were celebrating but we think it involved a gods birthday and something to do with food as every 50m people were handing out free food and drink! We set up camp outside a hospital and as the large floats came past they stopped and started blessing people. There were a lot of excited people about and a lot of drumming! A really good experience seeing a different culture.
Today we are heading for Mersing, a town on the East coast. Hopefully we will make the last ferry to tioman island today, if not we will find somewhere to spend the night and get the ferry in the morning. Wish us luck!