A comfortable night in a "cheaper end" Singapore hotel not far from the bus station we wanted to be at the next day, made a good start to our adventure.

A reasonably comfortable bus took us to the Singapore - Malaysian border and the pesky border formalities then onto Malacca. We had jagged a fantastic price for a Novotel Hotel for our three nights.Luxury!

We enjoyed wandering around the easily walkable old city and exploring the Portuguese and Dutch buildings.  A Formosa, the 1511 Portuguese Fort, is the crown of Malacca and is the oldest European Architectural Buildings in Asia.

We took the bus back to Singapore but the customs at the border this time took forever and we came through after about 1 & 1/2 hours to find our bus had gone without us! A bit of stress we didn't need but we were able to catch another bus. Another night in Singapore then we are off to a new country, Myanmar.

Relaxing, and reading a Malaysian newspaper when in Malacca we came across the below story. Previously in our blog on Nepal we wrote of a similar python story.  
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"The carcass of a six-metre long reticulated python (a species of python found in Southeast Asia), believed to have been burnt to death in a forest fire near the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) camp in Gong Kedak was found here Wednesday. Pasir Puteh Fire and Rescue Department chief ASP Azhar Elmi Mustofar said the snake with a diameter of 0.3 metres was believed to have been trapped and unable to escape when the fire broke out about noon.The blaze was put out seven hours later."The discovery of the python shocked the public, as well as firemen who were trying to keep the fire from spreading," Azhar Elmi told reporters here Thursday.
He said the fire which affected about 20 hectares of forest area, was believed to have been caused by open burning..
 

and another story:
 
 Giant snake dies (Source-National Geographic) MALAYSIA (KCTV) - This story definitely falls in the category of "strange animal tales. " According to numerous reports, including stories by National Geographic and GrindTv.com, a gigantic python captured by construction workers in Malaysia has died under mysterious circumstances.The snake, said to measure 24.6 feet long, just 7 inches shorter than the largest python known in captivity, has died, according to National Geographic, The magazine says Malaysian Wildlife officials are concerned that the snake may have been mishandled.The reticulated python also reportedly weighed in at a beefy 551 pounds, though those numbers reportedly have not been independently verified.Reports state that the snake was found last week at a construction site in Paya Terubong on the Malaysian island of Penang. Members of Malaysia’s Civil Defense Force moved the animal and posed for photos and video, in which they can be seen holding the snake, taping its mouth shut, and fashioning a noose around its neck.National Geographic and other media outlets are reporting that the python was transferred to the country's wildlife officials, who also collected an egg they believe came from the serpent. But, on Tuesday, the officials pronounced the snake dead.Copyright 2016 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.