This morning we made the drive from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca. The first stop we made in Malacca was St. Paul’s Hill and the Melaka Fortress. The spelling difference between Malacca and Melaka is English vs Malay. When the Portuguese invaded Malacca in 1511, most of the buildings were destroyed. However, the fort stood and survived many attacks after that. Sir Frrancis Xavier is an important individual connected with St. Paul’s Hill. His body is still brought back to the hill every 10 years. Xavier was responsible for bringing christianity to Southeast Asia. When the Dutch arrived, they took the ceiling off of the church. Next, we went to the Dutch Square right below the Hill. All of the buildings were painted red by the Dutch to match Holland. I also want to note that the cars are newer and bigger in Malacca.
After grabbing lunch on Jonker Street, my group of friends decided to return to the hotel and swim in the Infinity Pool. The Pool was on the fourth floor of the hotel and looked out at the ocean. In the evening after we finished swimming, we decided that we really wanted some burgers. So the four of us went to Hard Rock Cafe on Jonker Street. The food was so good and we took our time so we could enjoy the live music. Even though we were eating at a Hard Rock Cafe, it was very interesting to see the execution of American food and live music in Malaysia. After eating we were so full so we decided to take a trishaw back to the hotel. Trishaws can only take two people at a time so we split up. This was definitely one of the most unique experiences I had while in Malaysia. Melissa and I were able to pick the music on our trishaw. We could not stop laughing.
Once we returned to the hotel to check in for curfew, we got special permission to go back out again to experience the night market across the street. There was a highway separating the hotel from the other side of the street. Each time we crossed we had to walk down the sidewalk to reach a pathway under the underpass. On our walk to the night market we stumbled upon a very local night market where everyone was singing together. At the night market, we were able to walk down multiple streets while trying different drinks and snacks. This day in Malaysia will stand out to me as one of my favorites because of the fun and unique experiences I was able to create with my friends.
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