Malaysia - 'colorful' Malacca

From Kuala Lumpur we continue our journey to the coastal city of Malacca, which is also highly recommended in the Lonely Planet. Malacca indeed has a lot to offer. It is a colorful cultural melting pot with Indian, British, Chinese, Portuguese, and Dutch influences throughout the emerging city. Very cozy and modern. The Clocktower and the Town Hall/Stadthuys have a very Dutch feel. The fort is absolutely Portuguese. Chinatown is tres chic and clean, which is immediately noticeable compared to the hardcore Asian Chinatowns we have visited. We also take a boat ride along the river, passing by many artistically decorated houses and great bars and cafes. Walking along there, you could also think that you are in the canals of Amsterdam rather than in Malaysia.

However, the absolute highlight for the kids are the totally - horribly - kitschy rickshaws, which are not only extremely bright but also loud. They come in all sorts of crazy designs: Hello Kitty, Pokémon, Frozen's Elsa, Baby Shark, Barbie, Minions. Everything a child's heart desires. And so, in the evening, we take a short ride in a Hello Kitty and Minions rickshaw. With very loud music, fitting the theme. Our kids' eyes are filled with excitement.

Culinarily, Malacca is also a great place to be. One evening, we have delicious sushi. For the kids, we can get something from outside as they are not yet into this kind of food, but they find it very cool in a sushi bar where the plates come around. We also discover a great café called Fix Daily in Jonkers Walk/Chinatown, where we stop by on both days. Real coffee, ciabatta bread, and delicious homemade iced teas and smoothies satisfy our longing for the "normal" products we have in Germany. I significantly reduced my coffee consumption two months ago and only treat myself to a proper coffee occasionally when there is a good coffee machine in sight. In Kuala Lumpur, Bo often went jogging in the morning and would come back with a delicious Starbucks coffee for me, thanks Bo. But it is also not difficult for me to go without caffeine for days.