Don't mess with Melaka!

On our departure day in Singapore, we had breakfast at a Kopi Tiam, which is a coffee shop. There are many dishes to choose from, just like in other food courts. We decided to have rice with pickled tofu, egg, and various vegetables, which seemed most reasonable for our European breakfast habits. :-)

It was pouring rain in Singapore that day. On our way to the bus station, we had a small argument with an old ticket inspector. Apparently, we had paid one station too few, and she tried to make that clear to us, loudly and with a raised finger, in front of all the other passengers. To avoid further scolding from the old lady, we decided to get off one station earlier and walk the rest of the way to the bus station, which is why we arrived there completely soaked.

From Singapore, we took a four and a half hour bus ride to Melaka in Malaysia. The border crossing was without (major) problems.

Upon arrival in Melaka, we tried to get a taxi to our guesthouse at the taxi stand. There were about 15 men standing and sitting there, talking loudly and gesturing wildly. It took quite a while for them to agree on who would drive us into the city.

Melaka has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008 and has a beautiful old town. The city used to be an important port city and has been under Portuguese, Dutch, and British rule, among others, in the past centuries.

Every evening, there is a night market in Chinatown. We spent the remaining hours of the day there, going from stall to stall to sample the food.

I also found the brightly decorated and brightly lit rickshaws quite amusing. They were driving through the streets with deafeningly loud music and trying to attract passengers. There's something for everyone: Hello Kitty rickshaws, Star Wars rickshaws with yellow Minions, pictures of the 'Ice Queen', Spongebob, etc. The music was so loud that we could still hear it at night through the closed windows! :-)