Since we got back from Borneo we have been travelling around peninsular Malaysia. From Kuala Lumpur we took a bus to the Cameron Highlands, an inland plateau at almost 1500m/4500ft elevation. It was quite a bit cooler up there and we were happy to spend 3 days cooling off, 'cause it's HOT down at sea level. Walked to a big tea plantation one day and hardly broke a sweat. We also had some really good Indian food.
After that we headed down south a bit to the town of Melaka (also spelled Malacca). This place is pretty famous because it was historically very coveted for its location along the Strait of Malacca, the best passage between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. In the early days before the 1400s it was just a small fishing village, but then came Arab traders who introduced people to Islam. Eventually the local sultan came to rule a large part of the what is now Malaysia and Singapore. The Portuguese arrived around 1510 and decided to wreak havoc on poor little Melaka...they burned down the local mosque, built a fort on top (which still stands today). They stuck around for about a hundred years until the Dutch came, and then in the 1800s the British took over. So there is quite a bit of colonial history in Melaka. The Chinese have also been around for hundreds of years, and there is a really old and extensive Chinatown. Lots of small shops where people still hand-make rubber stamps and blacksmiths still bang on anvils.
Now we're in Penang, which is an island off the northwest coast. The city here, called Georgetown, was established by the Brits about 200 years ago as their colonial hub. Not as much history here, but like most of Malaysia it is very multi-cultural. Islam is king here, but the Chinese, who are mostly Buddhist, are a large and affluent minority, and there are lots of Indians as well. The Islamic influence makes Malaysia a bit conservative (beer's too expensive!), but thankfully not intolerant of other lifestyles and religions.
Today we went to the movie theatre and saw the new Indiana Jones movie. It was only 3 bucks each and in a really nice theatre! The day after tomorrow we will catch the train across the Thai border.
Here are some photos from the past week...
Tea growing in the Cameron Highlands
Julie and Jay feasting on the Indian delights of Malaysia
Old (trishaw) and new transportation types in Melaka
Chinatown - Melaka
Buddhist temple in Melaka - right next to a mosque, church, and Hindu temple. And everyone gets along.
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