Base Camp 'Freak'
Bus 17 connects Sentral with the town according to prior research, backed up by station staff. Next, I need to find out where to get off the bus which could be a challenge since I dont have the address of the guesthouse, just a name - Backpackers Freak! Its quite a small town really, so I suppose it won't be too difficult to get off randomly and ask someone. 2 Danish girls are waiting for the same bus and who happen to be going to the same place and they have an address - I'm as good as there already!
22p for the 20 minute journey into Melaka town on bus 17 which is packed to the rafters, mostly locals and a smattering of tourists. Most seem to be getting off here, outside a huge church, landmark number one. There it is, just the otherside of this park, which, incidentally contains an old aeroplane, to be investigated later. Right now, formalities need to be completed at the 'Backpackers Freak Hostel' and let's just hope they have kept me a room. Yes they have thankfully, and it's quite a nice room too. A good fan, comfortable bed and enough space to swing a cat.
He's slightly built, middle aged, moderately tattooed and a couple of teeth missing - Sean, the boss,I would say is just slightly freaky. Actually quite a pleasant chap and very helpful giving advice on what to see, where to get this and that and a few rules are explained - not the place for British, Aussie, European and any other alcoholics, thankfully. A pretty good room then for 28RM per night, about £6. Got on the bus at 8.15am and it's now 5pm, I need to eat.
Eat, then orientation in that order. Sadly, though the first eating place on the Melaka skyline is a McDonald's, prominently situated in front of a shopping mall. No Gunk thank-you, just good local cuisine with local prices, search starts now. It's not long before a street cafe comes into view, just a block away actually. Islamic tends to dominate the food here, so rice and curry with some little pastry snack, similar to a samosa I suppose.
A quick orientation, round the block well, a few blocks since that's the street pattern here. Concrete blocks with streets intersecting one and other with a major flyover inbetween, but at least there is a little architectural style to these blocks, giving the place a degree of character. Quiet around these back streets, not the abundance of cafes experienced in Penang. Heading roughly towards the waterfront since Melaka was, maybe still is, a port of some importance in the past, but nothing around here but smelly mud, and plenty of construction. I would say looking around here that Melaka is expanding, out to sea!
Sun is setting over Melaka, well, over the mud flats. A flyover nearby should provide something of a vantage point since its in-part following the coastline. No beach, actually is pretty an inaccessible place right up to the waters edge with barriers and the edge itself is just blocks of granite stone. Perhaps this whole area is built on reclaimed land then. The flyover is a good place to get those sunset photos across the town and out to sea. The town is drenched in dark golden sunlight, also reflected on some storm clouds in the distance, actually not that far away, better head back to the base camp called 'Freak'.
Sean, the boss of Freak, or should that be 'The Freaky Boss', confirms my earlier supposition that this part of the town is built on reclaimed land and its expansion is still in progress.
Bus 17 connects Sentral with the town according to prior research, backed up by station staff. Next, I need to find out where to get off the bus which could be a challenge since I dont have the address of the guesthouse, just a name - Backpackers Freak! Its quite a small town really, so I suppose it won't be too difficult to get off randomly and ask someone. 2 Danish girls are waiting for the same bus and who happen to be going to the same place and they have an address - I'm as good as there already!
22p for the 20 minute journey into Melaka town on bus 17 which is packed to the rafters, mostly locals and a smattering of tourists. Most seem to be getting off here, outside a huge church, landmark number one. There it is, just the otherside of this park, which, incidentally contains an old aeroplane, to be investigated later. Right now, formalities need to be completed at the 'Backpackers Freak Hostel' and let's just hope they have kept me a room. Yes they have thankfully, and it's quite a nice room too. A good fan, comfortable bed and enough space to swing a cat.
He's slightly built, middle aged, moderately tattooed and a couple of teeth missing - Sean, the boss,I would say is just slightly freaky. Actually quite a pleasant chap and very helpful giving advice on what to see, where to get this and that and a few rules are explained - not the place for British, Aussie, European and any other alcoholics, thankfully. A pretty good room then for 28RM per night, about £6. Got on the bus at 8.15am and it's now 5pm, I need to eat.
Eat, then orientation in that order. Sadly, though the first eating place on the Melaka skyline is a McDonald's, prominently situated in front of a shopping mall. No Gunk thank-you, just good local cuisine with local prices, search starts now. It's not long before a street cafe comes into view, just a block away actually. Islamic tends to dominate the food here, so rice and curry with some little pastry snack, similar to a samosa I suppose.
A quick orientation, round the block well, a few blocks since that's the street pattern here. Concrete blocks with streets intersecting one and other with a major flyover inbetween, but at least there is a little architectural style to these blocks, giving the place a degree of character. Quiet around these back streets, not the abundance of cafes experienced in Penang. Heading roughly towards the waterfront since Melaka was, maybe still is, a port of some importance in the past, but nothing around here but smelly mud, and plenty of construction. I would say looking around here that Melaka is expanding, out to sea!
Sun is setting over Melaka, well, over the mud flats. A flyover nearby should provide something of a vantage point since its in-part following the coastline. No beach, actually is pretty an inaccessible place right up to the waters edge with barriers and the edge itself is just blocks of granite stone. Perhaps this whole area is built on reclaimed land then. The flyover is a good place to get those sunset photos across the town and out to sea. The town is drenched in dark golden sunlight, also reflected on some storm clouds in the distance, actually not that far away, better head back to the base camp called 'Freak'.
Sean, the boss of Freak, or should that be 'The Freaky Boss', confirms my earlier supposition that this part of the town is built on reclaimed land and its expansion is still in progress.
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