Tag Archives: Melaka

Melaka Tourist Center

Melaka Tourist Center

Melaka Tourist Center

This is one of the rooms in the local tourist information center. It wasn’t very busy when I came. I wanted to go in and see the room, but I didn’t have the heart to wake the old guy.

Trishaw – Melaka

Trishaw - Melaka

Trishaw – Melaka

This is a trishaw or a pedal cab or a cycle rickshaw or bikecab or cyclo, depending on where you are and what nomenclature is used there. The tern used in Melaka is trishaw and the type of trishaw used here was unique as far as I know. The bike used was a large touring bike and the passenger compartment was decorated with artificial flowers, the more the better. These machines were somewhat unique in that they were not only over-decorated, they also had a compartment for a battery and a serious boom box, the kind that could be heard a block away. These guys rode around blaring out hip-hop, country and western, 60′s rock and, of course, the local Muslim favorites. Needless to say, they were interesting.

Melaka Tourist Central

Melaka Tourist Central

Melaka Tourist Central

It’s the town square. I sat there quite a bit during my stay in Melaka. The reason why I sat there quite a bit was the large number of Japanese and Chinese tourists who came like invading armies, armed with the best in photo equipment, nice clothes and fistfuls of yen and yuan. The tourists were great. Typically between the ages of 30 and 50, mostly couples, always in groups, they sometimes rented whole herds of the trishaws that were parked around the town square for the purpose of taking them on a one-hour tour of the UNESCO heritage area. They often took off from the square in groups of ten or more. I love a good parade.

Melaka River

Melaka River

Melaka River

A nice, lazy river flows through Melaka, Malaysia. It was my first real introduction to the seductivity of the city. My first orientation to the city came at the large bus station, Melaka Sentral and bus #17, the bus that brings in the tourists like me who take day trips to Melaka. The river is a nice touch and helps to give a little orientation to an otherwise disorienting city.