Went for a quick holiday break in Malacca, M'sia over the past weekend. Decided to be a bit adventurous. So we rented a car in Johor Bahru for a total of MR$122. Not bad considering car rental in S'pore cost S$250 to start with another S$30 to drive over to M'sia. And you have to tag insurance and GST on top of that! Took a S'pore-Johor Express bus at Queens Street for S$1.80. Still can't imaging why it's much cheaper to return to S'pore than to leave S'pore. Maybe they are making it easy for people to come to S'pore but tougher to leave 8-) So, the burning question in my mind is why are things less expensive there when it's only a causeway away?
Cruising on the M'sia highway is a joy. I was surprised to find out that the speed limit is 110 kph compare to States' normal 88 kph. I was also surprised that the shoulder or the breakdown lane is used by the motorbikes. It seems that the motorbikes can be easily push out from the road to the shoulder by the cars. Another surprising thing is that most people keep to the left when cruising. I only have to pass one S'pore car on the left. Saw lots of expensive cars (Merc and BMM) with S'pore plate driving at high rate of speed. It seems like S'poreans really let go when they get out of the country. Speeding and littering are just two of the many fine examples of kiasu S'porean behavior abroad. Of course, when they hit the M'sian police's speed traps, they are usually the ones who get pull over. The police simply blocks the highway and screens all cars when they go through. I have only seen car with S'pore plate get stopped. I am not sure if it's because they were speeding or because they were good source of income 8-)
Malacca is a historic and quiet town on the Malacca Strait. It's hard to imagine that it used to be one of the busiest trade ports in the world. It contains lots of history going by Southeast Asian standard. There is a nice trail to follow to visit all the historic sites, similar to the one in Boston. Along the trail, you can see churches, temples, mosques, and museums. It's one of the most culturally rich places I have visited in Southeast Asia. The atmosphere is charming and life is ordinary and simple. One thing though, the place reminded me of one of Clint Eastwood's movie where he painted the whole town red.
Ever since I visited Jogyakarta, I have been fascinated by the techniques of preservation and restoration. The restoration in the S'pore sense is to tear things down when it's too old. Otherwise, rebuild the inert and paint the h*ll out of it with bright colorful paint. Two of the best examples are the Boat Quay and Bugis Junction. Recently there was this anniversary of WWII. I was surprised to find how many old memorials were destroyed and no longer exist. You don't see and feel history in S'pore. Everything is new and modern. And you won't find any famous ruins in S'pore. If the pyramids were built in S'pore, it would have turned in to grand big pyramid shopping complex by now.
Speaking of history, I have been complaining about the lack of history in S'pore. Ok, maybe I am a bit lazy and haven't done my research. But it's hard to find any evidence of things that existed before (maybe except for that time capsule in front of the Empress's Place.) Take the Nanyang University for example, there is hardly any evidence that one of the biggest University in S'pore ever existed. I went to visit a museum in Melaka and was intrigued by the so called communist emergency of 1948-1960. I was hoping to find all the events that happened in S'pore documented in one place (no, not Sentosa.) In M'asia, there were also lots of political history. Maybe S'pore has a short history but even George Washington was not in control of the nation for 30 years.
Followed the Lonely Planet Guide and went to eat Crabs next to one of the biggest attraction in Melaka, the big American style shopping mall. Surprised to find that one crab cost MR$48. I thought Lonely Plant Guide suppose to list out cheap stuff. Every time I go to M'sia, I always enjoy the local food. Though I can get really picky when it comes to stalls on the street side.
On the way back to S'pore, I found out that my SO, who has been in S'pore for the past 6 years, can blow a bigger bubble than I can. Very discouraging to say the least. Have been chewing bubble gums ever since to practice my bubble blowing skills. Two more packs to go. Never thought bubble gum can be this addictive 8-) One thing that stood out on the return to S'pore was the ubiquitous HDB blocks stretched out as far as the eyes can see. S'poreans are proud of the HDB projects. For some reason I think it's comparable to the Great Wall of China. Definitely not for its beauty or purpose, but maybe the vastness of the area it covers. You know what I mean if you ever land in Changi.
One last note, there was a TV show a while back in the States called "What a great country". It's about a Russian immigrant's experience in the States. I wonder how many immigrants to S'pore will ever say that.
6/12/95 [less than 100 days to go]
