Melaka, Malaysia Day 9: Aug 14

Most of this day was spent at Melaka, prior to the final journey to Singapore. My dad and I visited the maritime museum as well as the Malaysian Navy Museum, while the rest went for culture museums. Melaka has a very interesting history of Portugese, Dutch, and British influence, all trying to establish Melaka as a prominent port.

Finally before saying goodbye to Melaka, a river cruise was in store for just RM 10. On the cruise, you traverse through the river that glides on the western edge of the city, going near historical Malay villages, shopping districts, wetlands, and Monitor Lizard homes. We saw a grand total of 6 Monitor Lizards. The boats are actually pretty clean and comfortable, and while the river is a bit grimy, it is a great way to see a lot of the city. If you want to get off at a memorable stop, just ask the driver, who will let you off at one of the many other docks on the riverside. On the journey a bunch of Japanese tourists thought some monitor lizards were cuter than others. This provoked a whole ship-wide argument at the back of the ship about which Monitor Lizards were cuter.

Since everyone liked the clean hawker center, we of course had to go again. So for a late snack, more satay, chicken rice, lime juice, etc. was consumed. At the back is a halal section, for Muslims. Finally, after a tiring day exploring the corners of the old town of Melaka, we departed for Singapore, what should theoretically be a short drive.

One great thing about Malaysia is the rest stops along the highways. Since the expressways are tolled, going into the cities is a little bit inconvenient, and rest stops are erected along highways. Some rest stops are boring, while others are stunningly big, fancy, clean, and travel friendly. Tapah is one of my favorites, right before Kuala Lumpur, but on the drive to Singapore we passed another nice one which I have forgotten the name. Containing plenty food stalls, grocery stores, fruit stands, bathrooms, fast food chains, one should not go hungry.

There are two bridges into Singapore, the Tuas one and Woodlands one. The Woodlands was chosen as our route, which was a routine bridge, except for the large pipes along the bridge. These pipes carry unpurified water from Malaysia to Singapore in which Singapore purifies it and sells it back to Malaysia. The border crossing was modern, and pretty efficient except the long immigration forms. Driving into Singapore is a little strange, as you have to get an Autopass card which enables you to park, drive, and exit Singapore. Money is held in the card, and deducted with a scan of the card. Efficient, but confusing.

After another 30 minutes of driving, we reached our final destination-Crowne Plaza Changi Airport to pick up my sister the next day.