Melaka (Part One)

Initially, the route to Melaka was not marked clearly on the road signs, but I assumed that if I head toward Kuala Lumpur, then I would find a turn off to Melaka. This turned out to be a good plan, although I decided not to go through Muar as I could not be sure I would find my way back out. I had intended to go from Muar up the coast road.

The ride on the highway was pleasant but I really did need to be wary of the trucks and buses as well as the large expensive cars that felt they had a right of way over any motorcycle or scooter on the road - actually over anything on the road. I had a number of times when I found a car sliding up alongside me very close, so I chose the safest option of letting them through and pulling to one side (even when the second lane was clear of traffic).

There is a shoulder lane for motorcycles on the left of the road but I tried not to use this unless absolutely necessary - and it was on occasion. Many of the slow motorcycles and scooters use it constantly. For me, though, some of the cars were not as fast or as powerful as my bike, so I thought I would use my foreigner advantage and attempt wherever possible to follow the road rules that have kept me safe since I started riding. Lanes are optional here, so is giving way and street lights and stop signs. Officers directing traffic, however, are not optional considerations.

Given the time it took in Johor Bahru to get my customs paperwork sorted out, I arrived in Melaka around 5.30pm and found the Chinese New Year celebrations in full swing with more zest than anywhere I had yet seen and this continued the entire time I stayed there, including a full night of constant fireworks for my second last night there, which kept going until about 2am. Too bad if you wanted to get some sleep, like me.

Literally going around a very large block due to road closures several times, I had to pull over to ask for directions and was told my reservation was opposite the local Melaka high school, but when I got there I couldn't find it anywhere. I decided the best way to locate it would be on foot as the roads were busy and only one way, and the driving was the worst I have seen yet (although expecting worse to come). I parked the bike on a slight incline but in the only place available only to have it tip over due to the weight in the rear as soon as I got off it.

Accepting some well-deserved derision from the locals, I picked it up and rolled it into a better position before walking up and down the busy street in search of the accommodation. I found I had gone past it and almost just drove up the wrong way of the one way street - it certainly was not uncommon to do it as scooters were zipping past clinging to the edges of both sides up the wrong way of the one way street, but I decided I was larger and a foreigner which could cause problems. Another lap around the city centre and I found a small side street to park in.

Next came the motorcycle battery issues I have already described in this post, so won't dwell further on that. Once I got over being stuck and camping next to the bike using the solar panels to unsuccessfully recharge a dead battery, I started to explore - limited like a normal backpacker to two feet, heartbeat, bus and train.