Singapore felt like being home again. It was great to be here again. I stayed in a hotel on Boat Quay and enjoyed this area very much. Nearby are beautiful wall paintings about the history of Singapore.
The formula1 in Singapore was also great again. Thrilling, spectacular and surprising. I allready bought my ticket in january to have a good seat. Many great live music acts and the view and ambience were great. The people were all very kind too everywhere on this event.
Also, I went to Lau Pa Sat, a very old market with great food. This heritage site was Singapore’s first wet market that dates back to the time of Sir Stamford Raffles, so my ancestor’s probably had lunch or dinner here too. And I went to Sentosa island. It’s nice there. Still want to go to Universal Studios there, but haven’t had time yet. Maybe next time. In the mean time, ‘Hello Kitty & friends’ were visiting Singapore too this month. See you later Singapore.
Next I took the bus to Melaka. A very nice city and everyone here was so kind to me. Many heritage buildings are still here, including the old Dutch square with Stadhuys, tower and church, built in 1753. Even older is the Portuguese Fort Formosa from 1511. There is also a replica of a Portuguese ship in the old harbor.
And the building in which my ancestor W.T. Lewis stayed, when he lived and worked here, is also still here. It’s the Governor’s museum now. Unfortunately the museum is closed for repaires now, so I couldn’t take a look inside, maybe another time. He was Resident Councillor at that time and many people here loved him very much, as I read in the old newspaper the Singapore Free Press of 1838 in the online Singapore Archive. (letter in newspaper 1, letter in newspaper 2) His mother was Indonesian and his father Scottish (or English), so he was raised with both cultures and spoke English and Malay. He went to Singapore, Melaka and Penang with Stamford Raffles after 1824 and had several jobs. He moved back and forth between these (then) towns until he finally retired in Penang (see my journey in Penang from last year and the page about my ancestors in Penang). His grave is still in Penang too.
I did go to the Ocean Museum, with a lot of beautiful fish, shells and a 3D movie about turtles with special effects. Still much better to go snorkeling though. I also made a boat trip here on the river and walked around Jonker Street and the area. Great food here as well and live music.
This weekend I was in Kuala Lumpur. Big city with a lot to see and do, but I had to be aware all the time as many people here tried to scam me. Won’t go back here. Luckily I speak some bahasa Indonesia, so I understand Malay too. Every night there’s a beautiful water fountain show with lights and music in front of the Petronas towers and the River of Life. While I was here, they were shooting a movie here. I could see it from my hotel room. And I watched the f1 in a very nice bar this weekend.
Only one more week in Asia, still many places to go to, many friends to see and many things to do. This morning I woke up in Indonesia again. I’m so happy to be back here again.😄
*Internet is very slow here, so it takes some time before I’ve uploaded the pictures…