In Melaka, once again we--now three in number having picked up another HNC friend who will be with us throughout our time in Malaysia--found ourselves in Chinatown. We had the luck of experiencing the night market, which is only open on Friday and Saturday nights. In addition to the beauty of the red lanters swaying over the whole street, we also enjoyed the sounds of a live, traditional Chinese music orchestra. The announcer spoke in crisp, clear Chinese, which we were surprised to hear was even more 标准 (biaozhun), or standard, than that of many Chinese speakers in China. In fact, throughout our time in Melaka we had many opportunities to use our Chinese and found that doing so produced more smiles from locals than had we used English. During the Chinese New Year parade that marched through the tiny night market street, furry yellow and red dragons led the way as locals passed out oranges for the new year. The paradesmen handed each of us two oranges, smiling and nodding, eyes crinckled in a sign of true joy.
The night market, which was very 热闹 (renao), or lively, was not only good for entertainment, but also great for food. Our first stop was to a little restaurant set in from the street, where we split two soups (nonya laksa and seafood noodles) and some shrimp dumplings between the three of us. Though the food was good, it did not fill our hungry bellies. However, two orders of dimsum, a stick of chocolate coated fruit, one chocolate coated waffle, a sugar cane drink, a lemon ice floss, and a freshly squeezed juice (starfruit and passionfruit) later I was grinning with ill-contained joy.
Though our food escapade of the previous night was indeed rewarding, the next day we wandered through two temples (the famous Cheng Hoon Teng Temple and its smaller neighbor) that were satisfying in their own wholesome ways. We also visited the famous, deep pink Christ Church; climed a small hill to see the old, weathered door A Famosa; saw a Batik painter working outside his shop; and discovered buttery cookies stuffed with fruit jelly.
The journey to Melaka, though shortlived, was scenic and cheerful. It was all the more special that we were able to experience it the week preceeding Chinese New Year, but I am sure that we would have enjoyed the hearty food and kindhearted people any time of the year.
