155. Ma girl in Malacca (Malacca Day 1)
I decided to take the trip to Malacca, solo. I had already packed my backpack for the day trip anyway. I reluctantly rolled out of bed and thought about how much of an asshole that guy was and how he deserted me a day right before our quick weekend trip. After a moment of contemplation, I went straight to the bus terminal.
I don't mind taking solo trips, but I was pretty upset and cut up about this situation. It just happened so quickly. I truly didn't expect to be dumped so suddenly like that, but I guess I have to make do with the situation now. Besides, taking a small vacation and exploring a city that I've never been to before seemed fun and would distract me and focus on better things and better people.
I sat in the bus terminal for a while and some older gentleman approached me and talked to me about the bus logistics and whether or not we were going to leave pretty soon. I was feeling a bit timid today and out of it, due to the events of yesterday, but I am not totally opposed to people making conversation with me. Maybe I needed to talk to somebody and take my mind off of things.
The man who talked to me was a 52 year old guy from Chandigahr, India, who was visiting from Hong Kong, where he worked. The man told me that he used to be an engineer, then quit that profession to become a businessman and economist. He worked as a guest lecturer and has many business ventures under his belt. He also spent a year in an astrology (yes, this isn't a typo- astrology like horoscopes not astronomy) school and learned about different personalities and star signs. Apparently, I am "quite the social chameleon but truly introverted in the core." I believe that reading and learning about people is a good skill to have, but I do not think I would spend an entire year learning about astrology. What I can take away from what he talked about in his experience at astrology school was that it made him better understand people a lot more- and honestly, I think that's the best takeaway you can get.
We spent the whole bus ride talking. He showed me photos of his family and I asked him advice about work and business. I mentioned that I wasn't supposed to go on this weekend trip alone. He told me to read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. I told him that I would take a look and will tell him when I finish it. When we arrived at the Malacca bus station, we split a taxi and parted ways. I headed to my hostel, where I sat in my private room - all to myself.
Malacca, often spelled Melaka, is a captivating city on the southwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. I have been told that they have historical and cultural spots to visit, great food to sample, and is overall, a picturesque place to take a day trip to.
After I settled into my room, I asked the front desk if they knew the direction to the river. The pointed me to the back door and I made my way into the heart of the old town. According to the historical background from the signs I've seen walking around, Malacca River, once a vital trade route, now serves as a pretty backdrop for strolls and boat cruises.
I took a stroll around the riverside and took in the views. They're quite pretty and I love the architecture.
Around mid-afternoon, I went to the climbing gym (it was more like a simple wall with some bouldering routes around) and climbed with some of the local climbers there. Every time I visit a new city, I like to visit the popular bouldering gyms and sample their routes. Just getting a taste of what the climbing scene is like.
As night was approaching, I decided to drop a message into the Hostelworld group chat (if you book a hostel room on Hostelworld, then you can gain access to this group chat for the city you are staying in). I basically dropped a line by extending an invite to anyone who's up for going to the street market at night. I think I got a bite.
A really nice French girl from Besançon accepted my little invite. She met me in front of an art gallery and we opted for a cool walk around the street market. We had a nice time strolling around and speaking Franglais to each other. She said that it was pretty easy-going to talk to me because I knew some French and I understood some of the references she was putting down. I'm happy I have a lot of French friends that I can consult anytime I want.
These were the scallops I ordered for the both of us
She showed me a game of King in the Corner. She called it 'Roi dans le coin'.
My friend from Besançon was telling me about how she had been backpacking around SE Asia during her gap year. It's always fun to hear travel stories from new companions and see how their experiences shape them throughout. I feel like the best part about the modern age is that people are more connected than ever, and you can still follow along their little adventures through social media. At least, I think that's one of the only bright sides of social media, besides the constant self-image, doom-scrolling, and dark sides of influencing. But I digress, I could probably rant about social media another time.
As the night went on and we continued to talk, we downed three big bottles of beer. After finishing our drinks and finishing our card games, we decided to go to a dance club. We were in the elevator with a shopping cart and headed to some kind of underground dance club outside of the town centre.
We saw a panda bear and an astronaut at the club for some reason. Those costumes probably get so hot inside. I can't even imagine the temperature in those full body suits.
My friend and I hopped out of the club, hyped up on the dance music and running on a couple of bottles of soju. We were handed shots of whiskey by some of the local Malacca residents and had a great time overall. As we were walking from the club, my friend's sister had called her. The sister was going through a really sudden break-up. All these French guys breaking off relationships willy-nilly, huh? I gave her a moment alone to video call her sibling while I searched for some late night sustenance. I came back to my friend with a tiny sponge cake and bottles of water for the both of us. I tried not to eavesdrop into the conversation, but home girl was hurting bad. Putain les gars...
I got home around 3AM. It was a good night out and my first day of Malacca.
~ ma girl from malacca,
<3 K