Greetings from Melaka

Greetings from Melaka!

Before diving into all things Malaysia, here is a quick recap of our journey so far.

Hours before we left for the airport, we learned that our Detroit–Istanbul flight was delayed—meaning we’d miss our connecting flight from Istanbul to Malaysia. Rather than rebooking us on a later connection, we learned the Detroit team actually canceled that leg of our itinerary altogether. Fortunately, the situation was sorted out in Istanbul, and Rob and I decided that an overnight stay was actually a welcome way to break up two back-to-back 10-hour flights. Even better, the detour gave us a brief taste of Istanbul—bonus!

We landed in Kuala Lumpur early Thursday, January 8, a full 13 hours ahead of our Eastern time zone body clocks. Our driver thoughtfully planned a few stops on the way to Melaka:

Port Dickson, a popular public-access beach originally developed by the British in the late 1800s. Despite the early hour (8 a.m.) and the tail end of holiday season, families were already happily in the water.
Cape Rachado Lighthouse, now a radar station but originally built by the Portuguese in 1528–1529. The roughly one-mile, fairly steep hike up to the lighthouse felt especially good after so many hours of sitting.

Instead of taking the highway, our driver also routed us through local towns, which gave us a more glimpses life in Malaysia. We look for tails hanging down from the utility poles to spot monkeys!

By 1 p.m. we were checked into our hotel, and by 2 p.m. we were strolling along the river toward Jonker Walk. The streets are decorated in preparation for Chinese New Year. We have more sights planned for today, though this afternoon’s rain may influence the itinerary. Tomorrow, we head off for two weeks in Kuala Lumpur.

Photos of the highlights are below.

Thanks for checking in!

Amy

First stop: Port Dixon