old dutch stuff

political conflict in Bangkok. i love the right of the people to participate in the political process. there are as many opinions about the conflict as there would be if it was taking place in the US. the violent protests are localized to a small area of Bangkok. so while i remain interested and monitor the situation i am not concerned about safety as i have no plans to travel to Bangkok or anywhere near it. from talking to the people here it seems this is just a power grab by the party not in power. in any case i'll be leaving my red and yellow shirts in Malaysia.

i arrived in Melaka from Singapore and had a look around. it's hot here. there are some old dutch buildings and a bunch of new stuff. after Singapore it seems dirty and chaotic and lacking in any charm.  i'm not the only one who thinks so either.  the locals feel since it received the UNESCO historical site certification it has become overdeveloped. i'm looking for a beach to sit on for a few days so i will head off to Palau Tioman.  haven't seen a starbucks yet.

the guest house in Melaka is run by a wonderfully outgoing Malaysian named Howard. each night he would take a group for a bike ride city tour and stop for dinner.