Joel Goldstein

• Rebecca and I left because Steve the hostel owner decided to close the hostel and fumigate. We went to a few other hostels in the area and met up with another solo traveler Rachel.
• We all decided to travel together to Chinatown to get a new place to stay.
• Upon suggestion from our previous hostel owner, we decided to stay in a rather new hostel and we all got a dorm together.
• After setting out bags down we went for a walk around Chinatown and got some lunch at a local food stand. It was rice with noodles and tofu, I got chicken and gave my extra tofu to Rebecca.
• We checked out a few stores and left the area, Rebecca decided she didn’t want to play on the pirate ship so she headed to explore on her own, and Rachel and I set off.
• We walked along the river passing the ship and going all the way to the ocean. Having a great talk, we walked along the coast trying to find a way to get out to the beach.
• We gave up after seeing how far it is and agreed to try the next day, then got slurpees!
• We walked to the big ship that was converted into a museum and played around in there for a while, I climbed up on the ropes ½ way to the top… Rachel tried to figure out how to use my camera.
• We came back to the room, changed and showered, got my laptop and went to the café. There we ran into Rebecca who informed us we were invited to the prime minister of Melaka’s party that evening.
• We stayed in the café all afternoon playing games and fooling around until they served us dinner for free, which wasn’t very good.
• We got changed and boarded a bus to a party we didn’t know where or why we were going.
• Soon we found out it was a party for the opening of a traditional Malaysian house that was going to be used as a museum. We waited for a while and the prime minister arrived. After a few speeches in some language I don’t know I noticed that all the government officials were all not listening and playing on their phones.
• I was explained that it is not rude, it’s accepted.
• After some boring speeches and a strange Malaysian guy putting his arm around me, we had some traditional Malaysian food, and took pictures.
• I was interviewed by the Malaysian Television News about my experience so far.
• We headed back to the hostel where Rebecca ran into her old roommate and her friend. We hung out with them for a while and took some photos by a leaning church.
• We said our goodnights and went to the dorm to sleep.

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• I get up and packed.
• I left the hostel with all my bags and went to a local food stand where I got some Malaysian coffee to start the day.
• I went to the usual bus station, however they didn’t have buses to Melaka. So with bad directions I walked across Chinatown to where the previous person said the station was, but was wrong… So I had to walk more and finally got there.
• The bus was a converted city bus with a smell and steel floors, considering that I was expecting this quality the whole trip and for the first time had my expectations, met I was happily content.
• The bus stop was very cool where you had to enter on the second story, buy a ticket and go down the stairs to individual bus terminals for departure, like an airport almost, except no random searches of anyone with a beard.
• I arrived at a big shopping bizarre when the bus stopped and took a taxi to my hostel.
• I arrived at the hostel early and met the owner named Steve. There were 2 girls from Holland and a guy that were having coffee in the kitchen and I joined them.
• Elizabeth arrived and introduced herself. After the other people left Elizabeth and I went next door to the big hotel and went to their spa. I went into the hot tub and she used the sauna.
• We went back to the hostel for a bit before heading out on the town.
• We went to Chinatown for dinner and found a little place
• I got up on a stage that was constructed in the middle of the street and began telling corny jokes…. Nobody else laughed, comedy in Asia is not my calling.
• After we were done with dinner we played around in a Chinese food store and explored a house that was being constructed.
• We walked along the river and took pictures next to a tilted church; unfortunately her camera ran out of batteries.
• We headed down the river to a shop and got some ice cream for our walk back.
• We hung out up in the loft and watched Jumper until our 3^rd person who was staying there joined us. Rebecca, Elizabeth and I went to go to bed and check the bed for bugs because some girls were bit the night before.
• I found ticks in my bed and so did the girls, I decided to sleep upstairs in the loft and they got another bedroom.
• Elizabeth ended up being bit from the other bed and I just got some mosquito bites.

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