malacca (melaka)

still not sure how to spell the name of this quaint little town. it was the biggest sea port in the world like five hundred years ago, and now its a tiny town with a few 500 year old buildings. the people are wonderful, the religions are mixed: buddhist and chinese temples, sit next to hindu temples, which sit next to mosques, which sit next to christian churches. a river splits the town, and my mom, a friend, and I stayed overlooking the river at a tiny little cafe downstairs hotel upstairs combo. while eating dinner one night, we saw a monitor (sp?) lizard slither out of the water and climb up a moss-covered embankment on the other side. probably two and a half feet long. so i'm headed to kuala lumpur by bus today...