malacca, i think i may be falling in love with you...

oh, malacca, i think you may have my heart in the palm of your hands. there is something very charming about you. maybe it's your blend of cultural influences: chinese, portuguese, british, dutch, indian and malay. maybe it's the way that at night the whole city is lit up by tiny lights, the little art galleries tucked away in hidden corners, all the hippie nomads, the cafes to sit and people watch; or maybe it's the dreamy river running right through the center of town. it could be a combination of all of these things; either way, i'm smitten with you.

the girls and i have been having a great time in malacca. we haven't really been "doing" much, but we're enjoying our time of sitting back, hanging out and wandering about the city- when it's not raining that is.

originally, were only going to stay in malacca for a few days but her charm has sucked us in! I booked this hostel from friday until yesterday, but we decided to stay a few extra days. there were no rooms available at the hostel we were at, but we met this awesome retired french woman who told us about this guest house that another traveler had recommended to her. there are many reasons why i love traveling, but one of the main ones are the people that you meet along the way. i love the feeling of the world colliding with my life; i love meeting others from all around the world, united by the common bond of needing to wander. we also met a young argentine couple that morning- it was good feel latin america close to me again...even though i have this love/hate relationship with argentina.

ama was SOOO excited to leave our first hostel- let's just say our room didn't look as nice as the one in the photo! the girls did enjoy playing with the hostel keeper's dog- who, by the way, was really nice and i'm pretty sure was a high functioning alcoholic. the hostel keeper, not the dog. we met really cool people during our stay backpacker's freak, but we're defiantly happy with where we are now.

we moved to the hostel the french woman suggested to us, ringo's foyer. it's clean, in a great location, cheaper than where we were- plus full of art, books and old furniture. the owner, howard, put on "kung fu panda" for the girls to watch and sat there with us watching and chatting away. if you ever make your way to malacca and are looking for a great place to stay at a great price, ringo's foyer is the place to be!

we'll be moving on from malacca in a next day or so, but i will be leaving a piece of my heart here with her. i feel like we're just getting into the rhythm of the city and becoming a part of a community. who knows, the wind may just blow us back here before our time in malaysia is done...