Tag: UNESCO World Heritage site

Cruising the Malacca Strait

The Malacca Strait is the body of water between the west coast of Malaysia and Indonesian Sumatra, and it connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans. A very busy waterway 560 miles long, it is one of Asia’s primary sea routes, with almost 100,000 vessels passing through each year. Read on for our experience cruising the Malacca Strait. Malacca is pronounced Muh-LAK-uh.

Post Puteri Harbour Anchorages

A few days after returning from Kuala Lumpur, we untied our lines and left the Puteri Harbour dock. We day sailed for the first two days, stopping at the small islands of Pesang and then Besar. I don’t remember much about either, so they must have been peaceful and boring, which is good.

Sunset on the Malacca Strait, Malaysia
Sunset at anchor at Palau Pisang, Malaysia
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Two Nights in Malacca

The more I travel, the more I enjoy exploring the “off the beaten path” places. Sometimes, the tourist hotspots are disappointing, like Bali and Bora Bora, and often too crowded. So when we visited Malacca, Malaysia, a place we knew next to nothing about, we were pleasantly surprised. We spent two nights in Malacca, admiring the historic buildings and eating excellent food.

Why Two Nights in Malacca

From Puteri Harbour, we made plans to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s modern capital inland city. Since the best way to travel was via bus or train, we decided to break up the trip with a stop in Malacca (also spelt Melaka) on the way. (Since I am writing this in English, I am using the English spelling. I have been told that either is correct and they are interchangeable.) We saw a lot but two nights in Malacca may not have been enough.

Chinatown in Malacca
Entrance to Malacca’s Chinatown

About Malacca

Malacca City is part of a World Heritage Site, combined with Penang to the north, and has a rich history as a maritime port. The charming city is intersected by the narrow Malacca river which is lined with pathways for use by cyclists and pedestrians.

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Two Weeks in Vietnam Itinerary

Two weeks is never enough but we jammed  a lot into our Vietnam itinerary. We took three interior flights and multiple grab rides, and it was worth it. Hopefully, one day we can get back and spend another two weeks in Vietnam, or longer. I couldn’t get enough of this busy and beautiful country.

Last Minute Booking

Our trip to Vietnam was one of our most spontaneous ever, even more last minute than Japan. Fortunately, it was easier and more affordable to book tours and visit popular sights in Vietnam. We chose Vietnam because it’s close to Indonesia and we know we will not be going there by boat.

Ha Long Bay karsts, Vietnam
The limestone karst islands are part of what make Ha Long Bay so beautiful – and popular

Rainy season in Indonesia was wearing us down, and we needed to renew our visas again. But, we had to find somewhere safe to leave our boat and Domino for two weeks. For our first trip to Vietnam, we didn’t want to go for any less time. Fortunately, we managed to find both a mooring and a wonderful cat sitter in Gili Asahan, Lombok. Within a few days we were in Vietnam.

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