Kuala Lumpur to Malacca - Malaysia

After the muddy rice fields and exotic funeral ceremonies of Torajaland, arriving into Kuala Lumpur was like stepping onto another planet. Fast food outlets dot the airport and hyper modern high speed rails whisk you away to the city center. Meanwhile, colorful head scarves, the spicy aromas of sizzling woks on the street, and the heavy tropical air all remind me I?m still in Southeast Asia. In Malaysia east meets west with one foot firmly planted in the past and one foot in the future.

In Kuala Lumpur I met my friend Michel, he has been cycling down the Thai-Malay panhandle while I have been chasing Wallace in Indonesia. After only one sweaty night in the city, we hopped on a bus south to the historic port city of Malacca. Wallace began his journey's in the Malay Archipelago here and I want to see what remains of his descriptions. When he visited in 1854 Malacca was still one of the most important port cities in all of Southeast Asia, second only to Singapore. The streets teemed with merchants from all over the world, including Chinese, Malays, Indians, and the English colonial rulers of his time.