Where the Journey began..

There is a saying in Malaysia, my homeland, which goes:

Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang, inikan lagi tempat bermain
(The place you fall you never forget, what more the place you played)

It means that one remembers his childhood home.

My story starts in Malacca, a town (or now known as the historical city of Malacca), on the west-coast of Peninsular Malaysia some two over decades ago. A place that I have much memories and affection for and where I still yearn for the delicious local food.

Malacca is an easy place to fall in love with. Was easier in the past, but still easy now :) Malacca town as we know today has seen many changes of power and fates that remain visible till now. A small tiny coastal settlement, 15th century Malay Sultanate, the conquests of the Portuguese, then Dutch, then British, then Japanese, and then British again, till Malaysia gained independence in 1957. Each slice of these moments are captured and can be seen in Malacca town - from its age-old Sumatran influenced mosques, churches, cathedrals, temples, shrines, old palatial homes, peaceful villages right through to the people on the street, their languages, culture, beliefs, food - all recall of a rich past, reminiscent of early globalization.

We shall speak more of Malacca again, a place that is fast changing even to a fellow Malaccan.

Though I am now some just slightly less than 300 km away, Malacca remains my home at heart.