A four hour bus ride north of Singapore took us to the city of Melaka. Our accommodation, Tony's Guesthouse is ideally located in the center of Little India. Within a five minute walk, we can easily find half a dozen restaurants serving Indian cuisine. Melaka's food reflects its history with Indian, Chinese, Malay, Portugese, European and Baba Nyona (a unique Chinese/Malay fusion) food, meaning we really enjoyed our visit here. In between our numerous meals, we have managed to explore the colonial district of Melaka. Melaka was founded by a Hindu prince from Sumatra named Parameswara and it was subsequently conquered in succession by the Portugese, Dutch and British - each leaving a distinct presence in the city. In the center of town, much of the old Dutch city remains and further west is Medan Portugis, a small enclave still home to Portugese Eurasians. One of the highlights of the colonial district is the ruins of St. Paul's Church. It is here that Saint Francis Xavier was buried for nine months before being moved to Goa in India.
