Front Window

Yesterday morning I had been disturb while meditating by a practising brass band:



I took the opportunity to have a look around from my balconies in the Hotel Equatorial in Malacca. Right in the centre of my view is a big mall, where the Malaysians can combine their favourite pastimes - shopping and eating:



On the left side of the mall is a hospital which I hopefully never will see from the inside, although it has an excellent reputations. It's just even less fun to have medical issues abroad than at home. In the background you can see the sea. This is good news. It means that the haze is gone. The rain washed it away and the wind blew the rest to the north. I could not see the sea a couple of days ago.

On the left there is an example what could happen when you start building without having sorted out the financing:



It's not a pretty view. However, behind this disgrace is an excellent Chinese restaurant. There are quite some good other shops in this area. The problem is just to cross the busy street in the front of the hotel to get there.

On the right side is the tourist centre on Malacca:



Here are all the rubble, residents and churches the colonists left. The big brown thingy there is not actually of colonist origin. It's the sultanate palace. However, the indigenes might call the sultan colonist, who knows.

And finally, there is the place where I took the above pictures from:



I've also indicated the most important asset of the hotel. That's where I enjoy the early evenings. I'm not as good as the polar bear, which has been caught swimming 74 km within a day. However, I keep practising...

Meanwhile* I was writing this, I received an SMS from a Georgyboy, who obviously seems to be at Zurich's street parade: *super geil*

* I just added this line, because meanwhile is my favourite word in Sex and the City. A fortnight ago, my flatmate Tigresa brought season two into our flat. I secretly watched it and I have to agree with Gatín, who summarized the show: Obscene but cunningly made.