Ringo's Foyer

Melaka is a large town in the south of peninsular Malaysia. Historically it was a small fishing village which was transformed into an international trading port by various European colonists; today however it is a mainly a tourist destination, and a lovely one at that!

There aren't many 'sights' in Melaka, but it's a great town to wander around and explore the myriad of back streets. It has a really chilled vibe here, and the weather has been gorgeous, so I have spent a fair bit of time soaking up the sun and watching the world go by. Melaka also has fantastic food which is INCREDIBLY cheap, so I have been tasting local cuisine at roughly 1.50 per meal!

The real highlight of my time here though has been my hostel, Ringo's Foyer. The owner is a Malaysian man called Howard, who is really friendly and keen to create a social atmosphere. He takes the guests out for a group dinner every night, or hosts a BBQ on the roof terrace. On my first night we borrowed his bicycles, and rode out to a hawker centre just out of town. It was so nice to be on a bike, although slightly scary trying to merge through busy traffic!! The hawker centre we ate at was open air, and had an array of incredibly tasty local food to sample. I settled on 'Popiah' which is a spring roll stuffed with carrots, garlic, prawns, chili and more, and chicken satay with a yummy peanut sauce. On the way back to the hostel, Howard took us the long route home and gave us an informal tour of the town. After the meal everyone was fully acquainted, and so we continued chatting away over a few beers on the roof terrace.

On my second night, Howard took us out for dinner at an Indian restaurant. Indian food is the one cuisine that I avoid; I really don't like spicy food and so generally find it easier to stay well clear! However, it has become clear that when in Asia this is a dislike I'm going to have to overcome. I told Howard that he could order for me, as I had no idea what anything on the menu was. When my meal came, it was thin bread filled with potato and vegetables (similar to a large samosa), that you dip into various sauces... and to my suprise and delight it was really YUMMY! Again, after dinner, everyone congregated in the common area to watch Toy Story 3 with beer.

My stay in Ringo's Foyer highlights the a difference that a good hostel makes to a trip. As Melaka is a quiet town it would have been easy to dismiss it as boring, but with a great host showing us around and a good group to while away the evenings with, my time in Melaka has been far from boring!