Next steps

We leave Malaka today, and I have a few regrets.

Having seen the Portuguese settlement and the closed restaurants in the rain on Saturday morning and then sort of imagining that trying the food in town was an easy way to tick that box, I have continued my search for cultural symbols of the chilli and the Portuguese in wider Malakan life and commerce.  I realise now as I leave (one of my strengths is to eventually realise the self evident)  is that the small surviving community of the Portuguese speaking Kristang need to be a part of any chilli world tour stop-over in Melaka. It's not the chilli, its the people. Well probably those people, and the chilli, and all other people too...

Advice from a local was to come back in June for the festival of St Juan.  When there are culural events out at the Settlement. And that's good advice. But I do feel pathetic that I didn't go diving in and try to find someone to begin an intercultural connection on the Portuguese/chilli front. While I was here.

Mind you,  I can see why the Portuguese colonial  heritage did not evince a warm response when I brought it up. Particularly as their destructive conquest of Melaka, as I understand it, brought to an end its "Golden Age". Despite the long European colonial history as a trade centre thereafter.

My other regret was doing too much walking and not catching the multicoloured, flower bedecked rock and roll trishaws that are a feature of this town. You tell yourself that its good for your health - all that food needs to be used up - but walking in the heat erodes the decision making process I find.

 Last night's dinner was a subtle and delicious Nyonya meal but the photo was a video and I deleted it. Dryish tasty beef rendang with kaffir lime and lemongrass. Prawn fritters (we asked for chilli sauce!) and sizzling luscious juicy tofu; in a giant old family restaurant.