Melaka, Malaysia surprised us before we visited. We had heard bits and pieces about the city but didn’t fully comprehend how central the city was in birthing what is now modern-day Malaysia.

Ever since reading the book, A Gift of Rain, by Tan Twan Eng, Nick has had a deep desire to visit Penang, Malaysia. So, it was that we found ourselves making our second trip outside of Singapore since arriving in February to visit Penang to experience the rich history, culture and food for which it is well-known.

You can watch videos and read books and review statistics to learn about cultures; it's not until you walk among the various ethnic groups in other lands that the meaning of the word "culture" becomes fully realized.

We had planned a longer visit to Kuala Lumpur but Malaysian Airlines tricked us! We did make the most of it and powered our way through KL.