eternity... mahjong...

Throughout our trip, Charlotte and I have been working our way through "The Purpose Driven Life", a book by Rick Warren. On our way to the historical state of Melaka today, we were working through chapter 4 which is all about how we were made by God to last forever. A few things have struck me and one is that this world is really not all there is to it, this world is only a small part of our existance, a rehersal if you like, for eternity. That doesn't mean that what you do here is of no importance, instead what you do here on earth has an effect on what you do and where you spend that eternity. You know, if this earth is all there is then why don't we live completely for our own pleasure? I think that most of us somehow know that this isn't all there is and we try to live good lives just in case it impacts the next. God says that what you do on earth matters and what you decide about his son, Jesus, is what determines where you go in the next. What do you think about Jesus?

Although there was much to see, I didn't like much of Melaka (or Malacca in English), perhaps that's because it was a very hot, dusty day, or maybe because I was still tired? Still there was an interesting Buddist/Taoist/Confusious temple, the oldest in Malaysia.



There were a couple of Catholic churches and the Straits of Melaka - a very dirty and warm sea. We did get some good photos in a ruined fortress (see below) though but overall, I'd give it a miss.



It did get a bit intersting towards the end of the day when Charlotte found a mahjong shop and decided that she wanted to buy a set. She has been promising to teach me for some time now and hopefully now that she has a set we will get the chance. She did some very good barganing, got the salesperson down from 148 to 100 ringet for the set (less than 15 pounds). Now if only Charlotte can remember how to play...

We're off to have a Japanease buffet tonight, ahh... sushi... yum. I'm pretty hungry so looking forward to it.

Tomorrow we're going to see a bit of Kuala Lumpur and then head back to Singapore... later then.