Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Make Way for the Trishaws

For many, a visit to Melaka wouldn't be complete without a ride in a colorful trishaw. Gone for a while after a good bus system was established, these bicycle-powered transport vehicles have made a comeback in a big way. Between the A'Famosa fortress and Stadhuys at the Dutch Square, the road actually is closed off to car traffic, creating a moving mass of Hello Kitty with bobbling fuchsia pink umbrellas. If cute kitties are not your fancy, one could also try Doraemon, more generic floral ones, or even Batman/Spiderman. If their physical presence on the road isn't enough to catch your attention, the flashing lights (at night) and loud music is hard to ignore. Hearing "Let it Go" blared at nearly a constant interval during the few days I was there, I could imagine how irksome these touristic trishaws would be for local residents. Our tour guide explained that the driver would change the music to suit the passengers, but I didn't hear a whole lot of variation. Interestingly enough, I did hear one play "The Chicken Dance" - a bit incongruous to hear polka music coming from a stuffed animal decked out tricycle in tropical Malaysia!  


Details from a much more unique trishaw. I'm surmising that it was one of the older styles of trishaws

Batman meets Spiderman

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