The British founded this city, so English is an official language and the primary language here. Many signs are only written in English. I can hear some local people talking to each other in English too, it is really strange for this to happen in Asia!
Today I headed to the National Library to do some research for my trip. As expected the library is new and perfect. If I remember, 16 stories tall and for the first time since Hong Kong I could walk in and read books without registering for a card or answering any questions. I miss doing that. Plus most of the books here are in English. But first they had an exhibition on the 10th floor about the ancient Indian influences to South East Asia. Then on the 11th floor I read a travel guide on Indonesia without feeling guilty about it like in a bookstore. I didn’t want to buy a heavy book, so I just read, memorized, took some notes, and copied a few pages. Traveling is like an exam and it really helps if you study first.
Later I walked through more of the city and ate some Roti John for dinner. Tastes kind of like a hamburger. Later I visited the Asian Civilizations Museum, which is free on Friday evenings. I thought it was really well done and wish I had more time to learn things there.