A bit unbelievable but i'd never been to Malacca before this weekend. One friend said, oh how lucky you never had to go. She'd been there several times on school field trips and Malacca seemed to be the choice place for staff retreats at her office and she's like, enuf already, there's nothing to do in Malacca! Another friend came back recently with accounts of extremely hot weather and mosquito bites everywhere. Hmmm.
Thats's Dad and Mom standing in front of our hotel, Jonker Boutique Hotel.
Hotel Lobby, pictures of the rooms and courtyard are a little bit further down the post.
A very late lunch (around 4pm) at a coffee shop we chanced upon walking in the opposite direction from everything else (accidentally). Thankfully the wantan mee and roast pork were delicious.
Made our way back in the correct direction towards Jonker Street where the pasar malam or night market was starting at 6pm. Some random pictures of Malacca along the way.
The Malacca Eye and Maritime Museum in the distance across the Malacca river.
At the start of Jonker Walk, where stalls had already started business for the night.
We were sipping coffee at San Shu Gong (i think it translates to Third Granduncle), a prominent corner building at the junction of Jonker Walk and the river selling local tidbits and coffee sachets for tourists to buy home.
The atmosphere at the night market was great. Very lively.
Fruit candies on sticks. Just wanted a photo of it.
We tried some durian fritters in spring roll, netted spring roll and dough ball forms.
Dad and Mom trying to get the best deal out of some microfibre towels.
The Geographer Cafe, featured on Lonely Planet, and frequented mostly by caucasians. I was checking out the exposed roof tiles and rafters through the second storey windows.
The other end of Jonker Walk where we had dinner at a coffee shop nearby.
The dishes were okay only. The satay looked good but didn't taste as good. Peanut gravy also tak-shiok. From where we were seated, we were treated to a super happening live stage show.
A lot of ah-pek fans drinking beer and watching the live show.
Cos got 'sexy' aunties dancing mah...
You see the grey building with neon signage on the left? That's where we stayed. The windows directly below the signage, that's my room. Uh-huh.
View of the line-dancing from our bedroom windows.
Super happening man... these aunties. They can dance number after number from 7pm through to 11pm. Earlier on I was trying to photograph one 'fashionable' auntie's black netting costume close-up when there were two tourists next to me taking turns at videoing each other's attempt to keep up with the line-dance steps. After the white guy had enuf he came out of the crowd and said, now let's see the black guy do the dance man. And proceeded to film his friend making a fool of himself.
Lilia and me chilling in our room after the show was over.
The next morning, the coast is clear. Everybody had gone home.
This is what our room looks like at the Jonker Boutique Hotel on Jalan Tokong.
Dim Sum breakfast at this coffee shop opposite the mosque, about 5 min walk from where we were staying.
The peitan chok (century egg porridge) is not very nice.
Then back to the hotel to meet up with Chin Li and Chris.
The courtyard area at Jonker Boutique Hotel.
Walk down memory lane at the morning street market, which is similar to our Sungei Road Thieves Market.
Second round of breakfast with Chin Li and Chris at Cafe 1511, which is also a guest house.
Love those peranakan tiles and green wall.
Combination of western and nyonya dishes.
Then off to do the touristy bits for today.
Yes we took the 45 minute river cruise, which i thought was quite nice actually.
The backs of the shophouses fronting the river had been painted quite artistically to form a mural of sorts.
Gross. I really didn't want this on my blog but there were 3 of them as our boat passed the river bank near our stop.
Chicken rice at one of the coffee shops where Chris wanted to try the chicken rice ball for kicks.
Otah.
Tadaa... chicken rice balls. I'd thought they were larger and came in one ball per serving haha.
The weather was too hot so we took shelter in air-con comfort at the Orang Belanda cafe, run by a Swedish guy and his chinese wife, or so he told my dad, when Dad asked if he was Dutch.
This hashers group were getting ready outside the Geographer Cafe for their run. Later on i saw a banner that welcomed them to Malacca from 16-17th April. The day before they were dressed to the likes of The Flintstones. Strangely we didn't cross paths in any of their runs.
Char Kway Kak, a night market favourite.
Hokkien mee and Asam laksa for dinner, but they don't match up to the Penang ones.
Wantan mee again for breakfast the next morning. So colourful, the bowls!
Second breakfast at a peranakan coffee shop.
The seafood pai-tee was delicious!
We went to a mall after passing the red Dutch State House (Stadhuy's) building and St Paul's Church, which i'd mistook to be the Mahkota Parade Mall shown on the map and only after we were leaving it to head back to the hotel for check-out that we saw this huge shopping mall across the road with a huge sign that said Mahkota Parade Mall that we realised we'd been in the wrong mall all this time guagua.
Parting shot of the Malacca River, before cabbing to the Melaka Sentral bus station for our 3.30pm bus back to Singapore.
Travel buddies: Dad, Mom, Lilia, Chin Li & Chris.
