I STILL wanna go back to Malacca (Part II)
Well it's been more than a month since I've returned from the trip but the memories I have are still totally fresh. And true to my promise I'm back once again to promote a visit to Malacca! Hahaha. Not really, but just to share my experience while I still can remember more details.
The day starts off with a leisurely swim at the landscape pool.
Breakfast at the coffee house was decent, but I took too much of some blue cheese or something which turned out to be totally bitter. Ack!
Our first stop for the day was the exact replica of the sultan's palace which was turned into a museum dipicting the history of Malacca. It also boasts many original artefacts like ceremonial kris (the sword of malays), costumes of royalties, old documents and of course wax figurines telling countless stories and legends. All for a token fee of RM2 per person. Neat or what!?
The Grand Palace of the sultan of Malacca.
An old tank left by the British- pre WWII.
The princess chose a vintage car to pose with instead of a violent automoblie.
I am the sultan of Malacca! Along with my sultana and my guards. Whee~
Why Paramesewara chose Malacca? Cause' his hunting dog was chased by a mousedeer.
A typical council meeting where the province governers report to the sultan.
'Do I look like a tai tai?' Well, I didnt know what to reply. Hee...
Time to explore the sultan's garden!!!
Lavish is the word for the decorations in the garden.
His garden is suprisingly big dunno for what also.
Off to the next museum! its some national archives and historic museum or something, can't remember the name. But it was a good exposure with a peek into the rich history and famous pastimes of yesteryears.
Original garb of old chinese women-Big clothes and tiny puny shoes.
Can anyone guess what's inside the frames?
If you somehow guessed they are kites, you're right!
From as tiny as the size of a palm to a huge life size one above, kites are lovingly produced by the locals who regard kite flying asl a favorite pastime. Competitions are held regularly. There's even a guide on how to out-wit or destroy other kites by attaching glasses, how to make one, how to maintain one etc.
Top spinning or gasing(gah-sing) is also a smash hit pastime. Indeed Malacca would remind one of Singapore in the 1960s.
We managed to visit the shop house library which was closed yesterday. It is managed by an aging couple. The quaint and soothing environment was indeed an oasis admist the hustle and bustle of Jalan Hang Jebat. It has a huge collection of mainly chinese books. Tons of history, poetry, literature, and stories but mostly in CHINESE! Bleargh. Fortunately there was also a an English collection which boast the latest books by today's authors.
There also a man made mini fountain complete with stone seats to further enhance the calming atmosphere of the library.
The glass roof provides natural lighting, allowing the owners to hang decorative dim lanterns on ceilings.
My dad could have just stayed in here for years, with all the chinese books to occupy him.
Back on the museum trail! But first a pic of the Malacca river.
Next stop, the maritime museum of Malacca which was a 'ship' itself. It was enthralling once again to read about the maritime history of Malacca, once an important port of the lucrative indo-china trade route. Reminds me of a game I used to play on my super old computer. Anyone heard of or also play Uncharted Waters by KOEI? Doubt so. Anyway the fully air-conditioned boat also exhibits a section on famous explores like Christopher Colombus, Zheng He, Marcus Polo, James Cook, etc complete with stories read off from a mechanical recorded voice. I just LOVE history.
Our museum's a freaking life size ship of the 18th century.
I've heard of galloens, junks, galleasses, and catalans but this ship is sure a first for me.
The fully parquet and wooden interior of the ship comes complete with cannons, wax figurines of pirates and even fake treasures.
An ancient map of Asia. Cartographers of the past were impressively accurate in charting maps through what they can see from boats.
The weather was good. There was no rain and plenty of breeze. The scorching sun was suprisingly a tad more merciful than it was in Singapore. Perhaps the humidity is lower. We had a good tan throughout the 3 days that we spent there.
We finished our tour of the museums and it was off to the main shopping centre in Malacca. After a day in blazing sunlight, the blasting air-con of Makhota Shopping Centre was warmly embraced. We were not planning to eat much for lunch as we wanted to have a feast at Jonker Street in the evening but then something proved to be irresistible.
Taa Daa! Shakey's pizza, once a household name in S'pore, it got out muscled by bigger coporations like pizza hut and canadian 241.
A meal of a medium pizza with extra cheese, 2 soup of the day, 2 glasses of soft drinks and a loaf of garlic bread cost only about 20RM. Add 10% service tax and 3% of their local tax, its about what you would pay for in Singapore. With SING dollar!!!
The flea markets at Makhota Square, lots of cheap stuffs.
After some shopping and a short rest in the hotel it's time to head down to the night market at Jonker Street. Although it is possible to walk there, I wanted to try the main mode of transportation of tourist in Malacca.
It could be my job when I retire... Hee...
Trishaw riders double up as tour guides in Malacca. Our trishaw rider, a middle-aged malay, was knowledegeble about the area. His trishaw also has a fan and a built in sound system. He even lets us choose the kind of songs that were available from oldies to the latest hits of today. Our short trip was pleasant and even at a point of time exciting when he went full speed down a slope. Hahaha. I asked the uncle to take a picture for us and he suggested that I take the cyclist seat. So nice. He's a great photographer too. Thanks for the memories!
Jonker Street was already full of people when we arrived around 8pm. The first thing that greeted us were rows of make shift stalls selling all sorts of things. Walking around was a challenge as we thronged through the narrow road. Hard to believe that in the day this is a busy road.
If you got stuffs to sell, just find a spot.
Their Huay Kuan has more activities other than collecting money such as line dancing.
One can purchase almost anything at the night market. You can bargain, but most of the prices are reasonable. Quite unlike Phuket where stall owners sky rocket the prices and expects you to bargain like mad. If you do not bargain in Phuket, too bad for you. Get ready to pay up to 300% the usual price. But in Malacca, the friendly stall owners are patient and understanding. Nobody tugs you by your sleeve and touts you to buy their products. Because of the reasonable prices, I did little or no bargaining at all. Stalls sell everything from clothes, accessories, shoes, souvenirs and even pets.
The sale of animals for pets is also prevalent at the night market.
From the most unusual of pets,
To the rarest of pets, like this snow white porcuppine. How cruel...
Finally we reach my favourite part of the night market, the food area!
Malacca food is pretty much like S'porean food. The locals love chilli too. So I had to specifically order all my food without chilli. You can find food like Hang he (BBQ stingray), Fried Kuay Teow, Laksa, Hokkien Mee and lots lots more. All for very reasonable, some might say unbelievable prices. Like Rm2 for a small plate of kuay teow. Just blogging about the food makes me salivate. Indeed food is one of the things I miss most about Malacca.
Japanese pancakes on a push cart??? Impossible!
Only one way to find out if they're real Jappy Pancakes...
Cai Tao Kueh (carrot cake)! Hoo!!!~ Dunno why the call it radish cake there. Is carrot radish?
Don't care carrot or radish... Just whack and see how.
HK dim sum on wheels! And my cup runneth over...
After a sumptuous meal, the princess indulges in some body art- fake tattoos!
Wondered where the term "butterfly memories" came from?
That was the last part of our trip for the night. We bought tons of stuff back home. It was a wonderful night.
A picture of all the stuffs that we bought on the second day.
The last day was spent lazing around the swimming pool and a last minute shopping trip to Makhota Square. It was a short but magical holiday, the much needed escape from working life. Malacca in short is but just a sleepy town with little exciting attractions, but it's the friendly people and their lifestyle there that makes the trip truly captivating and memorable. Indeed a place to consider if one wants to emigrate for retirement.
Of course this holiday would not have been half as enjoyable without the most important person with me on this trip. Thank YOU for being with me.
Butterfly memories too by Shaun
posted by On Eagle's Wings @ 9:55 AM
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