Round-a-bout Malacca

Weekend getaway at Malacca, a heritage state filled with one-way streets and roads. We went round and round, with a not-so-trustworthy map in hand. Well, one hand on the wheel, and the other holding the map. I was a useless navigator, not so much of a companion in the car as well, as I was practically sleeping most of the time in Mowhak. You have gotta pardon me on that. What could you expect when it’s a round-and-round drive, and most importantly, I was well fed. Very well fed indeed!!!

First stop: Baba House

Beautiful place. I love the smell of ‘oldness’, provided I do not detect the ‘cockroach’ smell. Just makes you dreamyyy~~~ Blessed with great and sunny weather, we started our own little exploration. Of course, I donned myself with SPF 35 sunblock!

Lunch time!!!

Passed by a chendol stall with a small crowd, and stopped for an appetizer.

Got ourselves some Nyonya snacks along the way such as onde onde, crispy curry puff etc. Yum~~~

Main course: the infamous chicken rice ball.
I suppose we burnt off all those carbs by climbing up the fort.

It’s amazing how so many people climb all the way up those steep stairs (definitely not constructed under any standards!) under the blazing sun just to take pictures of some walls.

I suppose it’s the same during my Macau trip, where me and the girls practically took pictures on every other stairs to get different views and shots of the remaining lonesome wall of Macau.

Now, come to think of it, where are those pictures now?

Poonie was eager to visit the Marine Museum, where I think the last time (and only time) I saw the ship was when my mummy could carry me. Pity though. Tutup!
Thank god we have a Coretto drumstick to lick for the walk to A’Famosa. Wow! What a crowd greeted us!

A Holland experience in Malacca! (Pity the Holland donuts and coffee were consumed too quickly for pictures to be taken)


Great vibrant colours. For a bubbly band!

Just look at their ‘shoes’. Cant imagine how painful if you are stepped on!

A couple of Dutch ladies were telling us how their uniforms came about. The wind is really strong in Holland, hence the copper wire stringed around their white lacy ‘hat’, reinforced with pins. Makes me wonder. If it is such a trouble pinning those hats down, why do they need to wear them in the first place? Dutch lady also mentioned that, to go out even across the street without those white lacy hats is considered rude. What’s more, you can tell how rich the family is from the accessories that the lady has on the copper wire, round her white lacy hat!

And guys! Hands off if the Dutch lady has an orange strip skirt. That means the lady aint single and available.

There was a ‘Knowledge Sharing’ session on Sungai Melaka recently and so we had to visit it!


Hungry again. All those walking. I need fuel…
However, since it was still rather early for dinner, we went to Jonker Walk where people are setting up their stalls. And, what’s a walk without nibbling on roadside tidbits? Hence, appetizers consisted of Chinese pig intestine satays and lobak (the sticky kind).

Round-and-round, and more round-and-round… we finally found a ‘lok lok’ restaurant. There are two next to each other, and naturally we cramped ourselves into the crowd.

50c per stick. Yum~~~

Next stop: Portuguese settlement.
Needless to say, round-and-round, and more round-and-round. Even though we stopped by a fish ball restaurant to ask for directions, and bless that guy! He went to get a paper and drew the directions for us!

Finally, we reached! Knowing that there are not going to be any ‘decent’ toilets at the Portuguese hawker stalls, we went to the nearby hotel. Bah!

“Sorry for the inconvenience. These toilets are meant for our hotel guests. Please use the public toilets at the Portuguese Square.”

Oh well. No toilet.

It’s amazing how they try and lure and snatch customers, or rather anyone within sight.

Being foreign over there, we just let ourselves be led by Stall 88, and ordered the signature ikan bakar. There was this other stall that grilled all sorts of shell creatures that I have never seen before, but since I wasn’t going to order anything there, I wasn’t going to risk the wrath of the three burly curly and hairy guys behind the stall, who light up their cigarettes with the red hot charcoal!

Back to Jonker Walk, where it is bustling with lights, people and live music.

Well, what’s a walk without nibbling on tidbits?

Malacca coffee, and a yummy iced chocolate (Jaffa-style), and more lobak! We needed the fuel for the next day.
Yes! The zoo! Where we were pleasantly surprised by the wide range of animals (especially lemurs) that they have, as well as the chance to get ‘close-and-personal’ with some of the smaller animals. Although we did not really entertain the thought of having birds (many birds) flying across our heads.

And I was holding onto my camera and sunnies pretty tightly near monkeys! Just in case.
One of the highlights: we saw a giraffe shitting! Can you see? Can you see?

Yes, he was facing us; hence we were able to see the entire process. No squatting, just standing as per normal, and the shit totally resemble ‘po chi yan’ (the Chinese medication for stomach discomfort). Totally!

I like giraffes. Such nice creatures!

And isn’t this cute? So inviting for a hug!

Considering how close Taman Buaya is to the Malacca Zoo, they definitely have some crocodiles and alligators. I am rather puzzled as to the name of this species though. ‘False Gharial’. I wonder how they feel about it. Being called ‘False’. Hmm…

A Kancil is really small. Just look at its size as compared to the banana skin! Totally cant imagine how it manage to kick off those dogs in the legend.

A Hornbill is pretty big. Its size really doesn’t justify the space that it has. For a few moments, it (can’t tell if it’s male or female) was flying back and forth in its cell. Awaiting feeding time I suppose.


And yes, I was holding onto my camera and sunnies tightly when we were looking at each other.

Ahh~~~And wouldn't anyone love a bear hug from this fluff ball...minus those claws though!

Well, after looking at all their feeding times, it was definitely past ours. What’s a trip to Malacca without Nyonya Baba Peranakan cuisine?

Yes. More round-and-round. Until we found Manis Sayang!

And I absolutely love the sambal eggplant. Totally out-of-this-world! I am definitely going to try adding LOTS of lemongrass while stir frying vegetables in future… when I have a kitchen, when I have a kitchen with the necessary ingredients.

It’s teatime. I need my caffeine fix! Can’t resist it. We have to go back to the café we went to last night.
Sigh of contentment. La la la la la la… la la la la laa~~~ (humming to Smurf song)