One blazing hot weekend in June, The Boy and I celebrated a milestone. It was our first weekend away since moving to KL and we were going to Melaka, that lovely UNESCO heritage-listed historical port town about 2-3 hours drive away.
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| The Boy and I on Melaka River |
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Melaka centres on the river. The water is not the best but the brightly painted restored shop houses that line the river on both sides - some converted into cafes and accommodation - and the cruise boats ferrying tourists up and down give it a nice life. We happily did the 10-minute leisurely stroll up and down the river to our hotel several times over the weekend, always finding something new to notice and enjoy at different times of day.
Melaka is perfect for a weekend trip because most of the tourist sites are clustered close together, which makes for easy sightseeing. The only obstacle was the heat, which seemed to be about 5 degrees warmer than KL! Luckily, cold fresh fruit juices, refreshing bowls of cendol and beers (The Boy's drink of choice) are plentiful, and people-watching enjoyable.
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| Melaka town centre |
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| Melaka town centre |
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| Colourful tri-shaws lined up waiting for customers |
While we chose to walk, it seemed the 'tri-shaw' was the mode of transport of choice for many other visitors that weekend. For some reason, the drivers of these bicycle/carriages insist of blasting loud music as they ferry passengers around, anything from loud 80s ballads to dance club hits.
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| St Paul's church ruins |
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| Water wheel |
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| A'Famosa fort ruins |
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| Maritime Museum |
Malaysians will tell you to go to Melaka for the food. In fact, one of The Boy's staff drives there with friends every couple of months for a feed. Melaka is known for several dishes including chicken rice balls, satay celup and cendol. We had a delicious lunch at Famosa Chicken Rice Ball restaurant on Jonker Street, returning later to check out the night markets, which were bustling.
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| At the top of Jonker Street |
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| Sunny afternoon in Chinatown |
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| Rice balls and chicken = simple but oh, so satisfying |
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| Lovely interior at Famosa Chicken Rice Ball restaurant |
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| Heaven is fresh juice in a jar on a hot day |
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| Good night Melaka, we'll be back! |
We travelled to and from Melaka by Nice Executive Coach which was great aside from a miscommunication which saw us miss the bus on the way there (luckily there was another one 2 hours later) and on the way back we were unfortunately seated beneath a leaking airconditioner which splashed water on our feet every time the bus took a sharp turn. The seats are comfortable though and it looks like one of the nicer coaches that do that route.
Travel tip: If you can help it, don't travel on a public holiday weekend. The roads were so crowded with Malaysian holidaymakers, the trip took an hour longer than scheduled each way.
