MALACCA TRIP # 1

7/6/2014
I learnt my lessons well this time.   It is  never,  never to go to Malacca on a weekend and worse more so during the school holiday and worst on a public holiday holiday too.

We thought we would make an early start ie at 9.30 am. and figure we can reach Malacca just in time for our lunch. Alas! everybody seemed to have the same thought and as a result the traffic jam started from just off Nilai and it was then a back to back crawl all the way to Malacca. The road constructions on  certain parts of highway also contributed to the jam.  Not only were the traffic a damper on our spirits, it was also the crowds... as Chinese says  "mountain people mountain sea" and especially at night at Jonker Walk, it was  so packed that every now and then the crowds just come to standstill.

The only saving grace throughout the trip .......is this beautiful  homestay. 

Calanthe Artisan Loft  ... immediately our spirits were lifted looking at this colourful entrance

Let me walk you through homestay .......

the patio ... place to rest your feet after shopping at Jonker street which is just a few shops/houses further down the road...

the carporch... now there is an interesting tale about the carporch. 

Have you notice that most of these old houses in Malacca does not have a carporch and they are mostly built right up to the side of road.  Why does this particular house and the one next door have such a big car porch when even cars were being introduced in Malaysia?  

green vertical garden using hydroponics system ... can you see the chili padi, mint and even one siew pak choy (bottom second left) and if I am not mistaken the taller ones are ladyfingers!

How to recycle your plastic bottles...... 

So sweet of the owners to extend this warm welcome to us as we entered into the living room..

the TV room which can double as an extra bedroom  

Lots of skylights which brightens the house.... 

Another recycled item....my mother used this type of  altar cupboard too!

My favourite space in this homestay....how I wish I could have this open kitchen too! The kitchen is spacious and airy with the inner courtyard.  

the loft on top of the kitchen -good storage space. 

The only setback could be there is only 1 bathroom/toilet available.  For our group of 6 persons, it is not so time consuming to take our baths, but for larger group might pose a problem.   However it is clean and towels and shampoo are provided.   

Typical narrow and steep staircase leading upstairs.. 

a large bedroom with .... 

two kingsize 4 poster beds....  

ample sleeping space for us... 

So after much camwhoring, we decided to go for our late lunch.

It was only a short distance to Jonker Walk and our stomach were growling. We walked around to Famosa Chicken Rice balls  and Chung Wah Rrestaurants and there were long long queues at both of these places.. Luckily we can go back to our plan B....which is just anywhere with air-con and a shorter queue..... which led us to this Mamee Cafe..

At last we can see a familiar face here... the Big Blue Monster... 

a replica of the manufacturing assembly line

Since we are at the Mamee Cafe itself, we decided to order their signature Fried Instant noodles.

And I can understand why it is a mamak stall favourite- fast and readily available and tasted  yummy too-especially that 2 sticks of satay!  

  

Our take of Malacca famous Chicken Rice Balls... the rice ball is compact yet bigger than golf ball size and the rice texture not at all mushy....unlike the other ones  which we tried the next day which is small and bland.   The chicken rice ball (set meal RM8.90 each)  is served individually and meat is tender without being soft and bland. Of course, I felt that there are much better Chicken Rice in KL than all these overrated and over-priced Chicken rice here.      

This staircase is not opened for public use... 

Upstairs is a craft centre... you can buy a mug from the store downstairs and come up here to decorate your own mug... creative activities for your holiday 

So we strolled through Jonker Walk ...

brightly decorated clogs 

this man is making souvenirs with wires  

henna tattoo...

egg-shaped ice cream..it was a very "hot item" for cooling down  

coconut shake ... not the original one but immensely popular here too.

On the spot - freshly made  piping  hot Ondeh-Ondeh.. 

the Stadthuy Building or Red Square built between 1641-1660 with the Tang Beng Swee Clocktower built in 1886.... 

the museum.... 

I guess this tree must be as old as the building.... 

Nearby is the Dataran Pahlawan and the Mahkota Parade... yep... that's where we can find this....

Nadeje Pastry and its famous mille crepes.... 

However, just seeing the long queue in front of the shop saw us making a beeline to our plan B again......  

Starbucks .... coffeetime to cool and rest our feet.  

Doing what tourist do-  enjoying the trishaw ride accompanied by the PSY Gangnam style... from Dataran Pahlawan to...   

the Melaka River Cruise......

Views along the riverside.... 

alfresco cafes along the riverside... 

The cruise takes around half an hour and there is a audio guide on the way back  

Colourful artistic street art 

the Church bathed in the golden sunset 

the pirate ship museum ... which we did not entered....

final goodbye here... 

before we again "battled" our way through Jonker street to find our dinner.... 

We had wanted to try Nancy's Kitchen Nyonya food (good reviews)  but was deterred by the long queue outside...so quickly plan B ....  

so we went next door.... tired faces and hungry tummies.... 

away from the maddening crowds and heat outside, we can dine in peace ..... 

Eleven Restaurant ...... service was quick and efficient... 

Cincalok Omelette .... can't really taste the cincalok, more like an Onions Omelette.

Portuguese Dabal chicken curry..... not spicy nor lemak..

Assam Prawns - big fresh succulent prawns with the sourish assam sauce to whet our appetite in this hot weather.  We also ordered 2 types of vegetables dishes and total bill came to RM129 only.. reasonable for the service and food.  

We decided to call it a day and went home  for a much needed bath and rest... continuing part 2.