I decided to join my mom, Gu-Gu (姑姑), 2nd aunt and their 6 other friends for a 2D1N getaway to Malacca... My objective was to horn my photography skills as I had read about their rich Peranakan heritage & Portuguese styled architecture. My gu-gu had visited Malacca numerous times & she supp knew where to shop & eat. Barely 10 hours bef our departure, she informed me to print the malacca maps to discuss wif her on board the bus journey! OMG! I had never prepared for a trip at the 11th hour....i was feeling unease & spent the next 5 hours for some last min research about Malacca. It's my 1st trip there, minus the time when i was a toddler in daddy's arm to Malacca, haha!
Our coach would depart at 8.30am from Lavender's bus terminal... Mom & I were the first to arrive. When all the other 8 aunties arrived, I told gu-gu I need to share my itinerary wif the group to get a consensus. Despite my restless sleep, I did a lively commentary wif a full-colour Melaka Duck Tours map, which is veri useful as I got a clearer picture of their town area. Most of the maps available online were sketchy. I intended to pick up the full scale maps upon arrival. I planned to get our hotel to reserve 10 tix for us, so we could proceed wif the duck tour tomorrow morning.
Lovely clouds sighted on my way to Malacca
After briefing, I was appointed the impromptu tour leader cum photographer ... I dun mind, since gu-gu was down wif a major flu. Our tour bus set off for the Woodlands 2nd Link check-point & Malaysia Immigrations. We were stuck at the m'sia customs for a long time, thanks to the nonchalent attitude of the immigrations officers! Gu-gu estimated we would arrive at Malacca around 1pm, based on her previous experience. However, we arrived much later...At the bus interchange, I approached a young lad selling hp to check which bus number to take to town. He was a bit unsure but he went out of his way & went wif me to the bus inter-change to ask the drivers! My first impression of the ppl here were their friendliness :)
I followed the lad's info & waited at the bus bay for service number 17... On board the bus, each of us paid RM1 for our 15 mins journey into town. This spells the start of my childhood memories...wif bus conductor dishing out the tiny paper bus ticket! We spotted the 'red house' landmark & alighted... Trucking our luggages into the Jonker Street area, we decided to eat at the 1st chicken rice coffee-shop (中华茶室） at the street's entrance since it's already 2pm+! We were lucky enuf to get 2 tables as we snapped up the last of the chicken rice! Not sure was it due to the 'last bits', the chix & rice balls were extremely oily.
Cloudy yet Hot!
Mom (in purple) & aunties wif their brollies & bags!
After filling our tummies, gu-gu led us to our lodging ~ Hotel Puri , located at Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, also known as Herren street. The facade of Hotel Puri was painted in a cheery yellow & blue. Once i dumped my backpack in the lobby while waiting for them to check-in, I went out to snap pics of the facade. The alleys in between the houses were narrow, wif vehicles parked at the side. For safety precautions, one has to walk by the road-side & watch for oncoming traffic. I asked the doorman to help me watch out for traffic & he was nice enuf to 'pause' the traffic LoL.
Along my room's corridor
Inside Puri's 'Swallow Hall'
Hotel Puri is also a masterpiece by itself, being a restored Peranakan House, previously the house of Tan Kim Seng. We got our rooms on level 2, but had to climb 3 flights of stairs! One distinctive feature of Peranakan houses ~ they looked small from the roadside view, but actually extend deep behind into the halls & courtyards. If you remember our popular local drama ~ The Little Nyonya (小娘惹) , this hotel's interior formed the backdrop of the first episode. After checking in, I hurried the aunties to move to our next stop juz a stone-throw away ~ The Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum. From the info gathered online, someone had commented should u arrived late, the staff at the museum would hurried you. The opening hours are short, from 8.30am to 12pm & 2pm to 4.30pm. It's 3pm & we really had not much time. At the museum's gate, we had to press a doorbell & a lady came to ask if we were ok wif english speaking guide. The admission was RM8 each & she ensured that we paid up bef allowed us into the hall. By then, there were already a big grp inside & we missed the intro. The guide was pretty narrative & spoke in a proud tone of her heritage... I wouldn't really call this a museum (kinda misleading), but it's actually the brainchild of an entrepreneurial Baba who converted his family house to showcase their culture & peranakan furnishings. I got a glimpse into how the Baba & Nyonya lived in the olden days. Most of their inter-marriages were match-made by parents and usually married in their late teens. Their costumes and shoes were intricate embroidery wif some flowerly motifs.
At the 2nd level of the house, while the group shuffled from one room to the other, I succumbed to my temptation to snap a pic of the corridor. Thou i was aware of the 'No Photography' rule, I took a chance. When i re-joined the group, the tour guide noticed me & purposedly embarrased me by warning that there were CCTVs in the whole house & she would confiscate my camera! I apologised unwilingly as no matter wat, i'm a paying customer & i was appalled by her undiplomatic way to 'put down' her customer!!! I dun give in to such threats! There's certainly a more polite way to put across a similar message... I think they really lag behind in customer service if you wan to maintain your reputation as a tourism venue!
I only managed to snap a few shots along the way to the shopping mall & when i spotted the tourism info centre, i picked up a detailed map. It was a leisure stroll wif mom sheltering me wif her small brolly! I was dismayed that i couldn't take out my camera to take pics during the downpour. One optimistic auntie quipped, ''take it as if this is snowing!'' Well, it would be a diff feeling if i'm strolling wif my best fren or bf? haha! After a long stroll, the rest of the afternoon was spent in the shopping mall, wif numerous shops & factory outlets. I managed to buy a tee for myself since there was a sales.
It was still raining at 7pm & after checking wif staff working in the mall, there were only fast-food and a couple of restaurants. Gu-Gu vaguely remembered that there's a hawker centre nearby, but judging from the situation, I proposed we dine at the 旺角茶餐厅 (HK Cafe). It offered a better range of food to suit everyone's palette & esp for my gu-gu who was having a bad flu! Our tummies were all growling by then & I ordered a wanton soup + beef baked rice + chix baked rice shared among 4 of us.
wana some bird's nest? keke!
We boarded 2 taxis back to our hotel (RM15 for each taxi), since it's still raining... upon stepping into the 'swallow hall' of our hotel, i was greeted wif the fluttering sounds of swallows returning to their nests! It was such a pleasant feeling! I was told by the hotel manager, if we come during their nesting period in March or September, there will be alot more swallows building their nests here (right inside the hotel, can u believe it?)!!! I wondered if i stay during the nesting period, will any bird nests fall off the walls? Then, i can bring home & brew some bird nests to nourish my skin! keke!
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