Woke up to the chirpy sounds of swallows outside my hotel & we prepared to check out of the hotel... I arranged wif the concierge for transport to ferry us to the bus terminal for our 4.30pm coach. The aunties wanted to explore the area, of course wif more last min shopping.... I mooted the idea to visit the oldest temple in m'sia near our hotel since shops were still closed. Prior to that, I also informed them I would be walking at turtle speed wif my heavy backpack... hence they could juz follow gu-gu, who claimed that she knew the location.
I was determined to make the best out of my limited time as I only left wif the morning to do some proper photography... My orginal plan to bring them on a Duck Tour was thwarted as they were closed for maintenance! ARRGG! Wat a pity, as i tot it would be nice to ride on the duck tour, covering both land & waters in the straits of malacca... Guess, i could only leave it for my future trip! As such, I decided to juz focus on the Jonker Street area as I rather have some quality vs quantity pics!
Swallows (tiny black specks) flying in the blue blue skies!
I caught up wif mom & group after awhile & shouted for them to U-turn as they were heading for the wrong direction! Wif the limited time bef this trip, i managed to glance at google map of the Cheng Hoon Teng temple. But i forgot to check it's chinese name! I asked for some directions along the way & was pointed to the same street as I saw on google. So, I happily walked & thot that this corner street temple was The One... (i also din saw this wiki link bef my trip) Anyway, the aunties didn't seems keen as majority were distracted by the small provision shop along the way. They were all stuck there for more than half an hour! Gosh! After a long wait, my gu-gu told me to venture on my own & mit them for lunch at noon... Yippie! i finally could do something i enjoy :) I past by a peranakan embroidery shoes shop & asked the lady in canto if the shop had opened? She said yes & told me in a hostile tone that no photography/food/drinks were allowed inside. Inside the shop, she asked if i'm from HK? I said no & her next guess was taiwan? keke! I replied I'm fr Sg! My nationality actually formed our ice-breaker... she began to open up & told me that ppl in malacca usually speaks english, chinese, malay or hokkien...few speak canto here! I was surprised to hear that as canto is widely spoken in KL! She also clarified my doubts about the Baba & Nyonya culture, as long as 1 Malay + 1 Chinese inter-marriage would be considered a Baba (guys) or Nyonya (gals). Cos yday's museum's guide gave me the perception that usually the marriage is bet a Chinese man & a Malay woman. During our conversation, I learnt that most chinese in this area are Hokkien...I explained that I'm taking some shoots in this area & she pointed me to the streets upfront & told me to look-out for the intricate roofs & tiled floors of the houses...
Interior of Jonker 88
After leaving the shop, I past by Jonker 88 ~ a popular chendol shop in this area which attracts snaking Q during the weekends. Seeing that it juz open, I asked the lady which type of chendol is their stall's fav! It turned out to be Baba Chendol, cost RM 2. This chendol looks way better than yday's, wif a thick gula melaka topping & coconut milk... the chendol contains red beans & green jelly. I'm not a fan of chendol actually as i dislike desserts wif coconut but i decided to give it a try since i'm here. I felt it doesn't taste as good as I tot (my gu-gu said her prev tries were better!). Nevertheless, I was more enchanted by the interior decor of Jonker 88! The thoughtful display of olden-days type-writer, fan, telephone etc jogged my childhood memories... I remembered clearly the black telephone in grandma's house, where i love to turn the dial when i was a 3 yrs old! I also spotted the type-writer which i used to play at home. So cool! The retro stuff made me stayed inside for quite some time, till i bumped into my mom & aunts when they came in for the chendol! 
At 10.30am, I continued wif my stroll around the area, taking shots of the interesting architecture of the peranakan houses & shops... it's getting hot by now and I had to search for nice angles for photoshoot, as well as avoiding the direct rays...Perhaps, being here on a quiet weekday morning proves to be a good timing for photography, as there were relatively few people on the streets. When i was taking a break & moved into the shelter of the houses, i took some pics of the colourful tiles lining the walls & floors. Juz as i lifted my head, i saw another good vantage point of the buildings across the street... I even whipped out my pocket mirror for a creative shot of my best companion ~ my canon dslr! 
Nearing noon, i stumbled upon a Calanthe Art Cafe, which displayed a cartoon giraffe & maid wif a closing signage. As I was engrossed in taking the pics, I did not realise there was a truck in the middle of the road! Only when i turned around then i saw the driver waiting patiently for me to move aside... If this scene happens in Sg, i would sure be kana honked by the driver! Malacca is certainly a great contrast to the hustle & bustle in the city.
Gee not only makes nice clogs but draws cartoons too!
At noon, as i was making my way back to mit mom, I noticed a quaint little shop selling hand-made clogs. The fanciful designs of the clogs attracted me to step into Gee's Original. Inside, i saw a guy wif tied-back ponytail working on his craft... I asked him if I could take some pics & he surprised me wif his warm welcome... I even took the opportunity to ask him questions about the clog-making process. I could see the passion in this guy & he even related to me his story! I listened intently about him & his wife who were both arts college grads & moved fr another town to Malacca to open this shop. He's really creative as I spotted his creativity in the clogs he is selling. I noticed a Bruce Lee design clog & upon asking, realised that Bruce Lee was someone whom he admired!
I left the shop wif a good feeling, as I felt that my morning was well-spent indulging in my hobby, while at the same time, I could 'interview' the locals... I felt my 'takeaway' was more enriching than a guided tour. I met up wif mom & aunties for lunch at Hoe Kee Chicken Rice (和记鸡饭). Today's chix rice tasted much better than yday's & the kidney beans wif chix claws soup was tasty! I was famished since i did not ate much for breakfast & gobbled down at least 6 chix rice balls! After lunch, the group went to next door's San Shu Gong (三叔公) to purchase local goodies. I proceeded to across the road for a 10 mins shoot.
Kawaii!
Everyone were tired & wanted to return to hotel wif all their shopping bags! The skies were greyish again... When back at the hotel, after a short break, the aunties couldn't resist stepping out for tea-time! I decided to stay inside for air-con & did detailed shoots of the hotel's interior. There was a small 'history room' which related the history of malacca & our hotel... Our hotel's courtyard also formed a nice backdrop... This morn, there was a TV crew shooting a cooking programme here!
Courtyard
Betel Box & Tray (foreground), Well retained from old days (background)
Breakfast Area
Swallow Hall
Retro phone which i tried to dial my room's extension! Fun!
Kam Cheng ~ Porcelain container to hold spices & water
Nearing 4pm, a mini-van came to send us to the bus terminal & I was so exhausted that i napped in the van... As I was not in my best form for this trip + the lack of time & luck elements.... I felt really drained. The best returns were the street shots & encounter wif the locals....In future, i will definately return wif my buddy to cover the areas I missed out. 
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