Our trip began with a 3.5-4 hour bus ride. Mindy booked her tickets a few days after Ali and I did, so she was on a separate bus. The coach taking us to Malaysia was quite nice, but the one on the way back was a little more rundown and we were never quite sure if the return bus driver had accounted for everyone when making stops. We tried to hurry in the restroom and at the customs locations so we didn't get left behind!
If Ali hadn't been so good with the map, we might have hitched at ride with one of these trishaw drivers, which were everywhere. Most were blaring American music - everything from Michael Jackson to Metallica. We didn't ride on one...
...but we pretended we did!
When we got to the heritage area, one of the first things we saw was this clock tower built in the 1800's. I believe the clock was imported from England(?).
This area is called the Red Square, because all the buildings in the area are...you guessed it, red. This is Christ Church, the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia. Bricks were shipped from the Netherlands when it was built between 1741-1753. Next door is the Stadthuys, an old Dutch building that's now a museum (not pictured).
After lunch, we walked around Jonker Street which is lined with shops and street merchants. This one is showing Mindy how the slapper works. We were not impressed with the shopping. Lots of the same (junky) things over and over, but we enjoyed ourselves.
We also tried several local treats, such as pineapple cookies and the dessert pictured above with a name I do not remember. It had coconut milk, some kind of cakey substance, grass jelly (the green gelatinous stuff), red beans and whipped cream. It was interesting. Not my favorite but not gross. 
Melaka seemed to have a church, temple or mosque on every corner. I liked the happy Buddha in this temple. 
Big con: despite the claims of our bus tour guide, Melaka is not that walkable despite our best efforts. Sure, we walked around the Jonker Walk area fine but crossing the street was a bit of an art as was hailing a cab. Here's Ali as we tried unsuccessfully to get to the Portuguese Settlement. We finally gave up and waited (a while) for a cab.
When we got to the heritage area, one of the first things we saw was this clock tower built in the 1800's. I believe the clock was imported from England(?).
This area is called the Red Square, because all the buildings in the area are...you guessed it, red. This is Christ Church, the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia. Bricks were shipped from the Netherlands when it was built between 1741-1753. Next door is the Stadthuys, an old Dutch building that's now a museum (not pictured).
We were pretty hungry by the time we got there, so Ali and I tried chicken rice balls at this locally famous place appropriately named Famosa Chicken Rice Ball. The little balls are made of rice, and they were a nice change from regular white rice.
After lunch, we walked around Jonker Street which is lined with shops and street merchants. This one is showing Mindy how the slapper works. We were not impressed with the shopping. Lots of the same (junky) things over and over, but we enjoyed ourselves.
We also tried several local treats, such as pineapple cookies and the dessert pictured above with a name I do not remember. It had coconut milk, some kind of cakey substance, grass jelly (the green gelatinous stuff), red beans and whipped cream. It was interesting. Not my favorite but not gross.
Melaka seemed to have a church, temple or mosque on every corner. I liked the happy Buddha in this temple.
Big con: despite the claims of our bus tour guide, Melaka is not that walkable despite our best efforts. Sure, we walked around the Jonker Walk area fine but crossing the street was a bit of an art as was hailing a cab. Here's Ali as we tried unsuccessfully to get to the Portuguese Settlement. We finally gave up and waited (a while) for a cab. Cab drivers here do not have meters. Mindy's tour book basically said if you're a tourist, expect to may more than a local but decide upon a price upfront. Ali was pretty good at negotiating with cabbies...
(Note to Mike and Jen Watts: the Malaysian flag is in the pic above in case you get it at Trivia Night sometime.)
We made it to the Portuguese Settlement and here we are out on the pier. The water looked kind of dirty. 
Here's a look back at the Portuguese Square, where there are about 10 outdoor food stalls. Ali and I had chili crab and mixed veggies... Ironically, the mixed veggies came with fish cakes and shrimp in them, which was not helpful for Mindy, who's a vegetarian.
After dinner, we called for a cab via the nearby Hotel Lisbon, where we knew the security guard was getting a cut of the fare. After arguing with Ali about the fare for a few minutes (Ali lost), our driver Hendry (yes, with a D) ended up being quite nice and took us through McDonald's drive through for ice cream cones. 
Then, we headed to Jonker Walk again for the night market, which runs from 6-12 on weekends. It was pretty much all the same stuff, just out in the street at night. Again, not that impressed.
There's not that much to do in Melaka to be honest. One day is plenty, and if we could have taken a bus back before 2:30, we would have. However, since we had the day we decided not to waste it and toured the Melaka Sutanate Palace. It's actually a replica because the original burned down.
We also climbed this hill to see St .Paul's Church. (Momma Neal, that's was the statue of St. Paul with no hand was.)
We made it to the Portuguese Settlement and here we are out on the pier. The water looked kind of dirty.
Here's a look back at the Portuguese Square, where there are about 10 outdoor food stalls. Ali and I had chili crab and mixed veggies... Ironically, the mixed veggies came with fish cakes and shrimp in them, which was not helpful for Mindy, who's a vegetarian.
After dinner, we called for a cab via the nearby Hotel Lisbon, where we knew the security guard was getting a cut of the fare. After arguing with Ali about the fare for a few minutes (Ali lost), our driver Hendry (yes, with a D) ended up being quite nice and took us through McDonald's drive through for ice cream cones.
Then, we headed to Jonker Walk again for the night market, which runs from 6-12 on weekends. It was pretty much all the same stuff, just out in the street at night. Again, not that impressed.
There's not that much to do in Melaka to be honest. One day is plenty, and if we could have taken a bus back before 2:30, we would have. However, since we had the day we decided not to waste it and toured the Melaka Sutanate Palace. It's actually a replica because the original burned down.We also climbed this hill to see St .Paul's Church. (Momma Neal, that's was the statue of St. Paul with no hand was.)
Here we are at the top of St. John's. On the left you can see the Holiday Inn where we stayed (nicer than U.S. with a bed that's more comfortable than what's in my Singapore apartment). In the far distance you can see Melaka's version of the London Eye and the Singapore Flyer, as well as an observatory that just takes you up and down. We chose not to do these.
So did we like it? That depends. Melaka itself was ok. It was nice to experience somewhere new and get away. As I mentioned, one day was plenty. And it was hot! But mostly, we just had a good time hanging out together, it didn't really matter where we were. At least I can now say that I've been to Malaysia (and I'll be going back to Kuala Lampur while Jen is here in October), and that's kind of cool in itself.
So did we like it? That depends. Melaka itself was ok. It was nice to experience somewhere new and get away. As I mentioned, one day was plenty. And it was hot! But mostly, we just had a good time hanging out together, it didn't really matter where we were. At least I can now say that I've been to Malaysia (and I'll be going back to Kuala Lampur while Jen is here in October), and that's kind of cool in itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment