T R A V E L : Melaka, Malaysia (Day 1)

He kept asking "what do you want for your birthday?"
And honestly I don't know what exactly I wanted, so two weeks after my birthday,
I finally said "Let's go Malacca."

And so we did!
We went from 19 July to 20 July 2014 (Fri - Sun).

DAY 1 (19.07) 

I initially didnt choose 707 Inc. for the coach ride because we can't choose seats and I didnt want to sit alone or with someone else. But he booked it because it was a straight bus and doesn't have any pit stops. And we managed to sit together (right behind the driver) and the leg room was super spacious. I could lift up the leg rest and still put my bag in the front! We overheard from the drivers that it's a new bus, therefore its engine is powerful and the bus is clean. I was thoroughly impressed!

Interior of 707 Inc Coach 

We left Queen St. Bus Terminal at 8am sharp and cleared both customs by 9am. And even though people on forums said it would take 4 - 5 hours, we arrived at our destination at 1130am! Do the math... which means it only took 3.5 hours.

We were famished and the bus went past Restoran Tengkera Duck Noodle, so we walked back to find it.

Jalan Tengkera Duck Noodles
No 33 Jalan Kota Laksamana 1/2, 
Taman Kota Laksamana Melaka, Malaysia

We had dry duck noodles with kuey teow and the noodles were cooked till it was a little chewy but not sticky. I found that the sauce on the dry noodles were a bit bland and not quite what I was expected. I would prefer a more flavourful or saltier version. However the soup was good, it had enough taste and a slight herbal flavour to it. I guess I've had better versions of it in JB.
It's not too bad, but maybe our expectations were just too damn high based on other online reviews. heh.

And since I have yet to top up my UMobile card and find time to change the SIM card... we walked to our hotel via the long way and it was a torturous walk under the scorching sun. Needless to say, I was complaining all the way while following behind him. Bless him for his patience with me (sometimes) :3


The Baba House
125 - 127 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 
Jonker, Malacca / Melaka, Malaysia 75200

He booked a room with a king bed with basic amenities and daily breakfast for the both of us from Agoda.com. I have never slept in a king sized bed and boy was I excited to have that much space! According to him, this was a Peranakan mansion turned hotel. The place had a really rustic feel with nice peranakan furnishing at the lobby. Very beautiful sight.

King Bed Bedroom 

Their basin is outside the toilet which is small but still okay. And they have this little side window to the bathroom. I don't know what is it for but it's kinda cute. Also, our room had no windows which made me wonder we would know should there be any emergencies, and we don't have natural sunlight to tell us that the sun has risen. But it didn't bother him as he thinks that it provides the kind of privacy he likes. So I guess it wasn't much of a problem. Oh the door was a little hard to open and it doesn't auto close and lock so it gave some issues. :/
But the hotel is located at quite an ideal location, after several rounds of walking we figured out different shortcuts here and there. And since it isn't right smack in the center of Jonker Street it was relatively quiet in the night.

Jonker 88
No. 88, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200, Melaka,Malaysia
Close by 6pm 

Jonker 88 had many good reviews online and such, so we headed there for a second lunch! The place was pretty crowded at about 1pm with lots of tourists. We ordered chendol and assam laksa to share, and I found out its really hard to take pictures of food because he can't wait and digs in immediately the moment the food is laid on the table. so... i took picture of what the indian couple who is sharing our table ate.

Passionfruit Ice Kachang, Chendol and Nasi Lemak with Curry 

Assam Laksa

Dessert wise, the chendol was icy and sweet just like how it should be, and it did manage to satisfy his liking for it :) Food wise, the assam laska was very spicy, even the couple before us didn't finish their bowl. The soup was flavourful and sour enough for my liking, and had huge chucks of fish meat in it. Other than being too spicy it was yumz. I overheard the indian couple saying that their curry is way too spicy too, but i dont know about that. 

He paid for our meal, and said it was slightly pricey. I think the chendol was close to 6RM. :O Probably because it has became a tourist spot and they can charge more now. But since its a popular place its worth just one visit when we're there, so at least we can say that we have been to Jonker 88 :D

Christ Church 

Jalan Gereja, Bandar Hilir, 75200, Malaysia, MY

0830 - 1700 (free admission) 

Headed over to Christ Church for some sight seeing under the sweltering heat! We saw a lot of heavily decorated trishaws along the place, and they are offering a ride around the little area for 20RM. We didnt take it though.

We then walked up a few flight of stairs from the back of the church and up a hill, heading towards St. Pauls. Albeit tiring, it was a scenic walk and good exercise. He volunteered to carry me up some stairs which was so sweet, and I couldnt reject. (I was just v lazy... :X)
We got to see parts of Melaka from up the hill and enjoy some breeze that was absent (!!) at the bottom.

St. Paul's Church
Jalan Kota, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia
Daily (Free Admission)

And old fire engine that was moved from Melaka to Singapore and back here again.

Another flight of steps before reaching the church located on the top of St. Paul's Hill

Really cool old man who does his paintings on recycled paper. 

Kudos to being environmentally friendly!

The now roofless church built in 1571

His favourite singer in all of Melaka. This guy has a rusty voice, somewhat like Rod Stewart. 

And we spend some good time sitting there at the side and listening to this guy :) 

I know this has no link, but somehow there were many skinny cats around. 

So happy that I finally get to plant my butt on somewhere and rest! 

and at the same time listen to some good live singing. 

We later walked down the hill to Mahkota Parade, a brown building easily visible from the top of the hill. So we basically just walked towards it. There, we tried the highly raved about Millie Crepe from Nadeje Mille Crepe. They have many outlets around the area too! 

Nadeje Mille Crepe

G-23B, EG 4 & EG 5, Ground Floor, Mahkota Parade, 75000 Melaka

Opening hours: 1100 - 2200

http://www.nadeje.com.my/

(Do note that it is facing the outside of the shopping mall!) 

Look at the types of mille crepes they have! I was spoilt for choice! 

but he limited me to only having 2 pieces.....

So here's the Original, and the Strawberry (which contains alcohol), but i honestly can't taste it. 

He always can't wait to dig in and has the first bite most of the time! 

the crepes had good flavour and were soft and nice. Not too much cream in the middle too. 

Really yummy! It's not the usual "cultural" Melaka kind of food but is still a good try! Each slice costs about RM 9 if I did not remember wrongly. 

Anyway, since we had much time left and wanted to rest our sore feet, we went to catch Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes in their Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) on the 5th floor of Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall! First off, the mall was huge and it had little crowd probably because it was before 5pm on a weekday. The cinema was pretty empty, and the seats were confortable too! We brought student priced tickets which costs RM 8 each!!

Then we walked back to our hotel, and through Jonker Street again, this time at night. There were many stalls along the road now, which is closed for entry to vehicles. I heard that the night market opens only on weekends though. 

This is the junction where we pass almost everyday!

As you can see, there are stalls at the road side now!

This sotong (squid) was very crispy on the outside and wasn't too rubbery on the inside. They had a pretty long queue, and each costs RM10. 

We went back to the hotel to unload and then headed for dinner nearby!

Pak Putra Tandoori & Naan Restaurant 

Jalan Laksamana 4, 75200 Melaka, Malaysia

Opening hours: 1600 - 0100

We've read countless online reviews about this place, and decided it was worth a 9min walk from our hotel. Upon arrival on our first day, we tried walking to our hotel via the main roads and we walked past it. But it took a good 20 minutes! And under the scorching sun, I was complaining till no end.... and then! we found out that there was a back entrance and Pak Putra was probably just 3 minutes away! YES to that! 

He ordered the well-known Tandoori chicken with planta nann and I had butter chicken and garlic naan. And also fresh watermelon juice!

The tandoori chicken looks a bit shrivelled up it wasn't too dry and the sauce on the side has a good tangy kick to it! 

The butter chicken has a good thick and creamy sauce. And the buttery flavour wasn't too overwhelming. I preferred this over the tandoori though. 

The naans were good too as it wasn't too thick. It was a happy meal for us!

I asked to sit inside though, as it was too dark outside, which was lighted but a few lamps. But it is a normal thing in Malaysia where people would just sit outside even though its dimly lit. Our meal together costs about RM 30. 

Then off we go to the hotel for an early night's rest. The walking and the sun was honestly too much. 

Day 2 and 3 will be done in another subsequent post!

Picture Credits:
Interior of 707 Inc : x
King Bed Bedroom: x