Along Jalan Bunga Raya

Last weekends trip to Malacca was an eye opener for me. We stayed at Renaissance Malacca, located at Jalan Bendahara and we spent some time walking around, discovering new places of interest makan interest around the hotel.
Adjacent to Jalan Bendahara is Jalan Bunga Raya. We walked via the side lane of Renaissance Hotel and crossed over to Jalan Bunga Raya.

There's lots to see at Jalan Bunga Raya, on one side is the riverfront and Majestic Hotel. This brings back memories of my first trip to Malacca back in the 80's. I kepoh-ed along with my sister and her colleagues to Malacca for a nights stay. We were looking for accomodation and walked in to the old Majestic Hotel. Back then, before YTL bought over the properties and the giant transformation, Majestic was very run down and managed by a couple of elderly Chinese staff. We had to swing through the cowboy doors to get into the hotel. They quoted us RM60 for a nights stay but it looks so ghostly, we left as quick as we can blink.

Today, Majestic Hotel stands grand and spells luxury. Too deep for my pockets ! Back to Jalan Bunga Raya, we came across many old sundry and household shops. I bought lots,  dulang- made of pleated bamboo for drying ikan bilis, mushroom and what nots.. foldable bamboo mats and classic can openers used by mamaks (the one where you puncture a hole in the middle of a condensed milk tin and swiftly and firmly turn the can around to produce and opening.).. Hubs bought a big kite and giganto pulley (with ball bearings, hubs claims it's really really canggih.. impossible to find in KL - now, let's just see when he takes us to 'main wau', LOL )... It was like a balik kampung shopping trip for me.

Walking down Jalan Bunga Raya, we came across a small but busy looking desert parlour and after a long walk, all we want is iced cendol. We found - Min Chong Hygienic Ice Cafe
at :

43, Jalan Bunga Raya, Melaka
Opens from 10am - 7pm.

Funny name ! The place is authentically run down and small. Only 3 or 4 tables available but there was a big family there digging in to their cendol and so I'd think it shouldn't be that bad.

We ordered a cendol for Amber.. currently her favourite desert. She loves the gula melaka , ice and santan and hates the slimy green cendols and kacang merah (just like me !)

Amber walloped with no complains.. She shared it with hubs with her taking the ice+gula melaka+santan and hubs finishing up the cendols, nuts and beans.

I personally think the cendol is just average. Nothing to shout about and with so many cendol stalls around Malacca, we're spoilt for choice. I wouldn't purposely make a trip here for the cendol but my rojak, was different.

It's less sweet compared to the KL rojaks and heavier on the 'hae koh' - prawn paste. Really yummy. I almost wanted to order a second plate until the hubs reminded me we have a long food trail ahead.

Would I come here again ? Definitely but just for the rojak and only if I'm around Jalan Bunga Raya. :)

Up Genting Highlands Again

School reopens today.

We took a trip to Genting yesterday and renew-ed our Theme park pass. Another year of fun (or not-so-fun) rides. Choosing the last day of school holiday to go up Genting was a good choice. We didn't have to queue that long for the rides and weather was good even though there's short shower spells, it was, well, short and we managed without umbrellas.

The Theme Park was running a Annual Passport Promotion for month of June and we renewed our pass with heavily discounted rates. The pass entitles us to selected unlimited rides in both indoor and outdoor theme park. The indoor rides are more for younger kids and the exciting and nerve wrecking ones are outoors.

Amber was most happy to meet her cousin sister Yuen Wen there. Both of them queued up for rides and freed us from accompanying her all the time *winks*

The Paris deGenting ride is a must have. This was her first ride at Genting and she never gets bored going up and down the 'eiffel tower' in the little vehicle. I think in a year or two, she'll be too tall for this ride. Let her enjoy while she can :)

 Then we went to the outdoor park. There's some balloon parade going on.

 Balloons and clowns that makes the kids go ga-ga !

 

 Up the rodeo rider. Up and down and up and down again. Multiple times ! I ain't complaining as the queue was short and hubs and I took turns for ice-cream break while watching over her.

 This girl in a balloon costume. Looks like an Alien species to me .. lolol...

We went for boat pedalling too. Only 2 person per boat, Amber decided to tag along with me while hubs took another boat. We must be the only family who's constantly bickering and shouting in the waters. Amber's legs were too short to pedal but she insist and I couldn't wait to get us out of the way as there's out boats waiting to get out too and we were blocking.. and there's the hubs who.. was ahead of us, decide to turn back and complain of his faulty boat and BANG to us... tsk tsk tsk. .. 3 of us caused a big commotion and I bet many eyes were staring at us. Turns out hubs boat is not faulty but the steering works the opposition direction. U're supposed to steer left to go right and vice versa. Trust my hubs to complain when no one else did.. LOL.. tiring but FUN !!

The worst ride I went up to was The Spinner. Amber wanted to go up with her cheh cheh cousin but it looks scary and being the protective parents, I roped hubs in. Both of us and the 2 kids buckled up and I was expecting the worst, if Amber cried and screamed for help, she has to endure the whole ordeal before the ride stops but our little friend was very brave and laughing ! I was the chicken hearted one, closed my eyes and prayed my amitabh waiting for the ride to stop. Once down. I reached for my tiger balm. sei mou ? really getting old and my heart cannot take this kinda excitement anymore.... LOL....  

We had early lunch McDonalds. Amber had the fried chicken and fries and she also had a mashed potato for tea.

We left at 8pm, pooped.. skipped dinner with my BIL at the Mushroom Farm as Amber konk-ed out before we could leave the First World Car Park. We ended up having instant noodles at home while Amber slept through till morning.

A fruitful and fun day !

Family Trip to Malacca - 24 April 2011

Backdated post - 24 April 2011.. 

We made a daytrip to Malacca, the Tan family. A very rare occasion to holiday with Father, so, this is an occasion to treasure.

Big Brother was back visiting with his family. This trip, he's a little bit more adventurous, took the kids to Sunway Lagoon and climbed up Batu Caves with his friend. (Shame !!! I've never been to Batu Caves and it's just a short drive from our home. shame ! shame ! A to-do in 2011 for us)

We left KL early Sunday morning, with an empty tummy. First stop was the chicken rice balls at Jalan Tun Sri Lanang. 

Adults congregation :

 Not so adult (yet, not so kiddo) congregation of the cousins :

Next, Jonker's Street. Got a decent car park opposite the to-be opened boutique hotel  - Casa del Rio Melaka. Uhh.... I think the hotel is opened now that my post is 2 months late.

Next stop : Makan again.. Cendol at Donalds and Lily's. I think father had a shock, his children and grandchildren can really eat !!

Walking down Jonker's Street, sightseeing and souvenir shopping. Amber had the best view, this spoilt brat was on Papa's shoulder's.

Hats, umbrellas, sunnies and sunblocks, we were ready to tackle Jonker's Street

 Quaint and interesting places ...

We were ready to tackle St Paul's Hill to check out the ruins of St Paul's Church, Christchurch and A Famosa fort. Father and hubs rested at San Shu Gong. There's no way father's gonna walk up the hill and down. Too strenuos and hot for him. Amber insisted on coming along and I know she cannot complete the whole walking journey of going up the hill to the ruins and coming down at A Famosa fort. Oh well !!!

Lots of energy running up the hill... but her battery went flat short after.. :(

 Statue of St Francis Xavier in front of St Paul's Church. This is a-must for holiday keepsakes.

 

The cousins ..

Her lovely cheh-cheh cousins from Melbourne

 

They left for Krabi and Singapore before flying back to Ozzieland the following week.

Looking forward to have you here again (or better still, if hubs can take a week off, we'll be at your place soon !!!.. )

A Stopby at Malacca

I've been reading so much about Barbara's and Annie's visit to Malacca, I was itching to go Malacca again

After being married almost 10 years to hubs and going to Malacca everytime we visit the inlaws, which is like almost 10 times in a year, we never get to go places like Jonker Street and absorb all things historical about Malacca. We'd just go to the malls where the kids can play and adults shop, have dinner and then back to Tampin.

We had plenty of time after Amber's visit to Dr Wong's and I pestered hubs to detour to Malacca. The mild weather was perfect to stroll the streets of old Malacca, stopping by for souvenir shopping and cendol, along the way.

We parked our car a walking distance away from Jonker Street for only RM2 per day, a guarded car park. Very reasonable and safe place to park. Parking is never a problem if you don't wait and turn into Jonker St where roads are narrow and traffic is horrific especially on weekends and public holidays.

We stopped by the museum and the little one was pestering Papa to bring her in to the museum when hubs said Yeh Yeh (her grandpa) used to bring him in when he was a kid. Hubs and I, was more interested in cendol and we talked her out of visiting the museum. Maybe next time, Amber.

Then we took a stroll along the back of the shophouses which was fronting a river. We were surprise to come across many cafes and pubs. A few tourist was having beer, watching the river cruise go by and reading a good book. I likeee the idea of chilling out here. I think it was here that hubs fells in love with Malacca again and vow to be back, for a nights stopover.

 

 

They kept the river clean I think it'll be nice to chill out here at night too.

 

 Amber kept pestering us to go for the river cruise and we had to walk quite a distance to get to the queue for the cruise. Again, we talked her out of it. .Cendol was more important!

  

 She was happy to take a pic with the river cruise passing by behind.. Kids.. if small stuff can make them happy, let's just leave it that way ya ?

 

Walking along the riversides, we saw a mixture of  old 'antique' houses, some built with bricks from the Dutch era, like above, cafes, al fresco dining, tailors and others. Basically, a quaint mixture of old and new.

I peeped into the backyards of the shophouses. Many has been converted to cafes and eateries but there's still a few that's maintained as homes.  You'll find many with beautiful homes with courtyards facing the riverside. Hubs didn't take any pictures, it'll seem very intrusive to pop in our camera and take pics of somebody's courtyard right ?

Our first stop at Jonker Street was to look for cendol, hubs favourite. I'm not a cendol fan and had cravings for the iced coffee Annie and Barb said was sooooo good. We were too lazy to walk to Donald and Lily's for their cendol.

 

Hubs settled for cendol at San Shu Gong's Lao Qian Cafe where we could sit comfortably at the air conditioned cafe.

 

 

Hubs had their cendol in an unique durian holder which eventually became Amber's mask and then hat.

I had the ice coffee. Really slurpsss... Served in a icy chilled carafe with frozen chipped ice inside, this is sooo refreshing.  I must come back here again for this icy cold coffee... much better than cendol, in my opinion, that is.

Refreshed and recharged, we were ready to tackle Jonker Street. We walked along the narrow streets, bought some souvenirs and I found my favourite souvenir shop that sells tops from Thailand - Mango of Furano, got Amber some knick knacks to play and I bumped to Chinnee. Of all places and of all co-incidences, I bumped to Chin Nee, a Malaccan living at KL, at Jonker Street. We looked at each other and passed each other without giving much thought until I saw her hubs and QQ and I called out to her.LOL !

Such a small world eh ?

We also came across this nostalgic printing house :

The Royal Press. FIL used to engage Royal Press to print matters for the family many years ago. Still standing tall today !

Coming up.. Peranakan Food !!

Langkawi - Last of the Lot !

The last of the Langkawi lot here ;)

We debated on our second dinner at Langkawi. To go back to Mare Blu for it's all-you-can-eat of grills and sausages or to Sheraton Langkawi for it's buffet dinner. Why I mentioned buffets and all you can eat ??? We were hungry from bad breakfasts and lousy lunch. Debate debate debate.. we changed our minds thrice and ended up at :

Feast @ Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort.




I was craving for this :

So many days sans freshly brewed coffee, I was jittery and this is the reason I chose Sheraton. Hubs wanted to go back to Mare Blu again, he was sure the food will be good but I said the magical words 'free flow of freshly brewed coffee you know??'   to draw and float him back to Sheraton.


The other reason was the hotel being so clean n comfy. It just smells nice and the lobby is fully air conditioned. As I recall, not many resorts .. or maybe only those that I've been to at Langkawi ventilates their lobby with natural sea breeze. Not even Datai or Andaman has air conditioned lobby but ahhh... Datai is an experience not to be forgotten. BIL asked what was so good about Datai that people raves about. It's the luxury of having privacy and being pampered at the same time.. you know iced water and chilled face towels at the beach, dvd player in the room so you will not want to go anywhere but stay at the hotel. That's Datai. We'll  not go there anytime again soon, not with Amber. Children are not welcomed in this exclusive and private resort.

Back to our dinner.. we surveyed Sheraton the night before and I liked this :

Yippee, I thought, her food matters are resolved.  I asked the chef to cook her a egg free, dairy free soup and they did a chicken and vegetable soup for her, at no extra charge. Now, that's going the extra mile. Another reason to justify our dinner here.

 

I was hungry and had a soup, took all things grill, I think at least 20 grilled jumbo prawns, some meat, sausages and such. No carbs except for cranberry pudding which was heaven made match with freshly brewed coffee.

And she had her share of food and fun : 

Kueh lapis, the way it should be eaten, that is peeling off the white layer, then pink, then white.

                                                                                    

And that was our dinner at Sheraton. If you want a nice buffet dinner with first class service and that's not too far away, 10 minutes from the airport, go to Sheratons.

Since our hotel is not located by the beach, we spent some fun time visiting other beaches.We took an afternoon flight home and had plenty of time to go to the beach again in the morning.

                                                                                        

We dropped by at Holiday Villa's beach the following morning. Armed with bags, beach bags, beach toys, sunbock all carried by Mama, the coolie we beach bummed again.

She insisted on the bikini again but I insisted she's fully clothed. I don't want to risk a sunburn !

     

Sunblock, sunshades and hat - the beach essentials.

Father and daughter.. chasing the waves.. or was it being chased by the waves ? Me ? Lazing on the sundeck lah !

       

She had the beach all to herself. That's the advantage of travelling during fasting month. Less crowd.  

Bye Bye Langkawi ! And we'll be back next year. Hubs already asking me to check rates for Sheraton and Holiday Villa.