I'm on medical leave today. Had a fever last night of 39 degrees and the doctor didn't think I should be at work yesterday or today. No worries, I'm feeling a lot better and should be back to work in full force tomorrow. =)
So since I'm home today, I've been tasked to write on the 2nd day in Malacca.
Malacca Day 2:
Having slept way past midnight, it was really tough waking up at 7am the next morning for our complimentary breakfast. Had I been given the choice, I would sleep in. But we had to take breakfast because we knew that lunch was not scheduled till at least 3 hours later. So we tore ourselves from bed. The morning sun and view was just amazing.
Breakfast was very good. Since it was at a peranakan restaurant, I was almost certain we were going to be served some spicy food. I'm okay with spicy food, just wondering if Julien's stomach could take it, especially in the mornings. To my pleasant surprise, it was an international buffet. On one side of the restaurant, was a long row of silver trays placed side by side, boasting an assortment of food. One tray held sausages to it's brim, another had ham, yet another was filled with rice, roasted potatoes, etc. To the left was a counter set up with chefs making pancakes and any kind of eggs you prefer. Yet another table was set up displaying an assortment of bread, cakes, cheese, and jams. The set up closest to where we were sitting gave you an option of porridge and soups with some other condiments of your choice to add. And of course, which hotel would forget fruits, and drinks all nicely displayed. That was one BIG breakfast we had which we had to chow down in 30mins.
After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel rooms. Yup, you read me right. We checked out after breakfast. According to the schedule with the tour, there were many things lined up for us on that day, so we would not have time to come back anymore. We would be taken straight to the causeway after dinner. It's a pity though because we never got to enjoy the amenities like the pool for example. We were too busy running around Malacca following the guide's schedule that we didn't really have time for ourselves. Guess that's another reason why we prefer to go free and easy.
First stop was to Jonker Street. We were given a few hours of our own time to do some shopping. So, we walked around a little since we were all still full from breakfast. The streets of Malacca today, remind me of Singapore 20 years ago. Majority of the buildings here are preserved by the government for heritage purposes. These buildings along Jonker street are now converted into mainly retail shops selling an array of merchandise. You name it, they've got it. Clothes, antiques, magnets, toys, China, pastries, etc. The others were converted to cafes or restaurants.
My parents went berserk when they chanced upon this row of shops selling kebayas. Traditional outfits that the Peranakan women used to wear. Apparently, my grandmother had worn a kebaya on her wedding day, and so the idea was for me to follow the tradition. I'm still toggling between the idea of the kebaya or the cheongsam. I'll keep that as a surprise first.
At the Kebaya shop:
We didn't buy anything in the end, but we did get some great ideas for the wedding. Julien of course, was getting really bored. He doesn't really like to shop. Unless it's for his shoes or electronics.
After a few hours of exploring, we all got tired and really thirsty, so we decided to break for lunch. Lunch was in this cute tiny cottage looking house. The owner had literally opened up part of his own home to the public as a cafe cum restaurant. It was very authentic. I wish we had taken some pictures of it. Unfortunately, we were too tired and thirsty to remember. All we wanted to have was an ice cold drink.
Next on our itinerary was a 45 min boat ride. I personally didn't think it was fantastic, although Julien managed to get some great pictures still. Most of us were hardly awake at the end of the ride. We all fell asleep!
Everyone was pretty exhausted after the boat ride, and were quite happy to leave on our air conditioned coach for our next destination.
We stopped over for a short 30mins at this store. I went crazy. Things I bought: Home made sauces, chilli belachan, herbs to make pork rib soup, and tons of tit bits! Tried the sauce over steamed fish the other day I made dinner. Julien finished it all!
For the most of you who know Julien, you would know he loves eggs. There is this particular type of egg he hates (because I have it too often). It's eggs boiled for hours in tea leaves and herbs till it takes on the colour and flavour of the tea and herbs. YUM! He tells me he feels nauseous each time he smells it. How ironic!
We then adjourned for dinner at a restaurant close by, before heading home. Dinner was a sumptuous 8 course meal.
Overall, it was a good trip with my family, but I guess given a choice, we would still prefer to take our time. As an after thought, we would not have visited that many places had we been there on our own.
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