[15.9.2012] Melaka Trip [Part 1]

Hey guys! I know i've been MIA for the past few days... The Malaysia day weekend was a crazy weekend.

So... as you know I went to Melaka for a day trip and i guess you have been waiting for it right since the promo..hehe but sorry to play with your feelings again but the Melaka  trip started way earlier than that. Initially I went to a bro's Fadzly's house and then I headed straight to Adam and Aida's open house in Melaka.  Here's a few pics of the food there and the open house pics!

 This is a pic of the selection availlable at Fadzly's.. (Clockwise above is Roasted Lamb, Nasi briyani, Beef Rendang with some papadoms, Roti Jala and Garlic Bread!)

More fine pics of the food (LOOK AT THE LAMB and the beautifully rolled up Roti Jala!)

 The Soto Ayam

Check out the Soto

and the Chocolate Fondue kinda watery

Met up with Deepak and Kimberly at the open house

So at about 2 I left Fadzly's house and went to pick up the Madamme and started the journey south. As expected, the hari raya crowd had clogged up all the roads with massive traffic jams and I only managed to pick up the Madamme at 330. Oh well I thought we could use the kajang exit and come out on the highway and be on our way to Melaka, but again we were thwarted by another traffic jam which was as a result of slow and inconsiderate drivers. 

Anyhow, by the time we arrived at Adam and Aida's open house, it was already 6 and we just came by to eat.. muahahaha.. Although the hosts were tired and we arrived well after the whole event was over, they were very welcoming and presented me with a great meal and i brought home extra's too!

So after the open houses at Adam and Aida's it seemed like it was getting late and we decided to just shoot off to Melaka town. Well thank god Melaka town wasnt that difficult to find and the GPS in my phone also helped. 

(I have to appologise now for the badly tourned out pics.. Usually the night mode looks good from my G12 but I guess it decided to give out that night. I appologise again..)

So when we arrived in Melaka, the first thing we saw was this:  

Yes!! Finally in Melaka Town and the World Heritage City!

So we managed to find a nice parking spot near the ferry and then went on to see what we could do in Melaka. Originally our plan was to go do the cruise, Jonker Walk and try the seafood and such in Melaka, but due to the lateness of it all we kinda messed up on it. Check out the following :

 So after we parked the car, we had a walk along the Melaka river. On the other side was Casa Del Rio.. a swanky looking hotel which looks pretty awesome.. I totally did not expect this and was truthfully quite thrilled to see it. I still wonder how it looks like though.

So you see the river there right, thats where the river cruise goes through... Here's pics of the cruise ticket counter. However, when we arrived the line for the ferry (not the ticket line) was sooo long that we thought we'd try it out later.. Turns out that we totally missed it as it had closed at 11.

Ticket prices are not that bad

Regular sights in Melaka.. Trishaw 

 The trishaw is really nice.. We took a ride in it later.. Costs about 25 bucks for a whole ride around the Melaka sites.. (I dont know if we got ripped off but the fella was really nice).

Replica of a Melaka water wheel

 Along the river there's a replica watermill that was created to showcase the mechanical ingenuity of the Melaka people at that time.

Explaination of the Water Wheel

Excavation  showing the old remnants of the Melaka town

More excavations

In Melaka town you can find many historical sites and structures left behind by the former colonialists and occupiers of Melaka. For those who dont know, Melaka was one of the earliest kingdom/state in Malaysia.

Melaka was a very famous trading port back then which was due to its location central to the trade routes between the east and the west. This naturally attracted the attention of the Portugese and Dutch and British who all colonized Melaka at one time.

So when you visit Melaka you can expect to find some interesting structures that are left behind which are unique to either the Portugese, Dutch or British.

Part of the old fortification that was left behind by the Portugese, Dutch and British

Showing the different layers built by the Dutch 

View from the top

There's this little charming restaurant that overlooks the river which looked rather appealing... We however didnt try for some reason hehe..

Lastly the picture above shows the history of Melaka, in this picture it shows Parameswara who created Melaka when he came to rest under the Melaka tree along the banks of the Melaka River. There his hunting dog had  encountered a mouse deer who had kicked his dog away. Seeing the bravery  and the strength of the local animals, i was decided that there would be the place where he would create a new kingdom and the rest is history i guess..

Anyhow, i'll continue on part 2 with our visit to Jonker Walk and the other sights around Melaka. Till then.. wait for it!