Melaka - Day 3: Final wrap up and going home

Final day for the trip.   Though breakfast was included, I have not stayed too late in the morning before getting out.

Since I will be checking out today,  the best plan is to cover close proximity areas such as those outside Fort Famosa. 

After Maccas breakfast, I did some exploration of the area between Fort Famosa and Christchurch.   This place was filled with old trains,  a huge plane and some armoured vehicles which possibly described a little about the history of this place. 

Since Jonker Street is quieter in the day,  it's my chance to shop without the squeeze for some souvenirs. 

Soon,  it was time to depart this quiet and beautiful town.   I'll probably be back some day!

Melaka - Day 2 Part 2: Street Exploration

Lunch time.

I stopped over at a small coffee shop that served some simple street food.  I've not ate duck noodles in soup so I'm gonna have a go at it.  

It costs RM$3 for a bowl and tastes pretty nice.

After lunch,  it is time to head out again.   This time, I will be heading further to the outskirts of this area.   The touristy areas are somewhat concentrated near the malls. 

Down the street where the red buildings lead to Christchurch,  there's St Xavier's Church. 

From the architecture style,  it also carries a long history.   This place is near the very congestive roundabout before one enters the heart of Melaka.  You can also see a lot of old shops that deal in trades that are slowly fading off in this generation.  However,  none of these shops are operating and I wonder if they're actually still in business.

Right down the corner of this street,  there's a Chinese monument which seems to suggest that there were  Taiwanese influence back then as the emblem of the Taiwan flag was casted to the facade.   Being something unusual, I decided to walk up for a look.   Though prominent,  it seemed not to be visited by anyone. 

There is a huge Chinese temple nearby which I spotted but I didn't enter it as it wasn't my agenda for the hike.   Nothing much further down as the roadsides are scarcely dotted by small stalls selling small items. 

Melaka is indeed hot!  

Time to refuel as I walk through the quieter Jonker Street in the day.  With a limited vocabulary of Bahasa Melayu, I could communicate with the shop owner while making some simple purchases.

After a considerable exploration around the attractions,  it is time to head back.   The streets around where I stay are much livelier now as there are stalls set up around and brightly lit.

Bedtime and a final day of hiking tomorrow before heading home.

Melaka - Day 2 Part 1: Christchurch, Jonker Street (Day), Hang Jebat Mausoleum

I'm heading off earlier today as Fort Famosa was really crowded when I was there.  This time, I can get a clean shot of what I want.

First stop:  Christchurch.  This place is also popular for daytrippers who would pack the place really well and bring much business to those who are making a living around this area.

Factually, Christchurch is quite a small area which is just outside Fort Famosa, about 5mins walking distance, at the hill of St Paul's Church.  Without much crowd, I can now peacefully move to Jonker Street where the buildings can be clearly seen.

This chicken rice restaurant also happened to be endorsed by one of the famous Hong Kong chef, so there you see a life-sized poster of him.









There's a maloselum nearby so it's time to take a hike again.  Hidden right in the corner was Hang Jebat's maloselum.

Melaka - Day 1 Part 2: Surprise Meetup and Jonker Street

It's already evening time after visiting Fort Famosa and I have to take that downhill climb back to ground level. 

As I was passing Equatorial Hotel in the evening, a familiar sight greeted me; it was Vincent and his wife!  They were also here for vacations and we certainly had a good chat.  They were quite surprised to learn that I had travelled here alone.

Since we've bumped into each other, and we were going to the same place, we've decided to move together to Jonker Street.  This is the most popular place at night as there are many stalls around that sells food, souvenir and such.

The night market in Melaka.

The famous building for San Shu Gong (三叔公）cookies and local snacks.

Jonker Street companions, coincidence to bump into my friends!

Local street food seller can be seen putting up with the heat while whipping up good dishes such as this stall owner; fried carror cake in the very local flavour.

The place is filled with vibrance of the night shoppers as this is certainly the most popular spot in the evening.  Not one corner where hawkers are can be seen without anyone.  If you are a foodie and love to munch on the move, this is certainly a place you can't miss out.

We walked a little further out and saw a battleship that was kept as a decoration.  With the limited night light, it wasn't the best time to catch a shot (that explains why there are literally no one posing by the ship).

After much shopping, we headed to Maccas for dinner, a good catch up before we headed back to our hotels.  Vincent and Siewlan were bound to head home tomorrow; anyhow, it was a pleasant surprise to see them in such distance land from our own country.

Melaka - Day 1 Part 1: St Paul's Church, Fort Famosa

This is my very first journey as a backpacker.  After doing some reading, I decided that this is one of the best ways to travel, and since it's gonna be solo, all I need will just be a bed to rest at the end of the day.

I've done a booking for Backpacker's Freak hostel so it's just a matter of hours before I reach this historical town from Singapore.  The bus journey could easily take up half round on the clock depending on traffic conditions so I've prepared some ration to go along.

The kitchen in Backpacker's Freak Hostel.  Nice and cosy.

After about 5 hours' ride, I've finally reached Melaka and I found my way to Makhota area where it will be my home for the next 2 nights.  Weather is pretty warm here so it's definitely important to hydrate.

So here's my home for the next couple of days till I get home.




Out in the streets, it's decently populated but not many shops are open; mostly the stalls in this area are eateries and the heat of the day has driven most people to the nearby malls.

Time to do some hiking but before that, it's lunchtime.

So here's my lunch.  Coney dog with ice cold root beer and curly fries to refuel for the afternoon.  It's gonna be quite a walk so I better loadup.

I've explored the areas beyond the shopping malls but they are just quiet streets without much interesting stuff; small eateries, temples and seemingly endless roads.  That was not my agenda for this short trip so I decided to move on back to the core area.

Alright, so here we are.  Fort Famosa.  This fort is more than 500 years old as to date and it was left behind by the Dutch during the 15th century.  As solid as it looks, though dilapidated with age, it's certainly a symbol of its past glory as rubbles of the old red ground are still visible to date, though much modernised cement had been laid over.

Up the hill is St Paul's Church, which is by far the tallest point in Melaka.  At the top of the hill (climb is quite steep), you can have a panaromic view of the city.  

Buskers such as musicians, artists can also be seen making their living at this area as many tourists like to hike up to this place.

As the statue of St Paul has been there for many years, you will notice that its right hand had been broken off at the wrist.  Being a little crowded, I will revisit this place tomorrow when there are no tourists in the earlier hours.

I was in time to catch the sunset for this evening, so here's my shot!

The journey downhill was quickly completed as the sun is also setting quite fast.  It's time for dinner, but I saw this fat cat lazing at the kerb in an interesting pose.