Malacca - week1 in Malaysia -

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur by bus from Singapore via Johor Bahru. Crossing borders by land was very smooth, as there was no luggage weight limit and no ban on liquids over 100ml, unlike on flights, which reminded me of a couple I met in Hoi An, Vietnam. Their travel policy was to take no flights, but instead travel by train and bus, and they showed a Google map with their routes all the way from Japan. That was very cool! 

Malas is such a compact yet cultured town, strong in Dutch influence, so we visited some major sites, including churches, forts, and museums, on foot. Avoiding walking outside from 1pm to 4pm is less stressful to deal with the heat and humidity, according to the living museum owner. It was very true. Wandering outside at that time were just tourists like us. 

Christ church in Dutch Square.

The space was filled with chairs manufactured about 200 years ago, and stunning stained glass windows brought serenity. 

Church of St. Fransisc Xavier.

It was closed, so we could only view from the outside. After I read the church name, the history class in my school days came back, then I could still visualise his picture in my textbook. We learned that he came to Nagasaki to spread Godspell, but I didn't know he came to Malacca too.

Middleburg Bastion

It is located by the Dutch square. We were amazed at some wall bricks being there since it was built.

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple.

There were some spots of gods sitting with places offering incense in this temple. When we were wandering towards the back, the staff told us not to go further because of the renovation. So we returned our way, then walked anticlockwise. Then a local lady advised us to visit the other way around, which was the route we were not allowed to take! 

Melaka Susan Duo Temple.

Villa Sentosa.

This is a living museum that shows the authentic beauty of this family house, and the owner is the third generation to keep this residence to share his history. He was so friendly and informative, so he gave us a tour inside. On one side, the picture displayed on the wall was printed in the UK because there was no equipment in Malaysia in those days, so it took about 4 months to get it, and the man in the photo was his father.

It was so cool without AC, thanks to the house design, like upper walls have patterned holes for air breeze, and the house itself is lifted to be away from the heat.  It's such a super clever idea and so eco-friendly and I love it!

Some random photos from the river walk.

The houses painted in a variety of vivid colours were so cute.

I loved the facade with wooden French doors and murals, and discovered some big trees with moss-grown and even leaves from the main body.

The night walk was fun too, and the breeze cooled us down a bit. We bumped into a guy in a mascot costume! So I said "hi" to him, then he said "Phew" by squishing something to make sounds. Hihi. We sat down for a couple of drinks by the river and saw cruising boats running so fast.

Fancy Bicycle taxi.

They just caught my eyes as those hyper deco with blaring music. Each bike deco was different and my favourite was Doraemon!  They lit the neon on it at night like the picture above. How could they come up with these ideas?! So hilarious.

Local cuisine.

There are similarities between Malay and Indonesian, including language like Goreng, Ikan, etc...  The Indian restaurant close to our stay was fantastic, as banana leaves were used as a plate, and we tried Malay Arab food too. The bottom right photo shows my partner eating deep-fried Shimeji, which is a Japanese mushroom, with chilli sauce and mayo! We were unsure about the flavour first, but it was so good! This stall is run by a local couple, and the lady said this was her husband's idea, who was cooking at the back. We gave him a thumbs up!

Barbie's bar.

I think we have a good instinct to discover a nice bar to meet new people, and this bar is exactly the one we liked. The owner, Nigel, was so friendly and he and all of the customers know each other, so it was like visiting a friend's house party.

When we came here, there was no one but us and Nigel was singing along in the Karaoke. As time went by, more customers checked in, and he introduced us to them, so it was easy for us to open a conversation. There was a Japanese group we chatted a lot with, so we took our picture, and one guy had lived here for 7-9 years, and he said he was happy to reside in that retirement town. I agreed, but I took those words in a good way, like many fantastic elements were in this cozy town.

Old Town Guest House.

It was closed the main area was closed, the room was spotless and the owner was so friendly and supportive. He cooked fried bananas or vegetables for our breakfast every morning and it was so yummy, he gave us a lot of useful tips on travelling in Malaysia. His wife was always wearing a smile and was happy to chat with us, and her home-made banana cake was so delicious. She gave some to us on our leaving day to take it with us. A big thank you for their hospitality.