An escape well taken

Having rested for the past 2 weeks since I’ve had come back from Malacca, I guess it’s time for me to kick start off this entry while the memories of the eventful trip are still fresh.:P

The day began with a mad rush of bathroom activities which I shall not elaborate. I was scheduled to wake up at 6am but only managed to hear the perpetually ringing alarm at the stroke of 630 and was totally pressed for time. While intensely engaged in the showering routine, I mentally ran through the last minute items I had to squeeze into my bag,one of the items included my toothbrush! :P The ‘plan’ was to hail a cab to pick f from her home and then head to the designated pick-up point, lavender where we’ll board the coach which will take us to Malacca! Despite the morning traffic , everything went on smoothly and we were well on schedule. (Even had time to get a morning bite from a nearby bakery)

There were a few coaches around that area of waiting and we identified the one to board from the given registered number plate of the vehicle written on the slip of the receipt given. I don’t think I need to describe how the coach looked like but there was just something about the number plate of coach that we were assigned to. Of all possible combination of numbers AER 666 was displayed on the plate! In Christianity, the numbers 666 which represent the mark of the beast, hold a certain level of significance in the book of revelation from the bible. The mark which is often speculated to be an IC chip, is to be implanted on the right hand or forehead of the bearer. During the end times, it is believed that individuals found not bearing that mark will not be allowed to buy or sell and eventually be prosecuted. However, I prevented myself from dwelling too deeply into the matter but instead made a conscious effort to observe other things that were within sight. f and I were engaging in light conversational topics and expressed anticipation and eagerness with regards to the trip in the comfort of our seats. Soon enough, the front door was closed and we were well on our way, finally!

The draggy 4hr ++ journey was punctuated with occasional humps and bumps which seemed rather therapeutic for snoozing off and that I’ve had become a victim of, while fighting to stay awake to enjoy the unfamiliar visual display. At certain points of the journey , I would make a conscious effort to check if f was doing fine and I think she did the same for me. (Caught her sleeping most of the time by the way!) :P
The interval of the ride came at the approximately mid-point of the distance and the coach stopped over at a certain refreshment station. Passengers were expected to answer nature’s call and probably to get light snacks to prepare themselves for the next half of the coach ride.

The second part of the journey was some what more bearable perhaps due to psychological reassurance that we’re indeed not far from our destination. As the coach made an exit from the expressway, the surroundings started to look slightly more rural than expected. The mix of modern commercial as well as residential architecture and what appeared to be houses with zinc roof indicated a segregation between the rich and the poor. It didn’t take long before we realize that we were in Malacca from the signboards displayed along the winding roads.
Selamat datang melaka!

When we reached the central bus terminal of Malacca, we happened to stumble upon an authorized money changing counter while searching for the location to wait for a driver who was to take us to our hotel. Bearing in mind that it wouldn’t be that convenient to locate another money changing counter, we decided to change our Singapore dollars to the Malaysian ringgit. F and I came to a decision that we’ll change S$300 for a start after coming to know the the exchange rate at that moment was 2.22 . What was seeming spooky or call it coincidental if you’d like, was that the ringgit received amounted to RM$666!*I looked at f in disbelieve as I handed her the receipt*Although, it’s hard not to suspect that a bad omen would inevitably come to pass, I mentally reassure myself that the almighty above has his watchful eyes cast upon us. Recognised by the transtar sticker tag which we had stuck on our shirts ,we were approached by the arranged driver who drove us to our hotel. Through our short conversation with the driver, we managed to find out the famous eateries of Malacca apart from the few peranakan restaurants that we are aware of. We were told that there is a bar ku teh stall which opens in the evening till the wee hours of the morning and there are a few chicken rice stalls all situated within walking distance from the hotel. I noticed that there were many eateries which offered chicken rice served with rice balls instead of fragrant rice and that chicken rice seemed to be a local favourite amongst the people there. Perhaps one of the many ways to partially understand the culture of any society could jolly well be through the food enjoyed by its local people.

The 1st glimpse of our supposedly rated 4-star hotel,(Hotel Equatorial Malacca) failed to engrave a deep impression, as it looked like a standard prototype of something very ordinary. However, the staff were exceptionally accommodating as we made several requests, including a smoke-free room and that our room was to be facing a desirable view. To save time, we left our hotel room after unloading our luggage without completely scrutinizing the overall appearance and layout of the room. It was our very 1st time in Malacca town and we didn’t really have any preconceived ideas on where specifically to explore and what to do. We approached the hotel concierge for some sound recommendations which we made notes of on the map provided. Due to time constraint of less than a full day, we decided not to visit the various museums, churches and other places of interest but stay committed on a food rampage and a constant look out for traditional peranakan artifacts and antiques. We took a walk to Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a street where the Baba Nyonya Neritage House as well as many peranakan antique shops were situated. Though, we were told that that street was to be of short walking distance away from where we started , it almost felt like eternity especially with an empty stomach. As we approached our destination, I realized that the surroundings of Malacca town looked authentically untampered, in other words, less touristy compared to many holiday hot spots. One could, and possibly would perhaps describe the setting in parallel to that of Singapore in the mid sixties to early seventies.

In chronological order, we devoured……..
DAY 1
Wan tan mee – Possibly one of the best I’ve tried although garnished with pork lard.
Chen dol with kidney beans – f wasn’t impressed at all apart from the generous serving of gula melaka poured all over.
2 Scoops of Baskin-Robbins Ice-cream – Mint with white chocolate and Raspberry cheese!
Nyonya dinner at Makko Nyonya Restaurant – Comprising of Ayam ponteh , Beef rendang and chap chye which we felt were kindof over-rated .
Hawjian (Oyster fried with eggs) and Cha siew and dao sa baos for supper – baos were significantly bigger than what we can get in Singapore with fillings only to drool for.

DAY 2
American buffet breakfast
Chicken rice ball – Rice balls looked better than how they really tasted but the chicken was fantastic!
A&W rootbear float and waffle with ice-cream

We managed explore and scan through the street of Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock as well as the inter- connecting lanes. There were a few shops catered for the avid collector of antiques and artifacts which were clear representations of the nyonya culture including the nyonya kebaya (Traditional nyonya women attire) with accessories, hand-painted vases and cutleries and unique tiles.


Apart from engaging in tango with our taste buds and experiencing the authentic sights of a not-so touristified Malacca ,I began to realize that the Malaccan Chinese community displayed a subtle yet enduring natural state of contentment and as a result ,are truly happy with the different roles they play and the way life is for them despite being a less favoured race on Malaysian soil. It is truly enlightening to know that they are able to derive satisfaction from their repetitively mundane activities. This indeed spells a great contrast from the ‘Singaporean Dream or ideal lifestyle’ achieved by slogging our guts out to attain the status symbol of owning a prestigious apartment, car and substantial spending power to finance a comfortable way of living. Yet, some of us may even find it hard to flag that smile even if the ‘Singaporean essentials’ have been eventually achieved. Being a victim of this very Singaporean phenomenon, I can somewhat predict what is probably going through your mind at this moment but I urge you not to use ‘ the different situations that we’re subjected to’ as in excuse to mystify the simple journey of attaining happiness. Perhaps it would be helpful to take an occasional breather by conducting a self-administered check to question our purposes by asking ourselves ‘ Why do we even do what we do each day ? ‘.