Well, not wanting to be one of those Singaporean left with nothing to do on a long weekend, an impromptu road trip to Melaka was arranged on the very morning of GOOD Friday itself with their friends!
Errrr........hence Toddler ANG is left with his grandparents. A break for the parents!
What else. ;-)
On the north-south highway
A group of 9, split into 2 vehicles started to travel on the North-South Highway from 11.45am. Except for occasional toilet break, the group did not stop at the break-area for too long so that the driving journey to Melaka may be shorten....
Pumpin' those Petrol upon reaching Melaka
The famous "St Peter's Church"The group took about 2 hours++ to reach Melaka, with all their stomachs rumbling by 2.45pm. Since its our 1st trip to Melaka, we consulted some locals to introduce us some good food choices around the area.
Finally, we settled for "Chicken Rice Ball" at the Famosa Restaurant, being the nearest. To our amazement, the rice balls, about the size of golf balls, are machine made. We are advised that the team behind this business created their very own machines specifically to produce these rice balls, importantly to ensure hygiene and consistency, while maintaining the original taste.
Food - Now you see it, later you don't
After a sumptuous meal, we continued to drive further downtown to tour the St. Paul's Hill vicinity.
Everything is situated around St. Paul's Hill. The highlights are: the Stadthuys, Bell Tower, Christ Church. The color of these buildings are in deep red, being the characteristic for the Dutch architecture in this period.
The Stadthuys is a fine example of Dutch architecture as it was built in 1650 as the official residence of Dutch Governors of Malacca and their officers. It now houses the Historic Museum and Ethnography Museum as it is being preserved in its original structure and form. At the roundabout (with the windmill!) you can also find the Bell Tower and Christ's Church. The church and the Bell Tower are a testimony to Dutch's architectural ingenuity as it stands exactly as it has always been since 1753.
Christ Church
On top of St. Paul's Hill is the St. Paul's Church, built by a Portuguese Captain, by the name of Duarte Coelho. It was once the prayer house of the Portuguese Catholics, then turned into burial ground for their noble dead by the Dutch.
The Dutch renamed it "St. Paul's Church" from the Portuguese's "Our Lady Of The Hill". So it's built by the Portuguese, the Dutch are buried in it, and named by the English! How interesting!
The tombstones have Latin and Portuguese inscriptions on them. It was believed that St. Francis Xavier was buried here in 1553 before his body was moved to Goa in India.
Towards St. Paul's Hill
Interior view of St Paul's Church
"Porta de Santiago"At the feet of the hill is "Porta de Santiago". That was the gate for the fort. After the Portuguese captured Melaka, they built a fortress to defend themselves. The fortress, called A'Famosa suffered severe destruction during the Dutch invasion. What's left today is just the entrance walls, still well preserved till today.
After visting the historic sites, the group retreated to the nearest shopping mall, "Melaka Mall" for a drink, leg-rest and some casual shopping.
Malacca is not only well-known for its baba & nyonya style spicy cooking. Another must eat, is the local dessert Chendoh served with rich coconut milk and their famous Gula Melaka.
The Owner preparing our Chendoh orders
This shop named "Min Zhong Hygenic Ice Cafe" located at 43, Jalan Bunga Raya is famous since 1928 for its Ice Ball. (as published in their local papers "Melaka Times")
The owner told us that its menu and Ice shaver have not been replaced since 1928! The ambient in the shop really made us felt back in time while we enjoy that delicious Iced Chendoh.
Seafood "Supper" in Perling
After being satisfied by the Iced Chendoh, the group bide goodbye to Melaka town and departed south to Perling.
The supposed dinner became Supper for all of us, since we arrived at nearly 10pm.
Perhaps due to hunger, there was no photo found taken of the delicious food while they were served. Only the pictures of empty plates were taken in the end.
Although the group had a short time in Melaka on Good Friday, everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Not only being Enriched with the historic culture of Melaka, the Food eaten on the entire day as well!
1 comment:
What a coincidence! We drove up to Malacca too on Good Friday. It was a tiring trip after all.
Post a Comment