I’d been looking forward to visiting Melaka City for quite a while as I’d heard it was a fun and culturally diverse place. Its the capital of Melaka state and the western name for it is Malacca. Like George Town in Penang, its been given World Heritage status due to its rich colonial history and culturally rich heritage. The centre is home to a number of historic structures and buildings including ‘A Famosa’, a Portuguese fortress which are some of the oldest surviving examples of European architectural remains in SE Asia and the Far East (thanks Wikipedia for the reminder ;).
Once again street art is a big thing here and the main body of the city is around the Melaka River where you can take a river cruise which is very popular.. This was the first thing that we did on arrival and we struck lucky as the best time to do it is as dusk falls so you can see the town change into all its illuminated glory! We also arrived on a Saturday which meant we got to enjoy the Jonker Street Night Market which is held weekly on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s hugely popular and well attended so the city centre was bustling and a lot of fun.
We steadily worked our way to the riverside where there are numerous bars, cafes and restaurants to sit and watch the boats pass by as you enjoy a beer or two. We found what looked like a decent spot, The Jonker Parrot Cafe, and set up camp for a couple of hours. I had my first drink in days, a large bottle of Tsingtao and I must have needed it more than I knew because I sank it pretty quickly! We sat near to a Ukrainian family who were visiting friends and before long their son and my boys connected over playing games on the phone meaning that I got to chat with the adults for an hour and we all shared some food. I’m always so appreciative when others can speak English!
We were surrounded by brightly coloured lights which are placed on anything that sits still long enough, the noise of hundreds of starlings coming in to roost, the bustle of a busy night market that has drawn people from all over the world, booming music from a bar a couple of doors down wanting to draw in a younger crowd. Watching people meandering past, looking just as we had done an hour or so earlier whilst trying to choose which of the many bars should be the one to settle at. Waving at the passengers on the many boats that pass, just as others had waved at us when we passed by earlier that evening. That’s when we just had a sense of peace and chill. Where your surroundings just absorb you and you feel totally at ease. It was lovely.
Before heading back to our hotel we did what any self respecting tourist does in Melaka… We took a ride in one of the numerous and elaborately decorated trishaws! The boys chose one festooned with spiderman paraphernalia and we went for a 15 minute ride about town, stopping at some of the sites to take photos. It’s completely immersive and it’s impossible not to have fun as you hear well known tunes and club beats blasting out from your own and other trishaws as you pass one another.
We stayed at the Bay View Hotel just out of the city centre. As Coronavirus had taken hold at this point we were noticing a reduced number of people, particularly in the hotels, and this place was no exception. They had put large bottles of hand sanitiser outside each lift which was not only reassuring but very useful. I’d been trying to get face masks and hand sanitiser for 3 weeks but everywhere had signs up to say that they’d sold out. I managed to refill my 3 little bottles here with a few sneaky pumps each time we passed! I know, I’m a rebel and I’m teaching the kids my terrible ways.
The hotel has a nice sized pool with a jacuzzi area so we chilled there a bit when we weren’t out exploring. Unfortunately Alfie’s ear infection which had started in Langkawi, made a reappearance here. Thankfully we were literally across the road from a hospital so we popped over on the Sunday and were seen in A & E within 15 minutes. We also went back on the Monday as I was having dizzy spells that were coming more regularly. They carried out various tests and we both left with a variety of meds. It was super efficient, friendly and cheap.
We’d actually run out of a bit of steam by this point and didn’t fancy doing much but wandering the streets and exploring organically rather than forcing anything. We visited cafes and tried unusual Chinese dishes including a sweet stew made with snow pear and snow fungus. Alistair had his wish granted and got to try a dish containing durian. It was a mung bean and durian dessert and he won’t be asking again in a hurry…. If you’ve never come across durian then look it up. It’s huge here in Asia and many things such as ice cream, drinks, lollies, biscuits etc are flavoured with it. It’s aroma is potent and has been described as many things including raw sewerage but many people love it. Maybe it was the mung beans he took a dislike to…
We stood hiding in doorways waiting for a huge water monitor lizard to poke his head back out of the drain where we’d spotted him. We all had a foot massage in one of the many shops offering them here and we sat for a caricature artist. Basically, we took it easy.
We were due to travel from here to Tioman Island which is off the East Coast of Malaysia and from there I had a taxi arranged to take us to Singapore for 5 days before flying to Cambodia. Given the escalating situation with Coronavirus in Singapore I had to make a decision about whether we should still go or not. I decided against it based on the fact that it’s a very crowded island and we’d been advised by the doctors we had seen to stay away from crowds. It meant losing the accommodation costs which were hefty as Singapore isn’t known as being a low cost destination but I did get 90% of our flight costs back. This in turn meant that I had to rearrange travel and accommodation plans for our last week in Malaysia and to get this sorted fast. There’s certainly no rest for the wicked!
Milo and her boys 
Love that travel tiger made it on to the drawing, part of the family now 🐯 xx
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