Jonker with Anita

We tucked the boys at their Grandparents' room and had a quick escape to Jonker Street after lunch. Hopped onto a beca and within seconds literally, the heaven opened without mercy. Anita was soaked by the time the covers were up.

We were dropped near the entrance of Jonker Street and I quickly bought an umbrella. So, off we went.

It didn't take long before we got our hands full with all the shopping. Things were so much cheaper here compared to KL. We got tit bits for Irfan's party pack, and some lighting for the apartment.

Welcoming bistro, but it was raining and we were in a bit of a rushTaking shelter while it poured down ...Colourful!We couldn't hang around for too long though since the boys were at the hotel and we had plans for dinner. Anita was convinced to return to shop here in the future as we only managed only a single street and we haven't sampled any of the cafe yet.

Some excuse to return...

More entries from this Melaka trip here.

Flora de la Mar

It threathened to rain when we reached the next stop. It was a replica ship at a dry dock. An old Portuguese vessel, four stories high.

And in the gut of the ship was a museum, the Flora de la Mar Maritime Museum. Some really nice items inside and you could rent an audio device which gave you commentary on the items on show.

Many tales, many stories ...And using a headphone and an mp3 player, you can listen to the backstoriesAnd Irfan listened to all the chaptersAnd he would ask us if he didn't understandGood thing it was raining when we were inside and shelteredIt was still cloudy, but at least it wasn't raining anymoreBy the time we reached the second floor, it poured outside. And that gave us ample time to look things through, much to the delight of the boys. They enjoyed it. Just make sure that you hire the audio units, as it would interest the children to explore. I paid an extra buck for the units.

More stories from the Melaka trip here.

Christ Church Bazaar

Next stop was at the center of town, in front of the Christ Church. A distinctively-coloured building - maroon-ish - it was one of the oldest church in Malaysia.

But the church was not the main destination. We wanted to just sit down at the bazaar in front of the church.

The distinctive colour of the buildings

It seemed that part of the bazaar had been cordoned off due to renovation work at the buildings nearby. It wasn't as promising as it was the last time we visited Melaka.

That didn't stop the boys doing some shopping though.

More entries from trip here.

Muzium Kesultanan Melaka

Out first outing this afternoon was off a beca, heading towards A Famosa. But with the number if stairs to negotiate up the hill, Anita took the easier option. Right next door to the fort entrance was a replica of an old Istana Melaka, turned into a museum. And a slick one at that.

Entrance was nominal especially occupy carry a MyKad. The whole museum was built of wood but the interior was comfortable enough, complete with air conditioning.

Shoes off please ...There were three level of exhibits, two which were opened to the public. The exhibits basically was a good introduction to life in the Melaka Sultanate of the 15th Century.

Puan Anita doing a bit of exploring

Intricate wall carvingsThere were also exhibits on attire from each of the Peninsular states. And the centerpiece of the museum was a replica of an old Balai Rong Seri.

Things were nearly laid out, and the exhibits were marked in clear English, not those off Google Translate.

The boys doing exploring on their ownOne word sprung to mind when I saw this ..... MATRIX!I spent the whole visit explaining to my boys who Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat were. And they both agreed that Tuah should not have killed Jebat just because the Sultan told him to. After all, the Sultan had made a prior decision to banish Tuah in the first place. His judgement hence were flawed. And the Sultan is not Allah. Sound logic in that. Certain things should never be argued about I guessed.

More blog posts from this trip here.

Morning Walk

As planned, I left the hotel for a morning walk straight after breakfast earlier. Armed with my camera, I walked past Dataran Pahlawan towards A Famosa. Then walked further towards Stadhurst and crossed the bridge into Jonker Street.

The place was still asleep. All the shops and stalls were still closed apart from a handful of cafe doing breakfast. Quiet and ideal for me to explore the architecture.

I should've taken with me a wide angle lens instead of the 50mm equivalent. Most of the photo ops were on buildings and windows. A wider angle would've been better. I went to check on the availability of the lens last week but it was sold out.

On the way back, I climbed up the hill towards A Famosa, snapped a few pics before making my way back to the hotel. The boys were still asleep when I got back into the room. Time for Anita to go down for her breakfast.

More stories from this trip here.