On to Melaka

As mentioned on my tweets and facebook updates, we headed to Melaka after breakfast last Monday. The trip to PD this time brought a couple of Anita’s aunties as well as her cousin. Since our driver was from Melaka, we used the coastal road, via Kuala Linggi, passing by Masjid Tanah and Sungai. That certainly brought back a lot of memories as both Puan Anita and myself went to the same college in Kem Terendak.

On the wayTurn to my old collegeA quick stop for cencalokWe arrived in Bandar Melaka in time for lunch, which we had at Dataran Pahlawan. My mother-in-law wanted to take the river cruise, but since it was rather far to walk, we decided to charter some trishaws - beca - to take us around town first, like what we did the last time we were in Melaka. The trip actually took us a couple of hours.

We were taken to the usual spots, with stops along the way at Stadyhurst. The ride along Jonker Street was quite fun but my children were too restless to stop. When we arrived at the riverboat jetty, Idlan was already asleep and everybody was already tired - in was already past 5 pm then. We decided to head back to our driver, who took us to Sungai Baru for dinner as mentioned in the last entry. I’ll put up the photos of Jonker Street on my next entry.

Another PD weekend

The school holidays were almost drawing to an end. A couple of Anita’s aunties dropped by from Kelantan, and we thought it may be a good idea to take them for a short stay at our apartment in PD. We filled them up into the minivan and off we went yesterday. Today, we drove them to Melaka - our driver did the driving, and it helped since he was from there.

Heading to MelakaDinner at Kuala Sungai Besar

To Melaka we went, had a nice day being taken around on the trishaw - beca. On the way back to PD, we had a scrumptious fresh seafood dinner at Kuala Sungai Besar, near our driver’s kampung. He definitely had an inside knowledge of the area, and knew what to order. I just arrived at back to the apartment, had a shower and ready to hit the sack. Will update the blog a bit later in the week with the pics and stuff.

Holiday Inn

View form my room at dawnAs everyone was aware, during our trip to Melaka last weekend, we stayed at the brand new Holiday Inn right smack in the middle of Bandar Melaka. It was only right if I write a few words on the establishment. It appears to be a straight forward hotel, 4 stars I think, mainly with standard rooms, called deluxe. Each rooms equipped with flat screen TVs, access to rooms can be a pain at times as there were only three lifts for the tenants - with a separate service lift thankfully, a couple of eateries - one being a cafe next to the lobby and another n the second floor, a nearby conference centre and ballroom, on a separate area of the hotel accessed via the spacious lobby. There were 20 floors, with the top four being executive status. There was a nice pool area on the third floor - the main one carrying right to the edge, giving an illusion of one swimming into the sea - the infinity pool -  with a separate children pool next to it.

The lounge and my sofa bed ....Seatings on the loungeThere was also a spa and a gym - the gym being free for guests. There was also an executive lounge on the same level as the pool - rather than at the top near the executive rooms. This lounge were filled with magazine and a spacious sitting area. It also served breakfast - as part of the complimentary set if you don’t fancy mixing it with the commoners on the second floor - and evening supper from 6 to 8 pm. We stayed at the family suite, situated at the 19th floor and were given access to the lounge and the butler services there.

Checking inThe bedroom from the bathThe kitchenette First and foremost, the hotel made effort to be children friendly. There was the separate pool for children as an example and a creche service - which we did not use. The restaurant also allow kids to enjoy free buffet if accompanied by a paying adult. Breakfast was inclusive, and offered a full local, English and Continental set. On one of the evening, we also sampled the buffet dinner. Now for the good bits; the room was very spacious and comfortable. We certainly got our money’s worth. The suite have a big bathroom with a separate shower and  tub. There was a queen-sized bed and as expected, I slept at the lounge on the sofa bed. There were a couple of TV, one in the bedroom and another in the lounge. There was also a small open kitchenette with a dinner table to seat four. Parking was aplenty, either by the lobby area or on the lower ground floor which was covered and guarded, and can be accessed directly through the guest lift from the room. Parking was free. Getting in and out of the hotel by car was also simple and should you fancy, you can either walk to Dataran Pahlawan or take a trishaw. The pool was really nice according to Puan Anita with the deepest end being only 1.5m on the adult side. There was no life guard but since it was just outside the gym, staff was always available.

Settling into breakfastSmoked salmon ... Yums!The breakfast was really decent. The staffs were helpful and well-organised. They always give priority to small families and try their level best to give us the better seats. The main breakfast area was spacious and open. Access was direct from the lift with no need for any stairs. Service was prompt.

Now to the not-so-good part. The food for dinner buffet and room service were both expensive and not very yummy. I had a steak on my first night upon arrival from KL. Failure. The boys’ nasi goreng were also plain and off the mark. The buffet cost us around RM250 - bearing in mind the kids eat free. The spread was minimal, and the main buzz was the seafood barbecue that they offer. The grill selection was disappointing. There was no fresh fish, let alone chicken or meat - mind you, the theme was seafood. Seafood was mainly prawns and shells. I skipped that. The nasi ayam was not very appetising, and so was the Italian and rice on offering.

Manchester United was playing that weekend and I had to give it a miss as the channels on TV did not include ESPN - just StarSports. There was only a single movie channel as well. We had a DVD player in our suite, so we were content with that. Internet was also only free for the first 30 minutes, but I had my own portable access with my E71. On the evening that we had the buffet, the lights were dimmed as Earth Hour dawned. The hotel took the initiative seriously, dimming the lights, and switching off the unnecessary ones. Staffs were stationed on each floor with torchlights to help us make our way to the room in absence of lighting. 

Candle lit dinner during Earth HourOn the whole, would I recommend the hotel to a friend? - yes. Would I stay there again? Maybe not the next time, as we fancy the Mahkota Hotel right next door! Will give that one a try after this! Variety is the spice of life after all.

Abang Beca

Menara Taming SariAfter the wedding was done, it was time to go out with the boys. So what’s the plan? Beca time! A short drive to Menara Taming Sari - a new tower built last year with a ride. People enter a platform, forming a doughnut around the main tall column. The platform was then lifted up from ground level, right up to the top. The platform then do a couple of slow spin to offer the visitors panoramic view of Bandar Melaka. It charges a reasonable fee for what it offered and I was sure the view will be stunning on a day such as today when the weather was gorgeous. Unfortunately with Idlan afraid of heights and all, I didn’t think it was a good idea. P/s - I have no problem what so ever with heights.

We then did the most touristy thing we could think off - getting a beca - trishaw - ride across town, stopping at the main tourist spots. For RM40 an hour, it was money well spent especially when the boys being so excited with the ride. The trishaw were also very colourful, blaring out with music, and decorated with flowers. Quite a spectacle. There were plenty of them and most of them were very professional and organised. They offer routes according to what interested us, and we picked the one going through A Famosa, the Christ Church etc. Unfortunately being quite late in the afternoon during weekend, some of the route were blocked for the evening festivities, the famous Jonker Street being one of them.

Where we picked up our becaPassing by Dataran PahlawanThat handsome fella must we wondering why we were so excitedOur first stop on the beca ride was an old Melaka tree. Legend has it, the founder of the great land, Parameswara was on the run from Temasik - now Singapore - and while resting under a tree, he saw a reindeer kicked away a tiger - well, I am not much of a historian, so I might got this fact wrong big time - which he thought was awesome. Awestruck, he asked one of his minions the name of the tree, and he was told, “Melaka”. He decided to stay and form a new colony. Melaka was born. At the spot that we stopped, there were also an old locomotive - bearing in mind that there was no railway line in the whole of Melaka - and a old airplane. That very airplane was the one which carried the late Tunku Abdul Rahman from London with the declaration of Malaya Independence from British rule.

Few snaps, and we were ready to go. Next stop - A Famosa. It was a famous Portuguese fort built after their invasion of Melaka in 1511. The fort was later destroyed when the Dutch came to town some 100 years later. What’s left were ruins of what was the church on top of a hill. The were steep steps to get up there, and before we asked, Idlan has already started running up! Poor Puan Anita had to follow along with us. Reaching on top of the hill, there were already a group of students taking pictures and vendors selling souvenirs. There were also street performers there, eager to sing and play songs for change. The one which caught everyones’ attention was a Portuguese guitar duo singing traditional songs. It was great fun.

Idlan and Irfan at the top of the hill at A FamosaAfter 10 minutes looking around, it was time to get back down. We stopped for a couple of minutes to see a set of ruins discovered a couple of years back when surveyor were digging around to built Menara Taming Sari. They found old Portuguese ruins and skeletons, believed to be part of the original A Famosa. It was still being studied and the state government planned to rebuild the site once fully explored. The Menara Taming Sari was then built on the current site away from the original plan due to this findings.

Next stop, was along Lorong Muhibbah or Harmony Street. On that small stretch of road, there was an Indian temple, a Mosque - Masjid Kampung Keling, and a Chinese Tokong. Further along was a newer Buddhist temple but it was clearly not from the same era. We stopped at the Mosque, and it was pretty unique. It still have a chandelier going back 100 years and the stairs and ornaments looked antique. We pushed on later to Makam Hang Jebat. Legend has it that during the time of Melaka Sultanate, there were five great friends and great warriors, sworn to protect the state of Melaka from invasions and also uphold the rule of law. Due to jealousy, Tuah, one of the five were accused of having an affair with the Sultan’s maid and was sentenced to death. Knowing that it was not true, a Minister hid Tuah away, leaving both the Sultan and Jebat thinking that he was dead. Seeing it as an injustice, Jebat went on a rampage and savaged the town. The Sultan’s army cannot contain Jebat’s wrath until finally the Minister told about Tuah’s hiding and the Sultan summon him to subdue and kill Jebat. Ever obliging, Tuah had to choose between friend and the Sultan. He chose the Sultan - a rather unpopular decision accding to the youth of today hehehe! Anti-establishment that we are - and killed Jebat. Jebat died later in Tuah’s arm and forgave his friend but not the Sultan. He body was buried at the Makam - in a mausoleum 7 and a half foot long! Was he that tall then?

Makam Hang JebatMasjid Kampung Keling and its famous chandelierTake this!Flowers by the street in front of Christ ChurchThe boys were getting tired by then and we snaked around the streets towards Christ Church where the streets were lines with stalls and a photo-spot available all round. Idlan picked up a replica galleon from one of the shops there, while Irfan bought a stick with boxing padded boxing glove at the end. Good for releasing stress. There was a small garden with a water fountain, but the day was getting dark. Time to head back to base. Our Abang Beca gladly took us back initially to where we started, and then on to Dataran Pahlawan where we alighted to do some shopping. That was our final stop in the beca ride. I will blog about the beca riders later in another entry.

Our maids must be wondering what was going onBandar Melaka during Earth HourAfter getting some drinks and Puan Anita getting herself some bedspread, we headed back to our hotel. We went straight for the dinner buffet. Halfway during our meal, the light were suddenly switched off and the candles were lit. It was Earth Hour! Lights were off for an hour, and the hotel was really taking it seriously. The light on our corridors were also off, but the staffs were there with flashlights to make sure the don’t get sued if we injured ourselves. We got changed and before long, we were in fairyland after a long day. More adventures tomorrow I’m sure!

The slideshow for the trip can be found here.

Back from Melaka

Dataran Pahlawan - Melaka Megamall, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

After attending two and a half day of workshop, I am finally back. The actually workshop was pretty good. It was basically about Clinical Epidemiology. It was designed to prepare us before we start teaching the medical students about the subject. The learning curve was steep and at the end of it all, I was pretty knackered.

Inside the MegamallAs I blogged earlier, I wished that the management invest more on the resort hotel since the potential is enormous. Maintenance was pretty lacking. A few of my coursemates actually had to change room because of the condition of the room. The last session today was basically for us to present a mock research we were doing since yesterday.

I left Alor Gajah after lunch and by 3 pm, I was already home. I took a nap right through the afternoon after that.

Last night, I drove to Bandar Melaka. It surprisingly took longer that I expected. Plus the traffic congestion and taking wrong turns, it took me a good hour to reach the parking lot at Dataran Pahlawan. The place was pretty good for a city this size. Most of the outlets were there, plus karaoke bar, multiplex cinemas and bowling alleys. There was also rows of stalls selling crafts. The actually mall was big as it stretched underground across a whole length of a field. Unfortunately, there were not many people during weekday nights. The famous Jonker Street was practically empty. There were hardly anybody at the Eye on Malacca. Surprisingly, there were more people out when I drove back than going in.

I have taken tomorrow and Friday off, so I will be taking my Mum out when I send Irfan off to school tomorrow morning.