Stop at Subang

Dad had been struggling with his cough even before we left for Melaka. In fact, he could hardly sleep the night before. Before things got worst, I insisted that we stopped by Subang on the way home.

It was a touch of bronchitis probably brought on by a virus from a few days back. Some antibiotics and cough mixture should do the trick. He looked tired when we finally reached home, still coughing away. Hopefully he would be feeling better by tomorrow.

For a Sunday afternoon, the Emergency Room was pretty packed. Luckily he didn't have to wait for too long - I had contacts you see....

More on the Melaka trip here.

Leaving Melaka

We finally left the hotel at about 12.30 with Anita getting some take-out lunch for the boys. The rest of us would be stopping along the way to have our meal at one of the stores. We would like to go all kampung style and sample the local food.

We stopped a couple if times for my Mum to buy some vegetables and fruits. Theybwere fresh cheap compared vinegar we normally get from the supermarket in KL.

These were really nice mangosteen. Can't wait to eat them later.Not to mention some really fresh vegetablesFinally stopped for lunch at Masjid Tanah after driving past Sungai Udang - the entrance to our old school, MRSM Terendak. Since we were late, most of the dishes were already gone. We made do with what was left.

No more stops after Masjid Tanah when we drove past Alor Gajah and entered the highway at Simpang Ampat.

We didn't head straight to Gombak though. We had to sort out my Dad-in-law's cough. That meant a detour to Subang. More on the Melaka trip here.

Almost Time

So, all we were waiting for was for the boys to wake up this morning. Most of the packing had been done except for the tit bits we bought yesterday from Jonker Street. We would just dump those onto the boot of the van I thought.

We would probably set off after lunch. We scrapped the plan to go via Ayer Keroh since my Dad-in-law wasn't very well. He had been nursing a cough since the beginning of the trip. We would likely be driving straight to KL from here.

The boys had another day to go before their school opened on Tuesday. I would still be on leave until Wednesday. Maybe do a bit of shopping tomorrow. We still need to get them their school bags.

I still got some stuff to do at the apartment when I get back. Busy day tomorrow I think.

More on the 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.

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.