Cleffairy's Blog, page 138

Menara Taming Sari

If at night there is a romantic River Cruise Ride, then during the day is the thrilling ride with my loved ones on the Menara Taming Sari.

From a height of 80 metres, the ride offers a spectacular and panoramic view of Melaka with a a lot of of interesting sights such as St.Paul’s Hill, Independence Memorial Building,Samudra Museum and the ship, Flor De La Mar, Dataran Pahlawan, Pulau Selat Mosque, Pulau Besar and the Straits of Melaka.

You can buy tickets here at Astaka Taming Sari. Apart from that, you can shop for souvenirs here too.

Menara Taming Sari is named after the famous kris in Malay folklore. It is believed to have been wielded by the legendary Melakan warrior Hang Tuah, and is fabled to grant physical invulnerability to its wielder. . Measuring 110 metres in height, its revolving structure offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Malacca town and beyond.

Located in the popular district of Bandar Hilir on Jalan Merdeka, the Menara Taming Sari is only 3 minutes’ walk from Mahkota Parade Shopping Complex and Dataran Pahlawan Megamall, the tower is named after the Taming Sari keris, a mythical weapon said to possess mystical powers belonging to the legendary Malay warrior, Hang Tuah. Even the structure’s design follows the shape of the keris, with the peak of the tower resembling the its hilt

View of Melaka Town and beyond during the ride. Isn’t it lovely? It was a very breathtaking ride. Both my son and husband was thrilled about it. You can read about it at their blogs Travel with E.T.A and Garfield soon too The ride up here takes about 7minutes with pre-recorded guided explanations.

Admission Fee

Adult RM 20.00

Child RM 10.00 (Below 12 years Old)

Mykad holder (For Mykad holder kindly present your card for discount)

Adult RM 10.00

Child RM 5.00

Operation Hour 10.00 am to 10.00 pm – Daily

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism.

Melaka Heritage Trail Guided Tour

The sun was pretty high in the sky when we left Melaka Craft Centre, and it was time for a Guided Melaka Heritage Trail Tour. Sahabat Media were given about one hour and a half to tour around with our tourguide, so it was strictly a walking tour and no shopping stops whatsoever. Our walk began at the Dutch Square and ended at the Menara Taming Sari. And so, I grabbed a bottle of mineral water, shoved it into my faithful pink backpack and joined the crowd.

To be honest, it is quite fun playing tourist in my own country. Anyway, I won’t be writing about our Heritage Trail walk in details, but here’s sharing with you the landmarks we managed to drop by:

First stop was the Christ Church in the Dutch Square/Stadhuys Building. The Stadthuys can be easily found as it is just beside the Christ Church.

There is an old fountain in opposite of the church. This is the Queen Victoria Fountain. You can read about it in details in my old blogpost: Queen Victoria Fountain http://cleffairy.com/queen-victoria-fountain-malacca/ fountain was built in 1901 but does not look like it is more than a 100 years old.

Walking up the hill there is this….the St. Paul statue.

The Ruins of the St. Paul Church. St Paul’s Church is the church ruins that sit on the top of the St Paul’s Hill. The hill was originally named as Malacca Hill.The St Paul’s Church was originally a chapel and was known to the Portuguese in Malacca as the Chapel of Mother of God (Madre de Deus) or Our Lady of the Hill (Nossa Senhora do Oiteiro).

Here is how it looks like from the inside of the Ruins of the St. Paul Church.

Plenty of tombstones tablets are erected here on the church’s interior wall. Made me wonder if there is dead bodies resting beneath the ground of the church. My suspicion is confirmed. According to our tour guide,

After the Dutch’s Christ Church was completed, the St Paul’s Church no longer serves as a functional church but was turned into a burial ground.

The famous iconic Porta de Santiago more commonly known as A Famosa among the locals. The A Famosa is a fortress which was used in the war last time and has many historical values.

Istana Kesultanan Melaka. This is a replica of the Malacca Sultan’s palace during the Malacca Sultanate period.

Proclamation of Independence Square/Memorial. Malacca Proclamation of Independence Memorial displays records and photographs on the early history of the Malay Sultanate. It’s divided into several sections, the memorial also houses an extensive timeline covering the country’s journey to independence and the development of modern Malaysia.

Set up in 1912 in an elegant Dutch colonial mansion that used to house the Malacca Club making it the social centre of British colonial Melaka.

And last but not least, the Menara Taming Sari where we had our lunch and soon after, a ride up the gyro tower.

Melaka Tours.

If you are interested in history, I would definitely recommend this guided tour, as the tour guide will explain to you in details about the historical places and landmarks. I’m glad I joined this instead of straying that day, I learned much more than I could have in that one and a half hour than a few years studying the history books back in school.

Below is the price to the guided Melaka Heritage Trail Tour:

Day of Operations: Daily, 9am-2pm

Child : RM110

Adult: RM120

Includes: English speaking tour guide/transport by request.

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism.

Melaka Craft Centre

I’m not a morning person. I’m always cranky and groggy in the morning, but I had quite a wonderful hydro therapy in the jacuzzi the night before and my sleep was pretty much peaceful in Bayou Lagoon Park Resort. Following the wake up call from the hotel as early as 5.30am for the Subuh prayer, I was all hyped up by 7.30am. We had a simple breakfast at the hotel and head over to our first destination of the day, Melaka Craft Centre.

We reached at about 10am and arrived just in time to witness the Melaccan folks having gotong-royong to clean up the place. it is so nice to see how united they are in keeping the place clean and well-kept.

Melaka Craft Centre exists to promote the local handicraft to the international market. Tourist may find all kind of handicrafts like pewter, batiks, top spinning, rattan, beaded shoes and many more at very reasonable price. Our time there was pretty limited. I did not make any purchases but let’s take a look on what they have in details, shall we?

Fashionable one of it’s kind Batik Bag. I bet any ladies would stand out in the crowd should she accessories herself with these. The price tag was RM150. Quite affordable for a unique piece, don’t you think?

Beautifully carved jewelry box.

Neatly woven rattan basket

Coffee table set

Dining table set

Beautiful handcraft cradle for babies. Lovely, aren’t they? Apart from feasting our eyes on those beautiful furniture and crafts, we were also given a chance to try our hands on batik painting.

Melted, boiling hoy wax for canting.

Colours for batik painting

Here is my son, Little A trying his hands on batik painting.

A closer look on my son’s batik panting. Lovely, isn’t it?

There are plenty more of art related stuff you can see and experience here, so do drop by if you ever visit Melaka.

Melaka Craft Centre

Lot 89-102 Kawasan Perindustrian Alor Gajah,

78000 Alor Gajah,

Melaka

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism.

Chinese Straits Jewellery Museum

Following out little shopping escapade in Jonker Street was the next stop in our Cuti Cuti 1Malaysia Melaka program; The Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum. No. It is not open after midnight but the owner has kindly keep his door open for us Sahabat Media.

The Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum is located opposite of the ancestral home of Tun Tan Cheng Lock (No. 111) along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, formerly known as Heeren Street. Owned by Baba Peter Soon Seng Mah from Penang, who is also the owner of Penang’s Pinang Peranakan Mansion, the collection here at this jewellery museum worth millions of Ringgit. There are currently 400 pieces of jewellery on display.

Stepping into the place, we were greeted by this. A very classy and expensive living room.

There was console table

Dining room

Praying altar where the Baba and Nyonyas worship their Gods and ancestors.

Spotted an office too at one corner of the first floor.

Moving forward into the interconnecting hall was a glimpse to the darker side of the Peranakan family in the olden era, which is the Opium room.

In the opium room there is this antique wooden lounge.

Equipments used to feed your opium addiction.

Feeling pretty much uncomfortable with the thought that someone could have actual died over here while feeding their nasty opium addiction, I decided to go upstairs, where the jewellery collections is being displayed.

Part of the jeweleries being exhibited here in the Chinese Straits Jewellery Museum.

Phoenix themed bangles made from pure gold. Uniquely crafted and there is only a pair of this.

More bangles and hairpin

Apart from intricate and expensive jeweleries, there is the wedding hall, where all about Peranakan weddings is displayed. Here in the picture is the wedding garment for ladies of that era, complete with heavy headpieces.

Traditional Peranakan weddings is rather elaborated. But in short, they take a total of 12 days to complete the entire wedding. An interesting thing to note that in that era, women’s virginity and chastity is taken very seriously. Virgin brides are celebrated and welcomed formally into the family after the consummation of marriage with a huge Nasi Lemak feast where everyone in the family attends while non-virgins were shunned upon and have no pride and status in her in-laws’ family and would be treated rather harshly. Men are also allowed more than one wives and takes concubines too in that era.

Moving on, we were given a glimpse to the Nyonya’s daily lives. Here you can see a young Nyonya’s daily wear. A cotton short Kebaya blouse with a simple batik sarong.

An elderly nyonya daily wear. A shapeless long blouse paired with batik sarong.

A collection of Kebayas

Hand made bead shoes

Delicately sewn transparent Kebaya. The details is amazing.

Last but not least was the traditional bed.

There is one more section where you can see smithing exhibits, but unfortunately for me, I accidentally left my DSLR in the hotel and my phone was already out of battery and couldn’t take photos anymore. So…if you are interested in the lives of Baba and Nyonyas in the olden era, you should head over here and take a look at things yourselves.

Admission fees

Adult: RM15

Student: RM10

Below 6 years old: free

Visiting hours:

10am – 5pm (Mon – Thurs & Sun)

8pm – 10pm (Fri & Sat)

Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum

Add: 108, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street), 75200 Melaka.

Tel: 06-2819763

Fax: 06-2816099

Email: scjewellerymuseum@gmail.com

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism.

Fascinating Indonesia Food Festival in Saffron Brasserie@Ancasa Hotel&Spa, Kuala Lumpur

Tired of my Cuti Cuti 1Malaysia Melaka edition posts? It’s okay. Let’s take a break and go to Indonesia for awhile.

Indonesian Traditional Dance

All right, all right. I was just exaggerating. I was not in Indonesia, but it certainly felt like I was in Indonesia itself when I went to the launching of Fascinating Indonesia Food Festival on 2nd September 2014 in Ancasa Hotel&Spa,which also happens to be my birthday. Yes. It was indeed a memorable and happy day for me…well…I’m always happy when it comes to food. :p Food always make my world a happier place.

Now, back to the launching cum media preview of Fascinating Indonesia Food Festival. The members of the media were given the opportunity to sample authentic Indonesian delights that day and I have to say that I was impressed. Apart from the commercialized Ayam Penyet and the street Gado Gado, I have never sampled any other Indonesian delight before, so it was indeed a gastronomic treat for me.

Let’s take a look on what Fascinating Indonesia Food Festival in Saffron Brasserie Ancasa Hotel&Spa have to offer, shall we?

At the action stall where food was prepared on the spot for you was Bakso Noodles. Bakso is an Indonesian meatball or meat paste made from beef surimi and is similar in texture to the Chinese beef ball, and is commonly made from beef with a small quantity of tapioca flour, however bakso can also be made from other ingredients, such as chicken, fish, or shrimp. Bakso are usually served in a bowl of beef broth, with yellow noodles, bihun (rice vermicelli), salted vegetables, tofu, egg Chinese green cabbage, bean sprout, dumplings or crispy wonton, sprinkled with fried shallots and celery. Bakso can be found all over Indonesia; from the traveling cart street vendors to restaurants. I did not sample this dish, however, so I can’t comment much on the taste. It looks good and aromatic though. Perhaps I would give it a go if I have the opportunity next time.

Nasi Tumpeng, the dish that commanded everyone’s attention that day. It is the cone shaped rice surrounded by assorted Indonesian dishes. It is a symbolic Javanese delicacy that is served only during important events and occasions. I was informed by a friend who is familiar with Indonesian culture that the Nasi Tumpeng was constructed to mimic holy mountains in Indonesia and served in a feast for Thanksgiving or something of that sort. Basically Tumpeng is a symbol of gratitude. Commonly served during slamatan ceremony where the top of the cone is cut by the elders or the most important person present. The surrounding dishes of the Nasi Tumpeng served during our media preview was pretty elaborates. The rice for the tumpeng was Tumpeng Nasi Uduk, which is basically fragrant tumeric rice. Surrounding the coned shaped rice was:

Udang Goreng Tepung. The fried shrimps was lightly coated with flour batter and deep fried. It was fresh, juicy and succulent.

Perkedil Anak Ayam. It is mashed potatoes filled with minced chicken meat shaped into bite sized balls. The perkedil’s texture is firm and was absolutely delicious.

Tempe Tahu Bacem. Fried fermented soya bean patties can be overwhelming to the palate if you take it on it’s own, but would complements the rice perfectly.

Tahu Goreng is simply deep fried beancurd.

Balada Dendeng Manis is basically thinly sliced beef coated with thick and slightly dry sweet and spicy sauce. This dish was fabulous and I wish I was wise enough to scoop up more into my plate that day.

Sambal Goreng Hati dan Kentang. I did not manage to sample this so can’t comment much about it.

Cabai Isi Daging is simply chillies stuffed with mashed potatoes and minced meat. I loved this one very much. Flavourful and bursting with flavours but by the time I was done with it and wants seconds, the dish was already gone from the Nasi Tumpeng platter. What a gastronomic tragedy for me.

Sate Lilit Serai. I did not manage to sample this either, but this is basically prawn and chicken paste wrapped around a stick of lemongrass and was grilled to perfection.

Telur Pindang or Pindang eggs is an Indonesian hard boiled eggs dish, boiled slowly in water mixed with salt, soy sauce, shallot skins, teak leaf and other spices. It is very similar to Chinese Tea Eggs or Cha Ye Dan. However, instead of black tea, the Indonesian version or herbal eggs uses leftover shallot skins, teak leaves or guava leaves as dark brownish coloring agents. So do I like this Telur Pindang? I think I would if it was much richer in taste. This one was too mild for me and those with less sensitive taste buds would have just translate the taste as a normal half boiled eggs. I think the outcome would be better if the eggs was left to simmer in the concoction much longer.

Ayam Goreng Berempah, an aromatic spiced fried chicken. It was perfectly marinated in myriad of spices and was adeptly fried. No excessive oil whatsoever and yes, this fried chicken earns my approval.

Kering Tempe Kacang. Fermented soya bean paste was cut into bite sized pieces and was fried with chillies and spices along with groundnuts. Not too shabby. The crunchy groundnuts definitely give texture to this dish.

Serunding Kacang, similar to the beef and chicken version of serunding, but with more dried shaved coconuts in spices.

There are plenty more accompanying dishes around the coned Nasi Uduk that I did not manage to capture as the diners were already piling em on the plate. Apart from the ones I featured above, believe I’m missing Hati Ayam Bumbu Ungkep, Kering kacang jeri, Kering kentang, Dadar Rewis and Jatai Daging Pentul.

Overall, to be able to sample Nasi Tumpeng is a gastronomic luxury, and my only grouse is that I did not manage to sample all of the surrounding dishes. oh well, I only have one stomach and that can’t be helped, can it? :p

So what else was there that day? Well there was Soup of the Day.

The Soup of the Day is naturally served with a variety of bread, of course. Highly recommended if you want a light starter before indulging in a much richer and heavier dishes in Fascinating Indonesia Food Festival.

There was the salad bar featuring assorted vegetables and fruit slices for those who can’t live without their greens and fruits.

Assorted Indonesian Kuih. Similar to our Nyonya Kuih…with a twist. Theirs are much sweeter than the Nyonya’s and they are not squeamish about using vibrant colourings in their traditional cakes. Those who have sweet tooth would find these lovely to the palate indeed.

Don’t fancy traditional cakes? It’s okay. There are modern cakes and desserts too, so help yourselves to these treats.

If you want something more tantalizing and tangy to end your meal, head over to the action stall for some freshly made Rojak Petis.

Refreshingly tangy Rojak Petis. Basically it is a type of local fruit salad with shrimp paste sauce.

Fancy sweet beverages? Be sure to try Es Teler

Es Teler is an Indonesian shaved ice beverage. Avocado, coconut meat, cincau, jackfruit and other fruits are served with coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, and a tiny amount of salt on top of finely shaved ice. Similar to our Ais Kacang, but this is much sweeter. I find this cloyingly sweet and does not really like it. But do give it a try if you love sweet and cold dessert.

Want a taste of Fascinating Indonesia? Well, just head over to Saffron Brasserie@Ancasa Hotel&Spa. The Fascinating Indonesia Food Festival will be held from:

2nd-15th September 2014

Price:

Adult RM45nett

Child RM22nett

Halal

For bookings and Reservations:

Saffron Brasserie @ Ancasa Hotel and Spa

Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, 50500 Kuala Lumpur

Phone

+603-2026 6060

Fax

+603-2026 8322

Opening Time

12.30pm – 4.00pm

Jonker Street Escapade

Ah! Melaka is indeed Venice of the East. It is one of the most romantic holiday destination in Malaysia.My husband was probably still feeling affectionate and romantic after our night time Melaka River Cruise with Sahabat Media. It was a free and easy time so we took full advantage of our time there.

He was still holding my hand tightly after the cruise and all the way into the vibrant and lively Jonker Street.

This is the lively Jonker Street on weekend nights. The Friday and Saturday, Jonker Walk Night Market in Malacca City’s Chinatown closes down Jalan Hang Lekir to traffic and when the sun goes down a handful of bars along the boulevard become a mini street party with tables oozing beyond the sidewalks and a mix of live music coursing throughout the area.

Flashy trishaw rides with music is also available here in Jonker Street.

Throughout the street, there is also night market where you can buy various items ranging from clothing, souvenirs and antiquities and sample street food. A shopping heaven for shophaholic. And tsk…I know the real reason why my husband held my hand. He was rather afraid that I’ll turn into a shopping monster that night. :p hold my hand…and I’ll shop less. Lesser damage to the pocket. Anyway, my husband’s effort to stop me from shopping went awry. I still managed to grab a pair of fancy kasut tikar, a pink crystal ring and a box of Nyonya Pineapple Tart. Poor hubby. Married to a hopeless shopaholic. :p

And on top of those stuff that I grabbed within 15 minutes of being let loose on the street,I spotted a Deep Fried Ice Cream stall

And managed to persuade him to buy deep fried ice cream for the three of us to eat. My excuse despite of being full from our dinner in Melaka Nyonya Village earlier? I was feeling hot and need something cooling.:p

Our free and easy time in Jonker Street ended too soon and finally it was time for our next stop; Straits Chinese Jewelry Museum. Bet hubby was relieved, but I was still sulking cuz I did not managed to grab another shawl to add to my collection. :p

Stay tune for my next post on Straits Chinese Jewelry Museum.

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism.

Romantic Melaka River Cruise

After filling up our tummies at Melaka Nyonya Village, it’s time for a romantic night time cruise along the Melaka River. Please allow me to apologize in advance for the picture quality. My husband and I accidentally left our DSLR at the hotel and had to make do with our smartphone’s camera.

DJ Azz, all hyped up for the night cruise

Scenery along the river

Passed by a lot of old Malaccan houses with unique architecture.

Sigh. I’m so sorry. My picture does no justice. But I assure you that the river cruise is the best way to get sights of Melaka at a leisurely pace.

The Melaka River is where the town began and it has played a key role in Melaka’s.Taking a river cruise is like seeing Melaka from a completely different perspective.

A few decades ago the river was a stinking waterway lined with decaying houses on stilts and the untidy rear side of crumbling shophouses.

In recent years it has had a major facelift. Efforts has been made to restore the buildings and preserve the historical values.

Here is where you can ride on the cruise:

There are two jetties, one at each end of the route. You can begin the cruise from either jetty:

Muara Jetty, next to Quayside Heritage Centre, close to the Maritime Museum easily recognisable by the replica of the Portuguese ship Flor De la Mar. From here the cruise takes you upstream as far as Taman Rempah jetty where the boat turns around and brings you back to the starting point.The round trip takes 45 minutes and covers 9 km.The boat’s recorded commentary or tourguide will begin on the return leg of your journey

Or

Taman Rempah Jetty , where a small spice garden is located, next to the Hang Jebat Bridge linking Jalan Tun Mutahir to Jalan Tun Sri Lanang. From here the cruise travels downstream as far as Muara jetty where the boat turns around and takes you back to the starting point. The round trip takes 45 minutes and covers 9 km. You will hear the recorded commentary or the tourguide as far as Muara jetty.

From whichever jetty you commence your Melaka River Cruise, the boat will pass near the following landmarks:

Kampung Morten. A traditional Malay village and living museum.

Pirate Park. A modest funfair with a ferris wheel, swinging pirate ship, flying fox, rock climbing wall and trampoline.

Ghost Bridge of Melaka. Where Japanese soldiers during WWII dangled the decapitated heads of local Chinese businessman.

Kampung Jawa. A small residential and commercial area where descendants of the original Javanese settlers still maintain some of their traditions.

Clock Tower. In the famous square of red painted Dutch buildings.

Jonker Walk. One of the best streets in Melaka to go shopping for food and souvenirs.

The Melaka River Cruise is open daily from 9 am to 11:30pm.



Boats depart roughly every 30 minutes.

depart roughly every 30 minutes.

So do I recommend going during the day or at night? I’d say neither. I’d recommend you to go during the sunset. Why? Well I’m a hopeless romantic and I think that way you can see the best of both world, night view and daytime view of Melaka river.

Price per ride:

MyKad holders: RM10 for adults and RM5 for children under 12

Non MyKad holders: RM15 for adults and RM5 for children under 12.

For more details you can call the Melaka River Cruise company on 06 281 4322/23 during office hours.

The number for their Taman Rempah jetty is 06 286 1530.

The number for their Muara Jetty is 06 286 1531.

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism.

Authentic Peranakan Food at Melaka Nyonya Village

It’s been a very long day for all of us Sahabat Media and as the night falls, all of our tummies growled out loud to be fed. Melaka is not only well known for historical and heritage trail, but is famous for cultural diversity and food too.

There are plenty of places where you can sample delicious food and watch cultural performances in Melaka, but there are only a handful of places where you can experience both at the same time, and the Melaka Nyonya Village is one of those places where you not only can sample fabulous food, but watch cultural performance at the same time as well.

The place is really homey, welcoming and spacious

You can opt to dine al fresco

Or dine indoor

The interior of this place is like a mini museum where they exhibit various antiquities.

Unique deco where paper umbrellas were seen ‘levitating’ around.

Authentic Peranakan dishes were served that night for our gastronomic pleasure.

Tapioca chips/kerepek ubi keledek were served as an appetizer. It was sweet, slightly salt-ish and crunchy. No excessive oil whatsoever and it was quite addictive. I found myself keep reaching for more.

Cincaluk Omelet/Telur Dadar Cincaluk is a kind of omelet where the eggs mixture was mixed with fermented shrimps before being pan fried. The omelet was fluffy, but the cincaluk taste was too mild to my liking. I would prefer it if there was more cincaluk in it. But this is a good dish to go with plain rice nevertheless.

Salted veggie soup with chicken was perfectly done. There was a balance of sourishness from the salted veggie and sweetness from the plump, juicy tomatoes and the chicken meat absorbs the natural flavours very well. This appetizing dish guarantees to whet your appetite and a wonderful meal to have during those cold nights.

Stir fried mixed veggies with foochuk was all right too. I have no complaints about it.My boy loves it very much and had a few helpings of these.

Sambal Petai with fried anchovies was to die for. Some people may require an acquired taste to be enjoy this dish, and I happen to have an acquired taste for it. Love the stinky beans and the spiciness of the sambal and fried anchovies even more.

Pajeri Nanas is a type of curry that is usually cooked with sliced pineapple as the main ingredient. The pajeri nanas was wonderful. This version of pajeri nanas was cooked with curry spices, coconut milk and juicy, fresh shrimps. It was fabulous. The curry was naturally tangy and refreshing while the shrimp was fleshy and flavourful.

Ikan Goreng Kerutuk. This dish is supposed to be saucy with kerutuk sauce drizzled onto it, but the rest at the table prefers to take it the way it is, so I can’t comment much on it apart from the freshness and the sweetness of the deep fried fish. Quite a waste actually. I wondered to this very day how the fish would have tasted like if we poured the kerutuk sauce onto it. I bet it would have been marvellous.

Ayam Pongteh is a must try Peranakan dish if you are to dine in Nyonya Village. Ayam Pongteh is one of the Baba Nyonya’s culinary pride and joy. Basically, this dish is just made from chicken pieces, potatoes and thickened dark soya sauce with some spices. This version in Nyonya Village, however have an additional ingredient which is the shittake mushrooms. This homey dish won my heart that night. Perfectly done and was bursting with flavours.

Otak-Otak is a kind of spicy mackerel pattie mixed with secret spices and grilled in banana leaf. I’m not a fan of fish, but since this is boneless, I found myself scooping up these into my plate more than twice. It was uniquely flavoured and has no fishy smell whatsoever.

Fragrant Thai Rice was served to go with all the other dishes, of course. My only grouse is that I couldn’t have enough of the rice.

Sambal belacan and cincaluk was naturally served as dippings as well, but the food was tasty enough that I did not have the needs for additional sambal belacan or cincaluk to go with my rice.

Assorted Nyonya Kuih was served as dessert, and they tasted like authentically homemade.

At the end of the meal, we were served Cendol, a traditional dessert made from shaved ice topped with green flour jellies, occasional red beans,palm sugar syrup and coconut milk. This sweet shaved ice was irresistibly refreshing, and I found myself wishing for more. Thumbs up for this traditional dessert and highly recommended for those who have sweet tooth.

Dining here in Melaka Nyonya Village is an absolutely amazing experience. Not only the food was authentic and superb and would satiate even the fussiest eater, but diners were served with dazzling cultural performance as well.

Here’s a glimpse of the cultural performance performed that night, ranging from the Peranakan dance Dondang Sayang, fan dance, fashion show, mock wedding and many more. Will blog about it more once I had the opportunity to sort out the videos and pictures. Do keep a lookout for it in my blog soon.

From what I understand, Melaka Nyonya Village does not have JAKIM halal cert, but it is PORK FREE and it was promised that their dishes does not contain MSG.

For bookings of table and tickets for the cultural performances do refer to the information below:

Melaka Nyonya Village

178 Jalan Parameswara, 75000 Melaka

Tel: 606-6306999

Fax: 606-6306977

Email: info@babanyonyamelaka.com

Website: http://babanyonyamelaka.com

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism.

Functional & Creative Bags For My Traveling Needs

This is the year 2014. The Visit Malaysia year. And in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014 campaign, I made it a point to travel to at least one location that I haven’t been to before every month. It is my 2014 resolution, and so far, my personal Cuti Cuti 1Malaysia mission is somewhat accomplished and I just need to keep the momentum going. I can proudly say that I have visited more than 10 new tourist attraction/ locations/destinations within Malaysia with both of my boys Garfield and Little A. Praise God for all the blessings that He poured on us.

Traveling has been quite an eye opening experience for me. It gave me delightful insights and changed my perspective on plenty of plenty of things in life. Traveling practically put me outside of the box, and I’m eternally grateful for every single opportunity to travel that comes my way. I used to feel like a frog in a well…someone who is living in her own world, but now…I don’t feel that way anymore.

Yes. I’ve learned a lot and experience a lot while traveling. There is no complaints on that, but my pitiful traveling backpack probably does not share the same sentiment. After traveling for almost every month, my faithful pink backpack and sneakers is now worn out from my abuse.

Now, I’m not the sort of person who buys a lot of shoes and bags just because I feel like it. I only buy em if I need em, so when my precious pink backpack started to tell me that it ‘wants to retire from traveling’ I got kinda aghast.

I knew I will need to get a new one immediately, but I couldn’t really find something that suits my needs.

But thank God for Terminus.

They are having all sort of creative and functional bags on sale. Will you just look at that? I was practically drooling.

More bags on sale in the Terminus store. Each and every one of these bags are unique and of high quality. I was eyeing on some of their traveling bags, especially their New Invisible Urban Roller that is specially designed for traveling and comes with retractable rollers, but I was informed that it was not available for my taking, so after much consideration, I settled for this bag instead:

Terminus Urban Dad Backpack a bag that is designed for young parents. To put it on a layman term, this bag is a diaper and formula milk bottle bag for parents to use to carry around their baby’s needs, but hey, although I don’t have a tiny tot and my son is already in primary school, who says I can’t use this bag for traveling purpose? I can always improvise. Let’s take a look at my new red babe.

The Terminus Urban Dad Backpack is vibrant, tough and sturdy and comes with 1 year warranty. That is definitely a plus point for me as I travel a lot and I use backpacks like a Godzilla on rampage. Price tag that is attached to it: RM299.

The bag comes with a tough and sturdy grab handle.

And there is a zippered compartment to hold your wallet, mobile phone, car keys, ipad/tablet & some other gadgets personal belongings.

Convenient storage pockets and pad for changing diapers. I don’t need a foldable pad for changing diapers on the go, but this item would definitely be useful if I were to go on an impromptu picnic or even camping. I just can take this out, spread it onto the ground and sit on it.

Detachable storage divider for thermo food jar, milk powder dispenser & etc. This would go well with my camera equipments, but for overnight travels, I’d probably take out the detachable storage divider and put my clothing in instead.

There is a velcro front flap for easy access to wet tissue. Awesome for both children and adults on the go. We tend to make a mess out of ourselves and get all smelly and sweaty while traveling. Having an easy access to wet tissues or wet wipes is definitely a convenience.

Last but not least, the feature that I like in this bag is the two side thermos pockets where you can store your cold or hot drink.

Overall, I’m happy with my choice of backpack from Terminus, and I seriously recommend all of you to take a look at their website if you wanna buy a bag for whatever purpose. They are offering creative and functional bags at a very competitive price. And the best part? You can do your shopping online! So what are you waiting for? Hop over and check it out!

Bayou Lagoon Resort Park Waterpark

Having been to bigger theme parks around Malaysia, I’m not easily impressed with what Bayou Lagoon Park Resort have to offer, but nevertheless, the place has it’s charms if you are looking for a leisure outdoor fun.

Being a small scale park, you’d find that enjoying the entire outdoor water park is not as tiring as the giant ones like Sunway Lagoon Theme Park in Klang Valley or even the Lost World of Tambun in Ipoh, Perak.

The beauty of Bayou Lagoon park is that you can enjoy everything they have to offer in just a short period of time.

I have blogged about Bayou Lagoon Park Resort room, so now let’s see what else they have to offer their guests and visitors.

Let us proceed outdoor and see their water park.

Outside food are not allowed, but no fret, snacks, tidbits and beverages are sold at a reasonable price in their poolside food stall.

Poolside cafe is available should you feel famished after all the water play.

Spotted tricycle for rent, but not much information was provided about it.

There was bumper car ride which cost RM5 per ride.

Both adults and children will definitely appreciate some bumping fun over here.

Souvenir booth is available if you wanna print out some of your photos on the spot into mugs and t-shirts and whatnot.

9D theatre is definitely something you have to try.

Arcade for those who wishes to remain dry.

Playground for the tiny tots

Pool for leisurely swimming sessions.

Water Playground for both adults and children alike.

Water gun

Water swing for kids

And of course, the unique coliseum inspired slides that will guatantee you some sheer, wet fun.

Snakey, tall water slides is also available for the more adventurous, so if you think you are okay with fast and tall slides like this, don’t forget to try it if you ever go there.

Occasionally I spotted lifeguards on duty, but please use all facilities at your own risk.

Operation Hour: 9:00am – 7:00pm Daily

Price: Adult RM20

Children RM15

Senior citizens RM10

Free entry for babies and toddlers and children under 90cm.

Here is the details should you want to have some splashy fun here:

Bayou Lagoon Park Resort Sdn. Bhd.

Amari Villa, Bayou Lagoon Park Resort,

Jalan Wakaf Utama,

75450 Bukit Katil,

Melaka.

Tel: 06-233 0888

Fax: 06-253 3876

Email : reserve@bayoulagoon.com.my

website : www.bayoulagoon.com.my

GPS Coordinates

2 14′ 32.67″ N    102 18′ 23.28″ E

Bayou Lagoon Park Resort Sdn. Bhd.

Amari Villa, Bayou Lagoon Park Resort,

Jalan Wakaf Utama,

75450 Bukit Katil,

Melaka.

Tel: 06-233 0888

Fax: 06-253 3876

Email : reserve@bayoulagoon.com.my

website : www.bayoulagoon.com.my

GPS Coordinates

2 14′ 32.67″ N    102 18′ 23.28″ E

The trip to Melaka was made possible by MMode, Santai Travel and Malaysia Tourism. Our accommodation and meals during the stay in Melaka was sponsored by Bayou Lagoon Park Resort.