Melaka Travelogue (Part 2, Day 4)

Part 2: LFS Cinema in Mahkota Parade & Jonker Street on Wesak Day
Day 4: Thursday, 23rd May 2013

   After lunch, I went over to the hotel and spent time with my friends updating my blog. Later that evening, my friends went out to the mall and then headed to Jonker Street at night for dinner. I on the other hand had a movie date with my boyfriend. We went to the LFS cinema in Mahkota Parade. LFS cinema is slightly cheaper than GSC cinema, the seats are more comfortable and the cinema is very spacious. It is located on the 2nd floor in Mahkota Parade right beside the game arcade.

LFS cinema in Mahkota Parade.

We bought tickets for Fast and Furious 6 since it was the latest movie being showed.

The ticket costs RM11.

My boyfriend, Darren. =)

LFS cinema sells the best caramel popcorn for RM8.00 (big)!

The popcorn is fully covered with sweet and thick caramel. Yummy!

   It was a really good movie for 2 hours and 10 minutes! Watch Fast and Furious 6 when you have the time. And if you're in Malacca, try watching movies in the LFS cinema and try the delicious sweet caramel popcorn there as well!

Map to Mahkota Parade

   After the movie, we went to pick my friends who were in Jonker Street. We saw a Wesak procession going on since the next day would be Wesak Day. There were many different kinds of floats passing by as we watched. Wesak which is also known as Vesak is a traditional holy day celebrated by Buddhist all over the world. It is to celebrate the three event moments in Buddha's life which is His birth, enlightenment and death. This is also one of the most important festivals for the Buddhist people. Many people with different religions and races would watch the procession going on the street.

The procession going on.

There were many people in Jonker Street especially the Buddhists.

The floats passing by.

The clock tower near the Stadhuys building. It was exactly 12 midnight.

A map to Jonker Street.

A wider map view to Jonker Street in Jalan Hang Jebat.

   If you're in Melaka around this time in May, I'm sure you'll get a chance to see how the Wesak procession is like. There would be Buddhist people walking with candles, many big floats passing by, dragon and also lion dances. This is how special Malaysia is. We get to see so many cultures, traditions and celebrate many festivals here.

   The taxi fare from the town itself to Jonker Street is minimal RM7 and the Panorama Bus ticket is only RM1.

   This is the end of my Melaka Travelogue. I hope you enjoyed my blogs about my adventure in Melaka. Take a chance to visit Melaka because it is the most historical state with many cultures to learn about, many delicious local cuisines to try and many unique yet breathtaking landmarks to explores here. It'll be a very fantastic as well as an interesting adventure! =)

THE END OF MELAKA TRAVELOGUE!

Melaka Travelogue (Part 1, Day 4)

Part 1: Portuguese Cuisine for Lunch
Day 4: Thursday, 23rd May 2013

   Holla once again! Woke up very late today since there wasn't any activity. I called 7 of my friends over for lunch at my place. Since they said that they wanted to try "Curry Dabel" also known as "Curry Devil" (which isn't really the same meaning), my mom and aunt decided to cook and prepare lunch for us.

   We walked to my place since it was not far from the Limkokwing campus. But the weather was so hot it felt like we've been walking forever. Lunch was already ready when we got here! =)

"Curry Dabel"! The famous Portuguese cuisine! It is a spicy dish cooked with chicken,potatoes, spices and sometimes cabbages can be added in as well. The last touch for this dish is the vinegar. And if you keep it for a day or two, it'll taste even better! This dish is normally eaten with either rice or bread.

"Curry Dabel" is ready to be served! =)

We made Ribena juice in a big container.

Look at the amout of rice!

Lunch served on the dining table.

From left to right: Curry Dabel, fried omelette, rice, fried fish and Chicken Sambal.

The Chicken Sambal is also a Portuguese cuisine. 'Ayam kampung' cooked with dry sambal.

   It was a superb feast! My friends said that they had a really good meal at my place. And it was a fortunate that they love eating spicy food. It was their first time trying Curry Dabel and they loved it! I'm glad they did as well! Like I said, it's always good to try new food. You'll get to know what are other cultures like. This recipe is handed down from the Portuguese generations

   Curry Dabel is a special dish that is also served in all of the seafood restaurants at the Coconut Island, Potuguese Settlement. A bowl of Curry Dabel can cost about RM12-15. Try it out at the seafood restaurants here. You won't regret it! Or maybe drop by over at my place! =)

Location of Portuguese Settlement where you can find lots of seafood restaurants in Coconut Island.

The Portuguese Settlement is located in Ujong Pasir.

You can drive your own vehicle here or take the taxi from Malacca Town which will cost you minimal RM15 or also the Panorama Bus ticket which will cost RM1.

TO BE CONTINUED!THE FINAL MELAKA TRAVELOGUE IS COMING SOON!

Melaka Travelogue (Part 2, Day 3)

Part 2: Seafood for dinner at Portuguese Settlement
Day 3: Wednesday, 22nd April 2013

   Care to join us for a seafood dinner? :p Seafood is the best food you could ever ask for. And Portuguese Settlement is famous for its seafood! The best part of it? The seafood restaurants are right by the sea! So you get to feel the cool breze and enjoy your food at the same time.  Even the prices are affordable. =)

   Even on weekdays, there are still quite a number of people who would have their dinner here. On weekends, the whole place would be more crowded! There are about 8 to 10 restaurants so it's up to you to decide and pick which restaurant you would want to try out. I would recommend you to eat at my uncle's restaurant called The Straits in the Portuguese Square, but sadly it is under renovation for now and will open again in August this year. So, it will be a newer restaurant in Coconut Island! You can get delicious seafood at The Straits for a really good price. However, Restaurant Number 3 and 88 Seafront Restaurant at the Coconut Island serves good seafood as well.

Too bad both restaurants were closed on the same day so my friends and I decided to try Restaurant number 2 called Joan & El'Chico's Restaurant.

 We waited quite some time for our food.

And when the food came, it was seafood photoshoot time! =D

It finally came! Squid Fritters! My favourite! It was RM15.00 per dish.

Next came the prawns! It's RM25 for a small dish, RM 35 for a medium dish and RM45 for a big dish.

Of course, everyone knows what's rice...

Vege of the day: Kangkung garlic!

RM6.00 (S), RM8.00 (M), RM10.00 (L)

Tadaaaaa~ The famous Portuguese baked fish! Spicy but yummy!

RM5.00 & RM5.50 / 100gram

Lastly, Black Pepper Crab. Awesome seafood we had!

RM60.00 for a kilo but the waitress gave us for RM55.

In the end, the meal costed each of us about RM20 plus only.

Worth it for me and my happy tummy! =)

   I bet you know where to head to if you're deciding on having seafood for dinner. When you drive into the settlement, you only have to pay RM1 for a very spacious parking lot right beside Coconut Island. That is where you will find all of the seafood restaurants. The taxi fare from Malacca Town to the Portuguese Settleent costs about minimal RM15 and the Panorama Bus ticket cost RM1. There are also small souveneir stalls right in front of the restaurants. and once you've filled your tummy, you can always take a slow walk to the jetty or by the sea with your love ones. Trust me, its one of the best moments ever! =)

   While we were walking back, we saw a stall grilling horseshoe crabs (belangkas) and there were alive ones on the table! From what I heard, horseshoe crabs tastes very good as well and it'll cost you about RM15-20. You can order and try them in the stall beside Restaurant Number 1.

Location of the Portuguese Settlement!

In my opinion, it's always good to try new food. So, why not come down to the Portuguese Settlement and try the delicious seafood here which are Portuguese cuisines? =)

GOODNIGHT BLOGGERS! <3

Melaka Travelogue (Part 1, Day 3)

Part 1: Taman Buaya and Taman Mini Malaysia/Taman Mini Asean
Day 3: Wednesday, 22nd May 2013

 Hello! We meet again! The first destination we headed to is the Malacca Crocodile Farm also known as Taman Buaya Melaka. It is one of the few tourist spots in Ayer Keroh, Melaka which has been opened since 1987. The big crocodiles are the main attraction here.

   From Malacca Town to Ayer Keroh takes about 30 minutes. You can take the town bus which will cost you about RM1.50-RM1.70 or you can take the taxi which can cost you minimal about RM20. You can also drive here. The Malacca Crocodile Farm is located beside the Ayer Keroh Mc Donald's, opposite the Melaka Zoo at the Ayer Keroh road.

The entrance fee is RM10.00 for adult and RM6.00 for children (age 5-12). The ticket price is reasonable. It is open everyday from 9am till 7pm including on public holidays.

There are crocodile and snake shows on every Saturday at 11.30am and every Sunday at 2.30pm.

Just us girls, waiting for our tickets. =)

Ticket on my wrist.

A "star" group photo!

Before we got in the farm, there was a tank outside with baby crocodiles in it.

So small and adorable!

These are mini sculptures of famous buildings in Malaysia.

There's the Penang bridge and KL twin towers.

There's the mini sculptures of the A' Famosa and Red Buildings in Melaka.

The mosque and 'Tugu Negara'.

The historical "keris" that the Malays use back in those days.

There's also a Haunted House (Rumah Hantu) here. It costs RM2.00 for a short and scary walk inside.

This is called the Monster Train (Kereta Api Raksasa).

After looking around, we came across the place where the crocodile were at. Most of the crocodiles were lazing under the shade and some under the sun. They weren't moving around much.

You can view them from a very near yet safe distance.

Locally captured Saltwater Crocodiles (Buaya Tembaga Sungai Melaka).

These are also Saltwater Crocodiles. (Estuarine Crocodile / Buaya Tembaga)

We heard these two crocodiles growling very loud and they fought!

THOSE ARE REALLY HUGE SALTWATER CROCODILES!

This crocodile had blood stains on its teeth.

Guess it just had its meal.

A video of a worker waking the crocodile up!

There's also a small water park in the crocodile farm!

I'm sure kids will enjoy this the most!

The "1 Malaysia" statue I came across when I was heading back.

Goodbye Crocodile Farm!

Crocodile lovers, you know where to go to. =)

A map from Malacca Town (City) to Ayer Keroh. The numbers on the maps are the tourism attractions in Ayer Keroh.

The top tourism attractions are the Crocodile Farm, Recreational Forest, Butterfly Farm, Melaka Zoo and Mini Malysia / Mini Asean.

After the Crocodile Farm, we headed to Taman Mini Malaysia / Taman Mini Asean.

It is a cultural park located at the same Ayer Keroh road as well.

This is a place where you'll be able to see the Malaysian architecture and heritage.

As a Malaccan, to be honest, this is the first time I've ever been here.

   There is a very big parking space outside of Taman Mini Malaysia / Taman Mini Asean and it is free of charge. So, if you're planning on driving here, you will have no problem to look for a parking spot. The taxi fare might cost you minimal about RM20 and the town bus ticket might cost about RM1.50-RM1.70.

As you can see, the operation hours are from 9am till 6pm.

It is open daily.

The ticket price:

Adults = RM10

Children = RM5

Student = RM7

   There was a traditonal cultural dance performance starting soon so we walked towards the stage to watch. I really didn't expect to watch the same dancers performing quite a number of traditional cultural dances.

The dancers wore many different kinds of traditional costumes and so many different cultural songs were being played. Our country is a multiracial country remember? It was really fun to watch!

The first dance we watched was the Malay cultural dance.

The second cultural performance was a Chinese dance also known as 'Fan dance'.

Then, they started to play an Indian beat. It was the Indian traditional cultural performance.

Next, it was the Baba Nyonya culture dance. Baba Nyonya are a mixture of Chinese and Malays. 

You can find a lot of Baba Nyonya food in Melaka.

The last performance was the Malay "Joget" dance. It is also a traditional dance.

After the dancers cultural dance performance, they went down from the stage and invited some of the Limkokwing students to join in and dance the Malay "Joget" dance with them. Quite a number of them did join in. They learned something new and I could see that they really had a good time on the stage!

We had a photo session with the dancers and we had to explore around the park for 30 minutes. There are 13 different traditional houses with different structures and architecture in this park representing the 13 states.

In each traditional architectural house which represents a particular state is fully furnished with different arts and handicrafts showing its culture originating from their own state.

A fountain located in the middle of the park.

That's me enjoying the view outside from one of those high-ground traditional house called the 'Rumah Panjang' from Sarawak, Malaysia.

   You can get to know a lot about the Malaysian heritage by visiting this cultural park. There are also a few souvenir shops and food stalls outside of this place. We went back to the hotel after this trip.

   There are many places to go in Ayer Keroh besides the Crocodile Farm and Taman Mini Malaysia/Taman Mini Asean. For example, Melaka Zoo, Butterfly Farm, Botanical Garden, Recreational Park and Melaka Wonderland. You MUST visit these top tourist attractions in Ayer Keroh when you have the opportunity to do so because these places can be found in the same area and not far from one another. Take it as an awesome adventure in Ayer Keroh!

TO BE CONTINUED BLOGGERS!