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Throwback Travel – Melaka
This was my first trip to Melaka and since then, I have visited the city a few more times. But I realized that I have only ONE photo to show for all the visits. More so when the reddish Christ Church, the busy Jonker Street, Flora de la Mar Maritime Museum, St. Paul’s Hill and Sultanate Palace are all fantastic places for photography.
Melaka food and Jonker Street
One famous food place in Melaka which I love to visit is Ole Sayang Restaurant serving authentic Peranakan dishes, the restaurant itself has an old world charm but the best thing is the food! My favourites are the Assam curry fish, Nyonya Chap Chai (mixed vegetables), Otak-otak (spicy fish paste) and Itik Tim (Duck and Salted Vegetable Soup). Simply Sedaplicious!
Another food hunt for me will be the famous chicken rice ball restaurant (forgot the name but there is always a queue at the door so itâ€™s hard to miss). Last but not least will be chendol 88 along Jonker Street. It is always nice to have a bowl of cold chendol to wind down from the hot and humid weather.
No trip to Melaka can do without visiting Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat). The well-known street where antiques and local souvenir shops are aplenty. The street comes alive during the weekend evening (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) in which the road will be close to traffic. Street stalls will be set up selling stuff like touristy souvenirs, T-shirts, food, and snacks etc.
I like the bustling atmosphere but it can get really crowded and sweaty so wear something light. Bring along tissue papers or towels.
Hotel Equatorial Melaka
I have stayed in Hotel Equatorial Melaka twice. This hotel is a short walking distance to Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall and Mahkota Parade so everything I need is within reach. The exterior appearance will not win the hotel any prize but the rooms which I stayed previously are comfortable and reasonably priced.
The picture below is the only picture that I have mentioned, taken with my friendâ€™s camera at the balcony of Hotel Equatorial Melaka (Pardon the quality as the actual photo is already quite old). The great sea view is worth the room price for me.
Luckily the distance from Singapore to Melaka is a rather short one. Hence, I can always take a slow drive up north whenever my schedules allowed. Hope to visit this lovely laidback city again soon with my camera.
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What are your thoughts about Melaka? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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June 3, 2012
Throwback Travel – Kanchanaburi
This is a consolidated post for the 2 trips to Kanchanaburi, Thailand during my National Service stint in 1998. I concluded that it was the year for the French, for them to lift their first World Cup by thrashing mighty Brazil 3-0 in the finals – one bewildered result. That period also happened to be the golden era for film cameras with Kodak and Fujifilm battling out to be king of the hill. Remember those cheesy â€˜Kodak momentâ€™ ads? Gosh, that was donkey years ago!
Looking back, the trip to Kanchanaburi was anything but a proper holiday. Everything from departure to arrival sucked, it was after all a military training trip. But the excitement of the plane taking flight was unforgettable and good enough for my first air travel. More so when it’s free..haha.
Please pardon the image quality of the scanned photos. And yes, they were taken with a film camera.
Floating Market near Kanchanaburi
The training trip lasted for around 2 weeks. The actual fun started during the last 2 days where we were brought around Kanchanaburi for a cultural tour. In NS terminology, it’s known as R&R (Rest & Relax?).
The first stop was the Floating Market (Damnoen Saduak Floating Market?). The floating market is one amazing place and everybody should visit at least once to experience its liveliness. The vendors on the small rowing boats sell fresh fruits, vegetables and local Thai food and other stuff. A couple of us hired a boat to cruise along the bustling canal for an hour.
I remember buying food from one of the vendors but cannot recall exactly what I ate.
The disturbing part was when I saw food vendors washing the plates with the not-so-clean canal water! Luckily, I did not experience any tummy ache after which.
Death Railway Kanchanaburi
We were then brought to the most well-known Death Railway (River Kwai Bridge) in Kanchanaburi.
The iconic black iron bridge spanning across River Kwai is part of the notorious Death Railway with tracks running from Burma (Myanmar) to Thailand. I have read quite a bit of History on how this railway had gotten its name and the story behind it. But I am not going to bore you with History lessons, though. There is Death Railway Museum for those wanting to learn more.
While strolling along the bridge tracks, we noticed there are quite a number of side steps on both sides of the bridge. Totally clueless about the purpose of those steps until we saw a train approaching! We were ignorant that the train and track are still in operation!
Only then we realized that side steps are there to provide standing spaces when the train crosses the bridge.
Wat Tham Khao Noi in Kanchanaburi
Next stop was Wat Tham Khao Noi. A temple built on a hill which required us to climb a long flight of stairs. The temple, pagoda, and the Buddha were magnificent up close in their golden glory. Plus, the panoramic view at the top of the hill was fantastic! Looking at the photos make me want to revisit this place again.
Bus from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
There are buses departing daily from Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal in a 15-30mins interval. The journey will typically take around 2 to 3 hours depending on traffic condition. One way ticket price for an air-conditioned bus is around 95 THB and the last bus will leave around 10.00pm. Do plan a day trip to visit this old world charm when you are in Bangkok.
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What are your thoughts about Kanchanaburi? Leave a comment and share it with me.
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June 2, 2012