While I was walking towards my hostel, I had to walk through the famous Jonker Street. For the first time since I got on this continent I have the feeling I'm in Asia. It was just like I imagined it to be: very busy, lots of scooters and bikes, all kinds of smells in the air (good and bad ones) and humid heat...
I arrived at the Jalan Jalan Guesthouse and a cosy little private room was awaiting me.
You really need a mosquitonet around here! I have brought my own mosquitonet with me because some are not in the best shape - just like this one. I also use it as a mental 'protection' for my fear of eightlegged creatures.
The guesthouse offers a unique service - free of charge: a foodieguide. Lee is an Englishman who brings guests to the best and cheapest local restaurants. While chatting at the diner table I realised Lee is a noble man. During daytime he has his fulltime job: "Bags for Kids" and at nights he's being a guide in the city.
Bags for Kids is a small charitable denim recycling organisation. People can donated their jeans to Lee and he turns them into bags or pouches and tries to sell them. He does it all himself, no helpers.
The next day I woke up early and went to look for a place have breakfast. The only open joints you can find at 8 o'clock in the morning are local restaurants, already serving rice/noodles with meat - as breakfast! I like to eat local stuff, but not for breakfast. I still like to enjoy a simple cupif coffee and some bread or oats, fruits, a egg,...
I had to walk around for 1,5h before finding something! Note to self: don't wake up early; everything only opens up at 10am.
I ordered a sandwich tower (I expected just a few sandwiches) and got this:
Good that I first had a very long walk and burned some calories, 'cause this gave me a whole lot of them at once!
The next day I met up with Roger, a local Chinese guy from couchsurfing, for lunch & tea. He showed me around the city and explained me a lot about Malaysia (education, politics, history). The country city has a very rich culture. The Dutch reigned over Melaka for a while and you can still see some Dutch features like a windmill and tje square that carried the name: Dutch Square.
On my last day I visited 2 places of interest - or at least I tried - both in different directions. I walked. I was sorry I hadn't rent a bike...
My first promenade was to Bukit China, the old Chinese cemetary. According to my reading material it was worth seeing. I still believe them but they should maybe mention where you can find the entrance. I couldn't find it. Well, probably if I would have walked all the way around it, I would eventually bump into it, but as I was risking my life walking next to the road (no pedestrian walking area or sidewalk), I didn't find it worth the trouble. Imagine that...risking your life to see a cemetary.
Walking back, I bumped into a place where they sold brown rice coffee. I needed a rest, so I gave it a try.
It doesn't look very tasty, but it wasn't that bad actually. By the end, when the coffee was starting to get cold, it thickened, which was pretty weird to drink like that. It is supposed to be healthier than regular coffee.
My second visit would be to the Stairs Mosque on Pulau Melaka - a little island, connected to the mainland by a bridge. This mosque is supposed to be very beautiful at night when it's all lit up with colorful lights. I wouldn't dare tl walk the walk at night tough. And I'm glad I didn't try that because I found myself in a part of Melaka where no tourist seems to come. I don't think it was dangerous but I sometimes felt ackward just because I was the only foreigner walking there. Some people were giving me a strange look.
But nevertheless, I'm glad I went, because the Mosque was beautiful and even tough I wasn't dressed for it, they let me have a loon inside. I had to dress up like a muslim woman of course.
I had to be back at the hostel at 5pm. Lee would take us to a medicinal bar. The lady of the house sells medicinal alcohol. You just name what's wrong with you and she gives you the right drink. I guess any alcoholic drink would numb you out...I woudn't feel the difference.
Mrs. Doris poured me a glass of Silkworm liquor.
That night we had dinner in an Indian restaurant and it was for the first time that I ate with my hands. I have also learned that if you liked the food, you should fold the bananaleaf away from you when you're finished. If you fold it toward you then you didn't like it and you're kind of insulting the chef...
Oh, another fun fact: always eat with your right hand. They never use their left hand because they use that one to wash their behinds.
I was lucky to be in Melaka when the weekend starts. Every weekend you can attend the famous Jonker Night Walk. The Jonker Street is then closed for cars and you can find food and souvenir stands in the street.
Here are some recommendations:
- Puk Putra, Indian restaurant with the best naan & chicken tandoori
- Fingers Crossed Cafe or Ola Lavender Cafe for early breakfast (as from 8am)
- coffee, tea, desserts: The Daily Fix & Backlane Coffee
- keep your empty bottle of water; there are different refilling stations around the city, where you can refill for MR0,30 (~ €0,07)!
- try the local dessert: cendol, some peanut soup or orher strange looking dessert
Nasty memory:
- seeing pigs getting cut up in the street; oh what a smell!
Some snapshots of the city:
A last fun fact that pops up in my head: there's this fruit called "dorian" which is forbidden on public transportation. Why? It smells like hell! I haven't had the opportunity to try a fresh piece of dorian, but before leavind Melaka I bought myself a "dorian puff", some kind of pastry with dorian inside. The seller told me to put it as a whole in my mouth, not to bite it. Hm...I wonder why! I saved it for later, when I would het hungry on my way to the airport. As I was in the bus to the bus central, I was smelling something nasty and I thought by myself: "the lady in front of me must have some dorian with her in her bag. I hope she doesn't get caught and get a fine for it!
As I walk out of the bus and I open my backpack to take out my wallet, the hideous smell hits me right in the face! My dorian puff got smashed in between my books...Yuk!
Labels: Asia, Malaysia, Travel
