Malacca Malacca

Well, the recent Malacca trip the past weekend was very good and relaxing. Once again, a lot of eating and trying new delicacies as well as local fare. Well, here's just a quick run-down of what happened:

Met up with Adrian and June to head to Malacca by car, driven by uncle Adrian, hahaha, yes, he's quite senior compared to me. It was a 2 hour ride, which was much faster compared to the 3hr long bus ride. We stayed at Hotel Renaissance, which is one of the grander hotels in Malacca. And I just found out that Iqbal was also in Malacca during that same weekend! Hahaha, but we didn't meet each other on the road.
So this trip wasn't all for fun and laughter, there were also lessons conducted by our network pastors: Pastor Richard Ong and his wife Pastor Jenny Ong. Both senior pastors, but still have a young and energetic heart. They really made the lessons interesting and they have a good sense of humour, so it was really good. A total of about 50++ people attended the camp, mostly middle-aged citizens and above. We were only one of the few youths present though.
Ah well, I'll let the photos do the talking then:


This was our accomodation in the hotel, and it's actually quite comfortable and nice. Shared the room with Adrian and Dickson, the third bed was located where the sofa is in the picture.


The view from the 17th floor is actually very nice, and we were able to see the sea from our room. And like most Malaysian states, the buildings are all low-lying, why? Because they have something which Singapore doesn't have: Land.


Quite a lot of the architecture in Malacca is inspired from the Dutch, due to them colonising Malacca at that time, so a lot of the buildings look similar and red. This is the iconic main square of Malacca, but we didn't have time to visit that place, we could only drive pass it.


We were told that Malacca is famous for the chicken rice balls, so we went to try it out, and the shop was so popular that there was a long queue outside the shop, and extended to the roadside. So we all waited and this Indian family was in front of us, and this inquisitive kid was just staring at us, so I quickly snapped him in his little act, hahahaha.


So when it comes to the food in Malacca, the favourite dish is the chicken rice balls. Initially I thought they were rice balls with pieces of chicken inside, and after looking at the real thing, it's actually quite disappointing. Hahaha, I mean look at it, only 5 miserable balls on the plate, and they are quite small, and honestly, they didn't taste very fantastic. I actually prefer our normal chicken rice, because they taste better, and the quantity of rice is also much more. It turns out that there are easily a dozen other outlets selling chicken rice balls, and all of them were just as crowded.


In total we consumed about 60 rice balls, mainly because we were all not full, and a few balls either dropped on the floor, or bounced off the plates. Hahahaha.


The odd-ball among the balls.


This joke has been going around way before the trip: How do they make the rice balls? Well, this is our intepretation; using our armpits. Hahahahahahaha!! I know it's disgusting, but it kind of makes sense, you can get 2 rice balls just like that, hahahaha, and Adrian happily volunteered to be the chef of the balls.


Next, we went to try out another delicacy: Chendol. It's a famous dessert in Malacca, and it's actually very very delicious, and Singapore's version cannot compare to the local version. It's just simply more creamy, coconutty and sweeter. The 3 youngsters in the middle are the kids of the other leaders in our whole group.


The close-up of the chendol. The brown syrup on the top is Gula Melaka, which is a popular sugar used in cooking, even in Singapore, and it is super sweet and the white colour ice is all coconut. Delightful!


The asam laksa is also very authentic and its more sour than spicy. Another good dish to be found in Malacca.


A common sight in Singapore, the durian is widely recieved by anybody. And it's no exception in Malacca. The durians there are more orangey in colour, and the taste is much more creamy and sweeter. We ate quite a bit of durian, and it only cost us about S$2.50, and it was really worth it. Valur for money and value for tummy. =P


This is Victor, our very own Mr GPS. Without him, we would be really lost in Malacca, mainly because he and his wife are both regulars to Malacca, so they know where to get the best grub on the streets. Glad that he was with us during the whole trip.


We were walking along the streets, and this bunch of giant grapes caught my attention. It's a little blurred, but the grapes are really huge, about the size of my big toe. But we didn't buy the grapes because we were all full from the durian, hahahaha.


I think this was on Day 2, we were all shopping, and I came across this restaurant. So glad that there's a restaurant named after yours truly, hahahahaha. Think they serve Malay cuisine inside, but I didn't go in to try out the food.

There are still photos which I didn't post, but I'm not that awake to post them right now, so I'll just leave you all with a few more fun shots with my cell group, and these were all taken on the last day before we left the hotel. So being young people, phototaking is in our blood, so we ceased the last opportunity to take photos with the good view behind.


Adiran is not here because he left for Singapore ahead of schedule to go back to work, so only 5 of us were left: Dickson, Esther, June, Gerald and myself. And all dressed in patriotic colours as well, hahahaha.


Silhouette shots, really cool.


1 frame per person!


One of the better shots taken. Hahahaha, really cool.


Chinese mafia?? Hahaha, don't think so, just acting for the camera. =P


Last jump shot, interesting way of taking, but the space was too small, so it was kind of cramped, hahaha. Good attempt though, LOL.

So that just about covers the trip to Malacca. The duration was just about right, and was a good time to relax and refresh outselves before going back to work and school. And talking about school, its back to school once again, oh man. More projects, and of course more stress and late nights, hahahaha, need to get used to them.
Okiez, signing off now, good night and sleep tight people!!

~moey out~