This is the first time we organized a big group trip with some of the friends in cell group. So we decided to plan a short trip to the nearby Malacca. 15 of us took the bus from Queens Street Singapore. A wrong decision to plan a trip to Malaysia during a long weekend, because we took more than 6 hours to travel from Singapore to Malacca.
I am the ‘gang leader’ leading the group to Malacca.
Different ones have been asking me what would I recommend in Malacca, are there any interesting places to visit or any tourists must-go places. Simply put it, Malacca is a very small town. You can find only one large shopping mall (Mahkota Parade). The interesting things are along the old streets and personally I feel the interesting part of the streets is to roam without any idea what to look for. and purely enjoying what you can find round the corner or off a certain main road.
This trip was a chance for the big group of friends to enjoy each other’s company and a chance to know each other better. So my rationale is, if the group is fun, the trip will be fun.
Even the children have their own buddies.
Through Airbnb, we booked a house that is just 5mins walk from Jonker Street (the main night market street that opens on Fri-Sun nights). Since we are big group of 15, we had the entire house (five double bedrooms & one 7-bed room).
The boys graciously took the 7-bed room.
Level 1 is the open space and toilets.
There is also a dining room but we hardly uses it since most of our meals are all outdoors.
Moving to the end of the house, we found this super chill area, facing the river and there is a rocking chair and a bed on ropes.
We were blessed to see fireworks that lasted for more than 10mins.
Kitchen. The host prepared for us unlimited coffee and milo sachets. Breakfast was also included and we had roti prata and nasi lemak. Sedap!
Waiting for the rest to wake up the next morning, I just enjoyed my time playing the guitar and singing in the cool morning with a cup of coffee. Holiday should be like this!
Here are my personal 3 must-do things in Malacca.
No. 1 – Malacca Town Center.
You won’t miss this historical and iconic church building in Malacca. You are able to find a lot of souvenirs here.
Christ Church Melaka is an 18th century Anglican church. The church is built in Dutch Colonial architecture style.
And since you are at the town area, try out the thirst quenching Chendol. Not as nice as the ones in Penang, but with the hot weather, this is just as good.
Either you squat along the road or walk up the stairs, I am sure everyone can find something to do in Malacca.
Where Joey is walking as shown on the photo above, leads to the other famous place to visit in the vicinity.
St. Paul’s Church, originally built in 1521. Now the church no longer functions but lies as a ruin and a part of Malacca’s rich history.
The girls sportingly posed for us in the hot sun.
Walking down from the ruined church, you can find this stationery train head, now changed into a tiny souvenir shop. And the other famous sight, Maritime Museum & Naval Museum.
There are a lot of other interesting places we did not visit like, A’Famosa, Baba-Nyonya Heritage Museum, Cheng Ho’s Cultural Museum, Coral Wonderland, Bird Park, Botanical Gardens, just to name a few.
A piece of advice, wear comfortable shoes and clothing, the weather can be quite hot in Malacca. Most of us just wear slippers.
No. 2 – Jonker Street
Inside Jonker Street you will find the famous Restoran Famosa Chicken Rice Ball shop. Over a hundred years old, they serve one of the best chicken rice ball.
Typical Singaporeans, although hungry but always remember to take a photo first.
Glorious food! Each rice ball is M$0.40, which is less than 15cents.
Jonker Street opens at 5pm, but it is more advisable to go after 6pm, when most of the stalls are open.
One simply cannot miss the street food. This is why we chose Malacca for this group trip.
Another recommendation is to have seafood in Jonker. There is a lane towards the end of the street that sells some fantastic grilled seafood.
Me and Jayne enjoying an ice popsicle after a long walk through the entire street. Can you see our tired face?
A night view as we walked back to our rented house from Jonker Street.
No. 3 – Old Street Photography
For all photographers, or just like a bit of street arts, Malacca provides the access to walk around the old shops and take in some of the landscapes and arts.
An old lorry not found in Singapore anymore. I used to sit in one of these lorries when I was a child, when I was staying with my grandparents in JB.
Street art.
The river side in day time.
These pictures are so huge, you may not be able to recognize the item until you take a photo of it.
Even the reading room (library) is such an old traditional shop.
I found this deserted house, almost left with the 4 walls and nothing else. Walked in and took a few photos, I think this place would make a good wedding shoot venue.
Let me introduce some of the food we ate in Malacca which are pretty famous too.
Restoran Kok Keong
Caf̩ РAlley No. 5
We had a wonderful time, our first road trip with this group of friends. Though we were quite apart in ages, but we shares the same passion to be friends. Thanks for the experience.
