ASIAN TRAVELING

     Melaka is everything I imagined it to be: steeped in history, vibrant, and beautiful. It truly deserves its inclusion in the UNESCO's World Heritage List.  History tells us the Straight of Malacca was a gateway for trade and commerce during colonial times.  With this, Malacca became a target of conquests and was colonized by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British.  Their presence shaped what is now known as Melaka, which assimilated with the local, as well as the Peranakan culture.  And this East-meets-West influence is evident in Melaka's architecture and edifices.

     A day trip to Melaka from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur is ample but an overnight stay is encouraged.  Although it is easy to navigate the streets, and one could round up most attractions in an afternoon, still, staying at one of the Peranakan heritage mansions-turned-inns/hotels in Melaka should not be missed.  It'll give you a glimpse of the past and a chance to immerse yourself with Peranakan culture, at least on the superficial level.  Aesthetically, these Peranakan hotels will most likely not disappoint.  

     Anyway, once we settled into our hotel, the Courtyard @ Hereen, we immediately got out into the streets in search for an ATM machine to withdraw some badly needed Malaysia currency.  Apparently, the nearest ATM is quite a walk away; at least 10 to 15 minutes on foot, past the "Welcome to Melaka" sign.  But it was the best place to start our walking DIY tour of Melaka.

    It was a Sunday so there were too many vehicles and the traffic was end-to-end.  Our first destination was just a few steps from the bank were we withdrew our money, the Church of Saint Francis Xavier. 

     This church is neo-gothic, with two tower spires.  It reminds me a little of Manila's famous gothic church, the Basilica of San Sebastian.  However, unlike the San Sebastian towers which has huge conical spires with little spires on the sides, there are only small conical spires at the topmost part of the towers of St. Francis Church.

     There is also another interesting fact about the St. Francis Church.  It seems to be leaning that no matter how hard I try to photograph it, it always look slanted.

          Just across the church is the "Welcome to Melaka" sign, the start of the red-hued buildings (light maroon of some sorts).

     We walked along the red corridor as shown above, since it was in the middle of the afternoon and therefore, hot, but it didn't take us long to reach the Dutch Square.

     If you don't like the color red, then you will have to set aside your color abomination and pretend that everything you see is not your least favorite color.  The red tones will be repeated throughout, up to the Stadthuys.  So, better buck up.

     The first of the red-hued buildings at the Dutch Square is the Youth Museum.  We didn't enter the museum.  I was not up for it, but I took photos of it outside.

     Up next is the Melaka Art Gallery which  is on the same building as the Youth Museum; only this one is facing the Queen Victoria fountain.  

     Just beside the Christ Church is another red-hued building, the famed Stadthuys.  As difficult to decipher its pronunciation, this building is imposing in itself with intimidating red walls and glaring white windows.  It is easier to refer to it as the Dutch town hall where the Dutch Governor and Deputy Governor once resided than to say its Dutch name.

      Stadthuys is now a museum which charges a minimal fee.  We didn't go inside.  To reach the museum, just climb uphill and you will get a better view of the square and its surrounding areas.

     While the Dutch Square is packed with attractions and souvenir stalls and colorful-but-bordering-on -being-garishly-decorated rickshaws or pedicabs, it is considerably small.  Like this small.

     One of the downsides at staying in Singapore is the high price for 4 and 5 stars accommodation.  As I have said a couple of posts back, I am willing to stay at cheaper hotels and hostels but not if I am travelling with my mother.  I mean, shouldn't we give our parents all the luxury and comfort we can afford?  However, with this mindset, I knew that I couldn't stay one night more at Singapore so I planned a side trip to Melaka, Malaysia.  Anyway, it was like hitting two birds in one stone: 1) I saved on accommodation; and 2) I was able to take my mother to two countries, not just one.

     Planning a side trip to Melaka, however, was a little stressful.  I mean, I had to pick from all sorts of coach services from Singapore to Melaka.  And there are many to choose from.  To help me narrow the options, I referred to this website, Journey Malaysia, which I also used in booking our coach service from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and back in 2008.  It has a list of bus operators not only for SG-Melaka, SG-Kuala Lumpur, but likewise for different regions within Malaysia and even to Brunei!  

     After carefully choosing and thoroughly researching, I settled with Luxury Tours & Travel since they offer an 8:00 am coach service to Melaka; one of the earliest.  I bought tickets via its website and I paid SGD 62 for two persons.  Believe me when I say that booking coach tickets in Malaysia going to Singapore is usually cheaper than booking the other way around.  In Malaysia, the price for a seat might be the same, say 31, but in Malaysian Ringgit.  The same is true booking train tickets between SG and Malaysia.

     My plan going to Melaka had a hitch.  I couldn't find a coach service that will leave Melaka around lunchtime going back to Singapore, prompting me to email a cancellation notice for our hotel in Melaka.  Most coaches I found leave Melaka after lunch, and that was back in late June 2011.  I was afraid of missing the check-in time for our flight back to Manila since most tour operators time the bus travel from 3 to 5 hours depending on border traffic.  But the staff at the Courtyard @ Hereen was helpful and booked us tickets for Melaka to Singapore for departure at 11:00 a.m.  The cost per ticket was RM 22 via Melaka 707 Express. Just now, I checked the Journey Malaysia website and saw that Delima Express now offers an 11:00 am bus trip to Singapore for SGD 16.80.

     So, everything was settled, and we went to Melaka without a hitch!  First, we took a cab from Resorts World to Concorde Hotel where the Luxury Tours & Travel is located. Then, we waited for our departure time and I was too happy to know that there were only a handful of us.  In choosing tickets, it's best to get the first seats in front if your coach to Malaysia is a double-decker.  Sitting in front gives one an unobstructed view.  For the weary ones, there's a tv; like an in-flight tv in front of your seat.  To hear the sounds, you have to rest your head against the seat.  Relaxed mode.

     What they wouldn't tell you, though, is that an hour of travel time is allocated for waiting in traffic for border crossing and departure/arrival procedures.  The buses lining to take passengers at  the immigration going out of Singapore were unbelievably numerous, creating a very long line.  Almost a kilometer; no joke.  There were at least 30 buses or even more waiting in line.  Good thing our bus driver was quick-witted.  He spoke with another Luxury Tours & Travel bus near the head of the line to let us board their bus so we'd finish faster.  We got an okay so our bus got out of line, moved towards the first bus, went down and raced along the highway on foot to catch the first bus.  It was a thrill, actually, with people on the other buses looking at us incredulously, wishing they could do the same.  They probably should have done the same since we got out fast at the immigration.  

      We had to go back to our bus and we proceeded to the Malaysian Immigration where I found myself nervous since we had a biometric fingerprint scan (both index fingers).  I mean, they have a copy of my prints on their database, in digital form.  What if someone stole it for evil means?  Yes, I love fiction, and from my reasoning, I've read way too many international espionage movies, but really, I find the fingerprint scan a very strict security policy.  It was comforting, on second thought, but unnerving still.

     Anyway, we had a stopover for lunch and we ate Hainese chicken rice, which I found myself eating almost everyday while in Singapore and in Malaysia.  I think we had at least 30 to 40 minutes of stopover then it rained, like heavily, with the clouds all dark and ominous.  I thought we'd be having bad weather throughout the day but I was proven wrong.  When we arrived in Melaka, it was hot and humid.

     The bus deposited us in front of our hotel, the Courtyard @ Hereen since the driver and the guide were very helpful and it appeared that the hotel was on the way going out of Melaka.  Apparently, Melaka's roads are one-way on certain times of the week and the bus had to pass by there.  However, since it was traffic and the road was so, so narrow, we had to hustle going down.  Then it was bye-bye bus and hello, Courtyard @ Hereen!