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(...there is a continuation!) The bus journey there was a hectic one, and both my frens expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangement. It took us 7.5 hours to get to Melaka, although the usual timing is 4 hours. We were stuck at the Tuas causeway for the longest time, the queue at M'sia custom was stuffy and packed (it was the first day of school holidays in spore), and we had to swop buses half-way. Apparently, the tour agency didnt inform us that it wasn't a direct, spore coach to Melaka. Many other changes were made without our knowledge as well. However, I would say that I was secretly pleased with the long bus journey as I have always liked the process of travelling, the anticipation of going to another place. I am ok with the journey going on forever. It may sound slightly psycho, but it brings to mind the return flight from Beijing/Xi'an with my schoolmates in sec sch. I expressed aloud on the plane that I am ok with the plane ride going on forever, even as there was a turbulence going on. Not surprisingly, they said I was mad or something. I just didnt like the idea of the plane touching down at Changi Airport, and facing the reality of life again. Maybe it's the escapist mentality, as usual. CY and I chit-chat for more than half the way along M'sia expressway. It was quite nice, although it seemed to me like CY always tries to give solutions to the things I speak about, even though I may not be looking for any. I think it probably comes with her being the eldest at home, and well-educated (... She has MBA.) It amazes me sometimes how many 1979s I have around me now. Some of them seem wiser, more self-composed and intelligent. Not that I am looking forward to ThaT age, honestly, apologies to any out there who are there and beyond. As we continued our conversation, ST slept on at the side. I think quite alot of our conversation about dreams and academic achievements were not of her interest. Anyway, then we slept some of the way too very blissfully (me only, I think) after getting our dose of the daily news. That was a long talk about merely the journey there. Tsktsk. I believe Al would probably have falled asleep by now if I were relating it in real life. Do you think so? Upon reaching, we had a sumptious, and our most expensive lunch at Secret Recipe at the largest shopping mall in Melaka. I would have to say (unfortunately) that I looked on with disdain (OMG is anyone else reading my blog) at the locals' dressing. Honestly, I can tell one's M'sian dressing from a distance away. I might be biased, but us walking down in shorts and berms in Orchard Road still look just slightly better. Maybe the dress style is just not to my taste. I had lamb stew for the first time! :) *slurp. And the 3 of us created a "meal and transport fund" where we pooled together a sum of money for the treasurer to monitor for shared costs thruout the trip. We spent the whole afternoon shopping. And I was shopping madly, as if there was no tomorrow and the currency I changed would never run out. That proved otherwise very soon, and being also the treasurer of the group, I had to disembezzle the common fund towards the end of the trip (with permission of cos). However, I was happy to buy 2 pairs of shoes, many bdae cards for the choir, some necessary stuff from Watsons and 7 eleven at cheap prices. Thereafter, we had a 'very localised' dinner at one of the small, family-run shops. The 4 dishes cost us just $3/pax. But I am not easy to please, and I would say I was pretty displeased with the lousy dinner we had. I thought the food sux and I didnt come to Melaka to eat at an unknown roadside stall. But my companions are easier on food and they liked it. Following was a torturous, long search for our ulu, cheap hotel. We became disillusioned with the locals after a grand hotel security guard, taxi driver, cafe cashier, bakery shop assistant, passers-by all gave us conflicting directions to the elusive hotel. Finally, when we were lost in the middle of a dark, deserted street not knowing where else to go, the opportunist in me spotted a middle-aged, kind-looking Chinese couple coming out from their car and praying to a buddha. We would probably look to them like we are from the same village, I thought. I used my blur, helpless look and asked innocently for directions. After some confusion and uncertainty, they offered us a ride to look for the hotel, which was acutally somewhere near-by. :) That brought us to the door-step of our Citypark hotel. I thought later that the credit was not mine, I think God placed someone there to help us to our shelter for the night in a foreign land. Happily, we checked into our hotel, and observed that we were given a room next to the stairway, and a double-bed room instead of 2 single beds. A tense discussion went on in deciding who would share the bed or have the single extra bed. Finally, I decided to be accommodating and left it to the 2 to fight it out. Which they did even till the 2nd night. I was happy enough to bathe and get into bed early before midnight, getting my 7 hours of beauty sleep, which i certainly do not get back in my spore life. My companions, nevertheless, had to tolerate my staying up till near midnight when they wanted lights-out at like 10.30 pm. Gosh. Day 2 I woke up the earliest, took my own sweet time and said my morning prayers. My early morning toilet excursion took about 45 mins, unfortunately, to the expected grumblings of the people. ST had to skip her morning bath. We made it timely and comfortably for our half-day tour. After locating where we were, we discovered it was just a 8-min stroll to Equatorial hotel, the luxurious and most accessible one in Melaka. Silly us had walked 1 hour all over Melaka town the night before with our luggage looking for our hotel just this distance away. But we did know the town quite well by then. The half-day tour was pure heavenly. We were fetched around in a comfy coach, and as you know by now, I really like travelling in coaches. I began to suspect that I probably like guided tours better, adventurous and rough-it-put though I thought I was. If it makes me that happy, why not just pay for guided tours in future? We took a river cruise, and went from one sight to another, taking endless photos. The Nonya Heritage tour was really enlightening and deep. I have to mention that the tour agent swopped our trishaw ride (if you have the chance, do take the traditional trishaw ride there for sightseeing) with the Nonya Heritage tour without our knowing. I liked the delicious Nonya cuisine lunch, though. By then, ST was on the verge of collapse. As you know, I am ever on-the-go on trips. From the past 2 or 3 travelling experiences, it seems that ST's stamina is only half of mine. Nevertheless, we continued to shop along Jonker walk in the afternoon and bought all the pineapple tarts there were, and other little things. We then chilled out at Geographer cafe, this really cool expatriates-filled shophouse that has a movie theme. Famous HK movies have been shot there before. I had an old and unsweet coconut for my drink, though. We ended our tour of Jonker walk with the famous chicken rice balls, in a Chinese grand palace-like place. It was yummy with that juicy o-tah, kampong chicken and wantan soup. As ST was close to shutting down, we went back to the hotel at 8plus pm, after a final walk through Jonker's night market in the sunset. The ever-nice CY then offered to go with me shopping near our hotel, as it seemed too early to end our last night in Melaka. I had started to like the local's simple, laid-back and unscheming ways. CY shared some stuff along the way, and expressed that she would never live in Melaka as it is still too haphazard and undeveloped for her. I bought a fren's bdae gift, and we both happily bought some magazines cheaply at the shopping mall before it closed. We ended the night going to bed before midnight. Day 3 Did I say that the ulu hotel's breakfast buffet really sux? There were only carbo dishes - fried noodles, porridge, nasi lemak, and no omelette or any other dishes. The watermelon had flies hovering above. The utensils were unclean. Pay peanuts and get monkies. But my companions, as usual, are easily satisfied eaters (which fully explains their sizes). ST could faint with joy just eating the plain porridge with peanuts and salted vege. We continued shopping at the largest shopping mall in the morning. By then, I had certainly declared my financial status in the negative range. Did not purchase anything except a lovely pair of earrings on discount. Thereafter, we kinda splitted ways to shop. After a while and due to some miscomm, there was a frantic search for the yours sincerely when I could not find the both of them. I remained calm and happily went to the local fastfood "Zaiker" to dabao my lunch and head back to the hotel to wait for them. I really like the beef burger and it is cheap. However, we bumped into one another again and ST was certainly worried sick. To tell the truth, it may be my communcation style or lack of, I do not get what there is to be so anxious about. My good ol' fren of cos did not think so, thinking forever that she is much responsible for my safety. I wouldnt say Im totally ungrateful for that. Being the fren, she also sacrificed her Canon camera for me from Day 2 onwards cos my own's battery had died. We enjoyed a variety of fastfood lunch, with Mac, Burger King and Zaiker. We baded goodbye to ulu hotel and caught our bus back. This time round, it was a straight, luxurious, double-decker bus. We had a good time talking nonsense on it and in just 2.5 hours, we were already at the M'sia causeway, much to our surprise. Our mags in preparation for a long and boring journey did not come into use. We reached Goldenmile at exactly 4 hours. I bumped into my aunt and caught a car ride from her back home. It was a short but very refreshing getaway. And certainly, I wasn't particularly anxious to get back to the workplace after that. Post a comment in response: |
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