Melaka adventure

This morning we were up reasonably early to head down to Melaka. Ross headed off to work about 8 and we followed shortly after at 8.30. As we started driving up Jalan Tun Razak, I took the exit for KLIA thinking this was the right way but the closer we got to Putrajaya, the more doubts I was having. We got out the GPS and it guided us across to the right highway via some pretty small village roads. Luckily we were in no hurry and it was interesting going through all the villages. Finally we met up with the right highway and made good time down to Melaka.

Once into Melaka, we pulled into one of the malls to have a coffee and to work out how to get to Malacca Woodwork where I wanted to get my beading desk made. Once we got our bearings it was pretty easy to find. We went inside the showroom which was attached to the factory and had a look at their beautiful furniture. I spent some time speaking with the lady about my designs and trying to clarify exactly what I wanted. She showed me some of their pieces and we worked together to make sure the design was possible. The only issue was the drawers. I had asked for small drawers with removable dividers. She didn't think they could make the drawers that small (2cm high) and so she would ask her boss who was coming back tomorrow to see if it could be done.

Meanwhile Dad and Ann looked around the showroom. Dad spotted a jewellery box and offered to buy it for me for Christmas. It was beautiful and I was really happy to have it.

From there, we drove into  the old town of Melaka. We parked in exactly the same spot as we did last year during our visit and we even tried to go to the same cafe but it was closed for renovation. We walked around Jonker Street and found a little cafe for lunch. I had chicken rendang and it was delicious. Refueled, we headed off out into the streets again to look at the shops and work our way back to the canal for an afternoon river cruise.

We stopped for a drink before heading to the boat which sailed from the mouth inland up the river to the next jetty station. From there, it worked its way back to the departure point with a running commentary on the sights you could see. We passed a traditional Melakan kampung that had been restored to its original state and where the locals still lived in the traditional manner. It was beautiful. The houses were raised off the ground on 2 ft high stilts and the arched roofs were really ornate.

We also saw a lot of monitor lizards living in the mangroves that lined the river. The cruise lasted about 45 minutes and it was a nice way to end our day in Melaka.

We jumped in the car and headed back to the (right) highway to head home. We were all pretty tired after a long day so we decided to go and have dinner at Changkat Bukit Bintang on our way home. We had fish and chips before driving home and heading to bed early.

I waited up for Ross who was at a work dinner and we headed to bed about 9.30. It had been a really interesting day.