Mid-Term Break Escapade - Day 2

Day 2, Melaka. That morning all of us except for Sri headed down to the lobby for our breakfast. After last night feast, the thought of an "eat all you can" breakfast spread gave a headache to her. She is not much of an eater. It is quite normal that she gets a scolding from me for not eating. I just can't tolerate with her same old excuse, "Kasihan teringat kan anak cucu di kampung.... Saya makan sedap-sedap....". Hmmmph!

The plan was to check out after breakfast but after Balqis's stunt with a drinking glass in the room, we stayed longer until the regular check out time. My Balqis independently poured a glass of juice for herself. Finished off her drink but accidentally dropped the glass on the floor. I rushed, screaming for her not to move. Good that I reacted faster than her. HB carried her away from the broken glasses & Alhamdulillah, she did not hurt at all.

Obviously the management will ridiculously charge us handsomely for the glass. After breakfast, instead of checking out, we went to the mall next to the hotel & bought a drinking glass. Come to think of it, it was way cheaper paying the management the glass since we shopped for shoes instead, merely because an outlet was on sale! Hah!

The girls in our apartment unit. Notice a glass was missing on the kitchen top?

Nope! Yasmin did not manage to capture her sis. Nadeen has always been too fast for her... ;-D

Balqis, striking a pose at the lobby.

I like....! An attraction at the lobby.

Our first destination was the Menara Taming Sari. I really was not looking forward to experience a scenery from a high altitude with HB. He will surely boast on the better view he normally gets from his office. Huh!

This new attraction recently celebrated its first anniversary. Obviously this was not the menara...

Here you go the Menara Taming Sari, standing proud at 110m height. A revolving, viewing tower which was inspired by the Chief Minister himself.

Up & up we went... HB behaved. I forgot that there was no commercial airport in Melaka, so it sort of amazed him too ;-)

Excited faces, especially the mom. Hehehe...

Some of the shots HB took of Melaka from the Taming Sari.

The Eye On Malaysia. We had our share in KL. You may read here.

The hotel we were staying.

The Samudra Museum.

Remember the plane ?

The Melaka River which we cruised on the night before.

The ruins of St. Paul Church

Nadeen wanted another round!

It was extremely hot that day. I was looking forward to get inside the car when HB called out for me saying something about Yasmin wanted to look around at a Reptile Show. Reptile Show!? I tried to convince her, when we were in Melaka better that we explore the many things we couldn't find in other places. Did I manage? No...! She knew she had her dad to back her up & off they explored some slimey reptiles. I chose to wait in the car & nursed Nadeen.

It was still early. HB searched for other attractions in Melaka from his phone & we landed here!

It would be a good exposure to the girls. Not only about Hang Tuah but also in witnessing a real well. It was a maiden visit for HB & I too. We had no idea of what to expect.

The place really was not bad at all. Even though the only attraction was simply a well, it offered ample facilities for tourists like us. The girls even bought their souvenirs there. I was sure the price wouldn't be so much difference compared to the ones in the city. At least, it helped the villagers whom I was sure depended a lot on tourism.

The girls & HB reading the history shared about Hang Tuah. For the one who was not fully literate, playing with a cat would do... ;-)

The well & someone seemed amazed there...

The clear water & the granite mesmerised me. Pretty sight..

With the help of the pail, we enjoyed so much the coolness of its water. Totally refreshing!

A local house which attracted my attention

If that house captured my attention, HB had something else in mind after we left the village. He saw the spot on the way to the well & made a U-turn, parked the car by the roadside, got out of the car & straight headed to this stall.

Durians & more durians!

Mangosteen too.

My favourite

His favourite

Balqis - not much of a hantu durian. She eats because others eat.

Wardah - a better durian lover compared to Balqis.

Yasmin - the hantu durian of the family. I never liked durian before. It was during carrying Yasmin in my womb, I started to enjoy this king of fruit very much.

Of course, no junior could compete with her senior. HB in action ;-D

We bought the mangosteen as well but no durians in the car! At last HB navigated the car towards Ayer Keroh to go to the reason why were in Melaka in the first place. So that Yasmin could have a better picture of the local houses in Malaysia (as mentioned in Day 1, she was taking part in a Eureka Competition representing the district).

Before that, another stop... to experience another means of transportation.

The bullock cart

Us in the cart. It stinked alright but a pose is a must ;-)

Finally, we reached this place. The last time I was here was like a decade ago.

Now, let's have a quick tour. Sad to say that the condition of this place was pretty bad. It was during a school holiday but we were the only family around. Could it be the timing was wrong? It was only when we were almost completed that we found another group.

There was an apology note from the management at the ticket counter with regards to the poor condition of some of the houses. After 12 years (as stated in the notice), the place was in the process of a face lifting.

Inside the first house

Nadeen found a toy... which I'm sure none of her sisters knew what it was.

Rumah Perlis

Rumah Kedah

Rumah Pulau Pinang

Rumah Perak

Rumah Selangor

I would probably be wearing those if HB were to propose me a century ago...

Found this old school

Rumah Negeri Sembilan

An attic in the Negari Sembilan House

Rumah Melaka

The significant staircase

Wardah, trying out the traditional way to grate a coconut. I had to explain on the first place why do people grate coconuts. The only coconut milk they are familiar with in their mom's kitchen is the ones come in cartons ;-D

Rumah Johor - it was closed to public

Rumah Pahang

Rumah Terengganu

Rumah Kelantan

Rumah Sabah

Amazed with the bamboo flooring.

Rumah Sarawak

The Mini Asean howeve, looked stranded. Quite eerie too. If not for HB & Sri around, I might as well skip it. In the silence, suddenly we heard a roar of a tiger (or lion, not sure...). The zoo was just next door.

The first Asean village we reached was Thailand. We simply passed through. Didn't allow the girls to explore as we were skeptical over the safety of its structure. The only 2 with vibrant energy to continue the walk were HB & Nadeen. I, especially felt like turning back.

Somebody was being patriotic. Wanted this shot to show off to her relatives back home :-)

Frankly, I did feel weary even when we were in little Malaysia. Probably the impact of such hot temperature & the durian I had earlier. Kept it to myself & continued drinking lots of water as we went on.

It somehow explains why I have no photos of tiny Asean to share. But seriously, the management has gotten to take more initiative to maintain this tourism attraction.

Opted this short cut. My girls are used to such adventure & they were wriggling the bridge which was much to my annoyance.

We headed home. During dinner at the R&R, I started to feel cold. Slept all the way home & as expected I was down with a fever that night. The girls on the other hand, had a wonderful time & that was what matter.

Why do you suppose I lost to a 2 days getaway in Melaka but survived a 10 days holiday in NZ.? Ya... Ya... Go ahead & "Boleh blaaah!" me! Hahaha! Enjoy your weekend.