Roadtrip to Melaka – Part 2 (Pak Putra Restaurant, Menara Taming Sari, Melaka Duck Tours, Perhentian Kuih Kampong)

Right after exploring the old lane of Jonker Street, we made our way for our early dinner at one of the favourite local spot which is Pak Putra Restaurant located in Jalan Laksamana 4 (10 minutes away from Jonker Street). We came early as possible as we definitely not gonna miss trying the most famous Roti Naan and Tandoori Chicken. One of the main reason we are here is definitely because of the good reviews and enthusiasm shown by our dear friend telling us how good the food are. We were so curious! We even promised Mum’s that this gonna be a good one as mum’s was so fussy on food selection. InsyaAllah.

Our first impression when we reached is that table spilled out into the road as so-called ‘Al Fresco’ kind of restaurant. And most diners opt for this, maybe for some reasons. :D. We browsed through the menu and we ended up ordering Plain Naan, Cheese Naan, Garlic Naan and not to forget Tandoori Chicken, just to complete the whole feast.

The Naan bread maker

Tandoori Chicken

It was actually a good choice as for us! Personally, Pak Putra restaurant is definitely a place that you should not miss when you’re in Melaka.

As this trip is dedicated to mum’s, we basically followed everything that she wanted. So, Menara Taming Sari it is! We never thought of doing this but the whole ride was actually fun! We finally tried the very first revolving ‘ Gyro Tower’ in Malaysia and experienced 360 degrees panoramic view of the town. The tower was named after Taming Sari Keris, as the structure followed the shape of ‘keris’.

From top, we managed to witness one of the UNESCO World Heritage from a 80 meters height overlooking Muzium Samudera, the replica of Flora Del Mar, St.Paul Hill, Dataran Pahlawan, Pulau Besar, the Straits of Melaka and the rapid development of the city. It was such a breathtaking bird eyes view from above especially looking into the whole view of the Straits of Melaka. Amazing!

We basically believe that a night ride provides a totally different view. Therefore, you might want to try both, day and night ride too! Maybe, it’s worth trying!

The next thing that we did was really really something unplanned. We never thought of doing this too! A Melaka Duck Tour? This is too mainstream for us. But hey, what’s wrong of being mainstream? Mum’s was eyeing on this as the ticket counter was located right in front of the Menara Taming Sari. FF’s asked the operator about the tour and he finally secured the tickets. We took the first trip of the day and by paying RM38 for adult and RM27 for senior citizen, we then board the amphibious vehicle to experience a Melaka Tour via land and sea.

The route starts from Menara Taming Sari (pick up points) passing through Mahkota Parade, Pulau Melaka before getting some light water splash of the Straits of Melaka. From here, we could actually see the floating mosque which is Masjid Selat from the best view ever. We could see that all the adults on board are even more excited that the little one when the vehicle changed from land to sea mode.

The whole journey took us about an hour ride. It was actually fun! We were told that the same amphibious vehicle was actually developed by the United Stated during the World War 2 to transport goods and soldiers over land and water.

Right before we leave the historical town, we decided to have our lunch at this favourite stall of Perhentian Kuih Kampong (next to Arenaa Deluxe Hotel) located in Jalan Ujong Pasir, Melaka. The range and varieties of ‘kuih’ offered here are totally crazy! We had one of the best Asam Pedas Melaka here too! Mum’s gave a 2 thumbs up for the asam pedas compared to the earlier outlet that we went on the 1st day. Go figure!

In overall, we had so much fun being together in Melaka with sis and mum this time around. Even it was just a short 2 days and 1 night trip for us, it was really a good one as this is definitely our first time riding the Malaysia’s First Revolving Gyro Tower and the Duck Tower. If it’s not because that Mum’s insist to do this, we might not try all this. It was really a good one as we did something different this time. So, another MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Simply us,
Zara AB & FF
The Province of Chroma

Roadtrip to Melaka – Part 1 (River Cruise,Muzium Samudera,Asam Pedas Selera Kampung, Jonker Street)

We were in MATTA Fair last year until we decided to buy a hotel voucher from Seri Costa. Sis tagged along and she bought the voucher as well. So, that was basically how we ended up in Melaka together with my mum. She was super-duper excited for the short visit to Melaka as she always thought that Melaka always welcome and never failed her (We knew that she only wanted to get her Melaka Hard Rock shot glass as she’s an avid collector of it). Furthermore, there’s always something new to see and explore too. As for us, our main modus operandi is just to catch some nice foods and strolling around the town.

Started the journey as early in the morning and once we reached there, Melaka welcomed us with such an unpleasant weather. It was drizzling all the way but we still continued with our initial plan which is the Melaka River Cruise. We headed to the main jetty facing the newly built exclusive hotel, Casa Del Mar. With just RM10 per pax, we then board the boat for about 9km ride which took us about 45 minutes journey. We were clueless and making assumption as the boat move to the other end. It was just a plain river cruise. Furthermore, we were trying our best avoiding the water splashes as it smells badly. At the point of time, how we wish that the boat operator should have not push everyone till the front deck as he/she knew that the water will splashed at that portion.

Once we reached one end and the boat making a turn, we are then served with an audio playback explaining every single thing about the river and Melaka specifically. You will pass through Kampung Morten (a traditional village in the heart of Melaka Town), Eye on Melaka, various numbers of bridges such as Old Market Bridge, Melaka Port (which used to be an important port in the world map), warehouses, trading house and etc. All this reminded us to the glorious days of Melaka as marked in the ancient histories. The River Cruise runs till night too.

We then walked to the nearest tourist spot which is the Muzium Samudera or Maritime Museum. It is located exactly right in front the Medan Samudera, a one stop center selling local handicraft, snacks and etc. This is where a 34 meters height and 8 meters width Flora De Lamar replica, a Portuguese ship which sank in the coast of Melaka while on its way to Portugal proudly stands.

The Love of Our Life

Flora de Lamar

As we had almost reached our lunch time, we opt for Asam Pedas Selera Kampung nearby in Bandar Hilir. This will be our choice this time around due to the overwhelming responses and reviews of the restaurant. They served ‘kampung food’ as if the famous Asam Pedas with various choices of fish, Gulai Lemak, Ikan Bakar and etc. Head there early or you might end up queuing for seat. Another reason is that this restaurant is located just a block away from the Seri Costa Hotel that we’ve booked earlier.

Our lunch

The room

After a short break, we hit the road again! We walked around town and Alhamdullillah the sun was making her appearance of the day.

Halia Inc. We got caught of seeing their signboard and font! Too attractive! Love the retro kind of look.

Quayside Hotel, a 3 star boutique hotel.

A pieces of ruin structure found within the area.

Abang beca, he was there waiting for customer. Definitely in love with the caught in the act moment.

Just to quench the thirst, we tried the famous Clock Tower Cendol. Verdict? Nothing can beat my hometown legend which is Cendol Air Putih. Other than just a plain cendol, they do offer ‘Cendol Pulut’ and ‘Cendol Durian’ too!

The latest tourist attraction in town, the famous Hard Rock Café. Mum’s couldn’t missed the chance to grab her shot glass as collection.

Since it was Saturday, this is definitely the best time to head to Jonker Street as there is a night market that sells everything from local snacks, souvenirs and etc. Jonker Street was once a renowned for its antique shops and definitely a place for an antique collector and bargain hunters.  It is a centre street of Chinatown too.

We will continue our journey on Part 2 soon.

Simply us,
Zara AB & FF
The Province of Chroma