The road trip started off not too good. We were stuck in a jam at the Singapore side of the casueway and again as we made our way to the Malaysian customs, which is now located deep inside JB.
Mid-way it started to pour and we had to slow down. That was a waste of time because normally we could race through at 140kph, but wet roads are hardly safe for such speeds.
Then after crossing the toll right before Malacca, we met with another traffic jam that was caused by the rain, utterly stupid traffic lights that change at 99 seconds intervals...
... and a flood on a stretch of road that resulted in a massive bottleneck on an unaffected two-lane street.
It became even more frustrating when we were forced to make a detour enroute to Holiday Inn Melaka because the road we planned to take was flooded too. The GPS we relied on kept leading us back to that bloody road, so we had to find our way around ourselves. Gah!
Josh's perfect plan to reach Malacca in time for lunch at 2pm was dashed. It was past 4pm by the time we reached our hotel in Malacca, and 5pm by the time we checked-in and regrouped for dinner.
Needless to say, I was super pissed.
There are a few things I should never be deprived of, lest I fly into a fury: My bath, my sleep, my food.
And the inconveniences I experienced during the drive up had deprived me of my bath and food. Didn't help too that I was sleepy from having to wake up early for the road trip. So the stars were aligned for the hulk in me to emerge.
Poor Josh was so terrified he kept out of my way all evening as we walked to Jonkers Walk from the hotel.
My mood only improved after I got to sink my chops into this fab bowl of Nonya assam laksa from my favourite eatery, Jonker Dessert 88, which is also a heritage architecture.
Unfortunately, because we got there 30 minutes to closing, there was no more divine chendol for sale. :(
Nevermind, there are lots more to eat along Jonkers Walk, which transforms into a bustling night market not unlike those in Taipei when the sun sets.
Josh and I chanced upon a stall selling mini Portuguese egg tarts at RM$6.50 for a box of six. They looked so inviting, like glittering gold medallions. I bought us a box to try, but after popping one into our mouths, we both shouted for a second box.
We could have plouged through the plethora of stalls down Jonkers Walk for more than an hour. I don't really know for sure because there were just so much to see and buy that time whizzed by.
After Jonkers Walk, we proceeded to Mahkota Parade mall for more shopping. The rest were still hyper and eager to contribute further to the Malaysian economy, but my legs were tired. So Josh and I grabbed a drink and seat at Coffee Bean.
Although all of us were dog tired by the time we got back to the hotel, none of us wanted to waste the night by retiring early. So we made plans to regroup again for drinks.
It was funny how all of us were taking turns to yawn, and yet we insisted on hanging out for as long as our bodies could manage. Although it was only four hours since our laksa meal, we ordered more food to go with beer and wine to keep us awake. :)
We eventually called it a day at midnight. Josh and I fell asleep the moment our heads hit the pillows.
The next morning, we drove around town in search of breakfast and found this big-ass signboard that screamed D-I-M-S-U-M. We made a beeline for it.
The moment we sat down, we instructed the waiters to just load us with everything they've got. And we devoured every single morsel like hungry ghosts. I tell you, the boss was just grinning from ear to ear, as he unloaded trays after trays of dim sum on our table.
And when we were not eating, we took photos of the restaurant and dishes with our DSLRs.
"Are you all reporters?" the boss quizzed.
"Why would you think so?" I laughed.
"Because all your cameras are so big. If you are reporters, please write a nice review of us hor!" Then he urged us to eat some more.
When the bill came, it was only a little over RM$183, which made out to be S$6 per person! Incredible! And the food was pretty good too!
Oh, and I must tell you about the caricacture Josh and I went for. We were hoping to get a funny picture that we could frame and hang up in our room. Unfortunately, the artist made Josh looked so awful, that I swear it was another man!
Just before we left Malacca, the bunch of us decided to have a group photo together, and it must look really fun. So we decided to leap into the air.
Unfortunately, coordinating the leap was not as easy as we had thought. We made several tries and this was our best shot, with some still airborne and others, like me, were back on our feet:
It was hilarious.
To end this post I shall leave you with this beautiful shot of the sunset I caught on the way home on the highway. Nature truly is seductive.
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