Since we had to take a bus back up through the south of Malaysia anyway, we decided to stop in the historic town of Malacca (or Melaka, depending on who you ask). Known for its Dutch architecture and its past status as a trade hub, it was a really cute town to spend a few days!

We had a rocky (or at least strange) start though. Our bus dropped us off in the middle of town so we had to find a taxi to drive us 10 minutes to our hotel. But for some reason every taxi driver we encountered either didn’t believe our hotel existed or didn’t want to find it on a map… we’re still not sure. At one point we started to worry that there really was something wrong with our hotel based on everyone’s reactions. But we finally found someone that agreed to take us – after spending like 5 minutes looking at pictures of the rooms on google maps – a truly bizarre experience and the hotel was totally normal so we’re still not sure why we had such a hard time. It’s usually not so hard to find people to take our money!

The Town

The town itself is very cute with Dutch-style buildings and street art lining a river that goes through the middle of town. It rained almost the entire time we were there, but it was actually a really nice reprieve from the heat and we enjoyed walking through the small streets through the drizzle. “Jonker Street” is the main street through Chinatown and is lined with stores and restaurants, and was especially busy while we were there due to leftover Chinese New Year celebrations.

We found a small ceramic pottery store that caught our eye while walking, and met the owner who told us he gives pottery lessons! They were cheap and it was raining, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity. He was actually a really good teacher and was very patient with us – it’s harder than it looks! John made a vase and I made a bowl, but they take about a month to be ready for pick up so unfortunately we couldn’t take them with us. If anyone we know will be in Malacca within the next 10 months or so please let us know so you can pick them up for us! 🙂

A bit outside of town there is a “floating mosque” that is situated on top of the water. They give you hijabs and robes to wear and then you are free to explore. It is a beautiful setting!

The Food

Our first night – after we finally convinced a taxi to take us to our hotel – we went wandering pretty late to find some food. We found a very busy restaurant (always a good sign) that had taken over a street with their tables so went to check it out. The host at the front stopped us and said “sorry we only have spicy food” – AKA you are probably too white to eat here – but we both actually like spicy food so we said that was fine and he let us in. We had no idea what to order but our waiter was so nice and recommended two different spicy soups which were absolutely delicious, and very spicy. We also tried to order roti since it was on the menu, but our waiter said they only start making it after midnight (never heard that one before!). Lucky for us this was a rare late night for us and it was midnight by the time we finished our meal so we ordered some after. It was by far the most “local” place we’ve eaten in Malaysia so far and it was delicious.

Our second night we found a restaurant in the middle of town with live music that looked fun so we stopped by. It was busy and there were no free tables but a Malaysian couple, Adam and Rachel, offered to let us join them at their table. They live in Kuala Lumpur and were just in town for the holiday weekend and we ended up having such a fun night with them and made plans to meet up the next day!

The four of us went to a Nyonya museum the next day and then had a Nyonya – or Perenakan – cuisine meal for lunch. The Perenakans were the descendants of Chinese settlers in Malacca, and their cuisine is famous in the town. After lunch Adam and Rachel took us to a famous candy store where we bought Dodol, also known as Malaysian chewing gum. It is made of glutinous rice and pandan (our new favorite flavor). We’re huge fans!!

Kuala Lumpur Round 2

After our few nights in Malacca, we took a bus back to KL since it is the hub to the rest of the country. While we were there, we texted our favorite tour guide Chef Faris (who gave us the street food tour the week before) and asked if he would be willing to give us a cooking class. He picked us up the next day – which we soon found out was his birthday – and he drove us to the local market to pick up ingredients. This was very much not a tourist market and everything was way cheaper and fresher than the markets we had visited. Chef Faris bought a chicken (which they gutted and dismembered for us right there) and said it had probably been slaughtered less than 15 minutes earlier. Now that’s fresh!

He drove us to his parents house – which had three different kitchens because they have a catering business – and taught us how to make a chicken curry. It was absolutely delicious, and we will definitely be trying to replicate it when we get home! He also bought us some traditional Malaysian desserts, including another amazing pandan flavored rice dessert – Kuih Seri Muka. It is my new favorite!

While in KL we also witnessed several Chinese dragon dances throughout the town – more Chinese New Year celebrations! Apparently businesses pay to have the dragon dance come as a way to bring luck to the business in the new year. It is a very cool, and very loud, event!

Now, off to see some Malaysian nature!

Christine