Didn't sound too bad an idea, to be honest. I could use the company. And a local guide could help point out all the beautiful places I might miss.
My company was entering the busiest time of the entire year - the December festive period - and if I wanted to clear any leave at all, it was going to be then. Fingers crossed, my colleagues wouldn't bother me much during my trip. Being the head of a one-man Infocomm department comes with inherent liability, and these were the risks I had to manage.
The trip begins!
I arrived in Kuala Lumpur to spend the night in a hotel room, then my buddy came over in the morning in a charmingly beat-up Toyota the likes of I haven't seen since childhood. We had a simple and leisurely breakfast, then headed off. The morning traffic was horrendous until we hit the highway, and then we were looking at miles of open road as the palm trees whizzed by.
When we finally arrived in Malacca after a couple hours, I was greeted by the sight of what looked like a huge inflatable dragon coiling around the main archway. It was a weird cross between cheesy and oddly majestic. It did occur to me that this area looked strikingly Chinese.
The day was hot, but due to a sudden shower an hour before, the ground was wet with puddles. Not a great combination.
Jonker Street
Now this was one part that reminded me of Armenian Street in Penang's Georgetown. Tourists milling around was a dead giveaway, but also the little quaint cafes here and there that looked too "touristy" to be authentic. The numerous shops selling all manner of Malaysia-themed knick-knacks was also a huge callback to my time in Penang.
I succumbed to the temptation and bought a refrigerator magnet. And only because it looked hand-made.
Somewhere along the street was this cheesy monument of some seriously ripped dude with this shit-eating grin. To this day, I'm not sure if that bust was built in earnest or mockery. This guy was apparently a bodybuilder in addition to being a politician.
I had the chance to look out along the Malacca River. Nice. Reminded me of Singapore River, except without the glitzed-up banks.
I succumbed to the temptation and bought a refrigerator magnet. And only because it looked hand-made.
Somewhere along the street was this cheesy monument of some seriously ripped dude with this shit-eating grin. To this day, I'm not sure if that bust was built in earnest or mockery. This guy was apparently a bodybuilder in addition to being a politician.
I had the chance to look out along the Malacca River. Nice. Reminded me of Singapore River, except without the glitzed-up banks.
Food
We had a break at one of the numerous places advertising Vietnam Coffee. Let me just say, for the record, that Vietnam Coffee just isn't Vietnam Coffee if you're not drinking it while squatting on the roadside on a tiny stool in Saigon as motorcycle traffic roars by you... but on a hot day like this, it worked in a pinch.
Later on, we had chicken rice in one of the numerous shops. The specialty appeared to be balls rolled from chicken rice... but honestly I ate it just to be able to say I've done it before. What was more interesting were the bean sprouts - they were large, fat and crunchy. I was told that they were a special breed known as "Ipoh" sprouts. Nice!
Later on, we had chicken rice in one of the numerous shops. The specialty appeared to be balls rolled from chicken rice... but honestly I ate it just to be able to say I've done it before. What was more interesting were the bean sprouts - they were large, fat and crunchy. I was told that they were a special breed known as "Ipoh" sprouts. Nice!
Museum and Art Gallery
Lunch was done and we headed off across the street to this red building, called the Dutch Square. It used to be a fort and was now home to a museum and art gallery, among other things. For lack of something more obvious to do, the museum was first.
Now, honestly, there've been many people who told me to "read a History book" during online arguments, as though that qualified as the final word in any debate. History just happens to be one of my least favorite subjects. What I was about to see, however, was a virtual smorgasbord of violence.
You see, Malacca used to be an object of contention between Malaysians, the Dutch and the Portugese. Apparently the Malacca Straits were very important territory. We went through floor after floor of paintings, text and dioramas depicting acts of bloody battle. Stabbings, shootings, blood and agony, it was all there. Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.
I saw weapons on display too - sabers and guns, with bullets the size of the chicken rice balls I'd eaten earlier. Military uniforms. Model ships. And my absolute favorite... miniature replicas of Malacca back in the day, depicting how it looked like at different periods in history. I could have stared at this shit for hours.
This was capped off by the sight of this badass statue of Admiral Cheng Ho at the rooftop.
The next part of this visual tour was the art gallery just next door. And, to be honest, there was quite a bit of art on display that I just didn't get. Some of it was historical, and those were actually the easiest to look at. The more abstract pieces? Call me a Philistine, but not so much.
Now, honestly, there've been many people who told me to "read a History book" during online arguments, as though that qualified as the final word in any debate. History just happens to be one of my least favorite subjects. What I was about to see, however, was a virtual smorgasbord of violence.
You see, Malacca used to be an object of contention between Malaysians, the Dutch and the Portugese. Apparently the Malacca Straits were very important territory. We went through floor after floor of paintings, text and dioramas depicting acts of bloody battle. Stabbings, shootings, blood and agony, it was all there. Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure.
I saw weapons on display too - sabers and guns, with bullets the size of the chicken rice balls I'd eaten earlier. Military uniforms. Model ships. And my absolute favorite... miniature replicas of Malacca back in the day, depicting how it looked like at different periods in history. I could have stared at this shit for hours.
This was capped off by the sight of this badass statue of Admiral Cheng Ho at the rooftop.
The next part of this visual tour was the art gallery just next door. And, to be honest, there was quite a bit of art on display that I just didn't get. Some of it was historical, and those were actually the easiest to look at. The more abstract pieces? Call me a Philistine, but not so much.
The last part
After leaving Jonker, we made a side detour. It was a white building by the seaside called the Encore Melaka, and it was an absolutely beautiful theater. Neither of us really felt like shelling out a hundred bucks for about three hours of their entertainment, so we just hung around outside.
And, in my case, took pictures like some tourist. Which I was.
By the sea, this sign proudly proclaimed the area to be The Maritime Silke Road, and even provided coordinates. Shit, this place was all kinds of fancy.
And, in my case, took pictures like some tourist. Which I was.
By the sea, this sign proudly proclaimed the area to be The Maritime Silke Road, and even provided coordinates. Shit, this place was all kinds of fancy.
The curse struck again...
Almost every day, I'd review my messages and see that there was stuff to attend to. Some of it I could defer till I got back; the others I had to attend to by the next day.
Honestly, it was annoying AF. It was like, the effort I'd put into an automatic vacation message and informing my co-workers, just didn't exist.
But this is what happens when you're a one-man Infocomm department - there are no reasonable expectations of a complete day off. Something goes wrong, and even if it could be looked into by someone else, the first instinctual response is to contact me by WhatsApp or send me a MS Teams message.
I'm not blameless in this regard though - I get such a summons and even though I'm supposed to be on vacation, I can't help myself. I just have to respond. This is something I need to seriously work on. As to how, for the moment, I have no clue.
Speaking of which, I actually experienced the biometric scan when returning to Singapore's Changi Airport, days after it was reported in the local paper. Pretty cool. Traveling in and out of Singapore as a citizen wasn't a huge hassle to begin with, but this is going to make things even easier.
Stay tuned for more vacation updates!
Honestly, it was annoying AF. It was like, the effort I'd put into an automatic vacation message and informing my co-workers, just didn't exist.
But this is what happens when you're a one-man Infocomm department - there are no reasonable expectations of a complete day off. Something goes wrong, and even if it could be looked into by someone else, the first instinctual response is to contact me by WhatsApp or send me a MS Teams message.
I'm not blameless in this regard though - I get such a summons and even though I'm supposed to be on vacation, I can't help myself. I just have to respond. This is something I need to seriously work on. As to how, for the moment, I have no clue.
What a vacation!
Short, but sweet. For real, though, this struck me as a good place to chill out for an entire afternoon if I felt like it. Maybe even for a few afternoons. And as of last week (or earlier) there are direct flights from Singapore to Malacca.Speaking of which, I actually experienced the biometric scan when returning to Singapore's Changi Airport, days after it was reported in the local paper. Pretty cool. Traveling in and out of Singapore as a citizen wasn't a huge hassle to begin with, but this is going to make things even easier.
Stay tuned for more vacation updates!
Your travelling techie,
T___T
T___T
No comments:
Post a Comment