If you are a constant reader of my blog, by now you know that in every place I travel to I would definitely check out old structures may it be an old house, an old church or simply just ruins. The moment I stepped foot at the UNESCO-hailed World Heritage City of Melaka, I knew that I can grow old living in this place.Malacca or Melaka in Malay is located in the southern part of Malaysia. From Johor Bahru via bus, the trip would take about three hours excluding transfers. In early times, Melaka is a fishing village inhabited by local Malays. However, history said that European colonizers – Portuguese ruled the area, then later on was taken over by the Dutch. European influence is visible through out the quaint town which is evident in the church ruins and old fortresses.
There are many things to do while in Melaka. One of these is riding in a traditional tuktuk or rickshaw. The tuktuk we rode in was not motorized and was beautifully adorned with artificial flowers, Hibiscus, which we call Gumamela here in the Philippines. It is the national flower of Malaysia.
A walking tour around Melaka is highly recommended. This is a haven for history buffs. Below are some of the sights we visited. There are more places we could have explored but our schedule hinders us. Nevertheless, we were able to cover pretty much the most popular sites. Now see why I fell in love with Melaka.
| Christ Church, Melaka |
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| St. Francis Xavier Melaka |
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| One of the temples located along a street adjacent to Jonker Walk |
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| One of the most famous restaurants in Melaka Chinatown serving the more famous Chicken Rice Ball |
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| Fort walls, Melaka |
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| The Sultanate Water Wheel |
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| Replica of a Portugese galleon |
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| The City View Tower Of Melaka |
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| St Paul Church Melaka |
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| Don’t leave Melaka without sampling their famous Cendol |
We parted with the historic Melaka at exactly 12 noon. I had a heavy heart because I hoped to have spent another day just relaxing there. However, we need to proceed to Kuala Lumpur that afternoon because we can not miss visiting Petronas Towers at night.
After checking out, we walked back to the Clock Tower and waited for bus no. 17 again. Fare is at 1.50 MYR. It is cheaper going back to Melaka Sentral since the bus ride took about an hour. Once in Melaka Sentral, we bought bus tickets (Panorama bus lines) at MYR 12.20 per head. We arrived just in time for the 2 PM schedule.
Travel time from Melaka to Kuala Lumpur took about 2 hours. We alighted at TBS terminal. From there we followed the signs to the waiting area for buses. After confirming to the bus driver that it was bound for Puduraya Terminal, we paid MYR 1 each. The driver asked where we were bound and I promptly said we are going to Bukit Bintang. He suggested then to drop us off at Hang Tuah station (Monorail) along the way since this is a shorter way to Bukit Bintang, just two stations away.
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| Bukit Bintang Monorail Station |
We paid MYR 1.20 for the short train ride. I was kinda giddy since it was my first time to ride in a Monorail train. I find it cute :-). Someday we will have our own Monorail train here in Metro Manila, hopefully by 2016.
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| Paradiso Bed & Breakfast – 2 Double Bed Air-con room ** Book Here for discounted rates ** |
I racked my brain for the exact location of Paradiso Bed & Breakfast as I saw it in google maps. It’s convenient location is a definite plus! Crossing the road, Chie immediately spotted its signage and we hurried to check-in. We paid in advance for our two night stay. A total of 160 MYR for two persons, plus an additional refundable key deposit of MYR 20.
Though we do not have our private bathroom, we found our room here real nice and comfortable. Towels are provided and we were so very happy to see lots and lots of electrical sockets! #heheh. Back in Singapore there were no electrical sockets in the room. I actually saw one but I have to be about 20 feet before I can reach it.
The last meal we had was around ten in the morning in Melaka. We were unable to eat lunch on on our way to (again!) Kuala Lumpur. Upon arrival, I told Chie I will catch some sleep since I was pretty beat. When I woke up at around six, there was no electricity and Chie was busy preparing for our night rendezvous. I quickly showered and changed to my ‘party dress’ (it was my friend’s birthday that day) since we had a date with Papa P.T. 🙂
For her birthday party, we agreed to splurge just a little bit. We secured two seats at Chili’s restaurant at KL Suria Mall. We settled in our table and celebrated the young night. The staff presented a cup of ice cream topped with a lone candle and they sang the birthday song in front of my friend.
After dinner, that was the time we had finally met Mr. Petronas Towers face to face.
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| The Twin Towers seem to talk to the clouds |
Seeing the twin towers was a literal brilliant experience. I was beyond attracted to the way the upper lights were kind of twinkling, giving life to a somewhat dull night sky. Several group of tourists were milling around at the foot of the towers trying their best to capture its magnificence with their cameras.
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Not minding what I was wearing, I laid down sideways on the concrete and took lots and lots of shots, in different angles and settings. After some time, I was satisfied with what I have and we headed back to our hostel.
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DAY 4 Itinerary and ExpensesMelaka Downtown Tour
MYR 9.30 – Breakfast at Chinatown
MYR 25.00 – Souvenirs
MYR 15.00 – Tuktuk ride back to hostel
MYR 1.50 – Bus ride back to Melaka Sentral
Sub-total: MYR 50.80 or Php 685.99
Melaka to Kuala Lumpur
MYR 12.20 – bus fare to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur to Paradiso Bed and Breakfast
MYR 2.00 – Bus fare from TBS terminal to Puduraya terminal
– (we were dropped off at Hang Tuah Monorail station on the
way to Puduraya terminal)
MYR 1.20 – Monorail fare from Hang Tuah to Bukit Bintang
Arrival at Paradiso Bed & Breakfast
MYR 80.00 – rate per person for two nights, air-conditioned double
room for two, plus refundable key deposit of MYR 20
Sub-total: MYR 95.40 or Php 1286.62
Chie’s birthday celebration
FREE – Walked to Suria KCC Mall (near KL Park and Twin Towers via
covered pathway)
MYR 97.20 – Dinner for two at Chili’s restaurant
MYR 1.50 – Mineral water
Sub-total: MYR 98.70 or Php 1332.82
Total: MYR 244.90 or Php 3302.88
conversions done via oanda.com
anong sinabi ng pink na outfit?
– plan to go to malaysia kami ni jikoy sana next year para sa first out of the country trip ..
very informative post pau!
Malaysia is a great place! Thanks Prince God bless sa travel! :-)…
Colorful photos! I love the red, red church! =) Will include this in my Southeast Asian backpacking – next year, hopefully. =)
Yes Claire kaya I fell in love with Melaka… 🙂 Lots of character!
We just finished our tour too. Friday to sunday nights are the best times to visit Melaka as the Jonker Street is closed fodr the night market. Were you able to take the GO KL bus which is free? We werre lucky to have booked a room at Renaissance Hotel. From our windowA we can see the petronas towers which are just a few blocks away. 2 days. are not enough. Bukit Bintang alone will take at leasr a day for my wife 2 windoqw shop, hahaha
Yah Batangala…time is the one thing we lacked! God bless sa rest ng tour niyo! Di kami napakag Go KL bus…:-)….
I miss Malaysia. Well I think usual na sa travel ang maka skip ng atleast a meal in a day. Hahaha! 😀
Tama, lalo na pag hectic ang sked heheh! 🙂
Did you try Baba-Nyonya Food in Jonker 88 Resto? Their Laksa is really awesome 🙂
Hello Sky Summer! Too bas we have not tried that! 🙂
I have yet to go to Melaka and based on these photos (esp. the wheel and the galleon), I wanna go! 😀 1st photo: sagala ang peg! And I have yet to see the Petronas at night din, dapat next time si someone na kasama mo sa very romantic place na yan. ^_^
Cris…oo super love ko talaga ang Melaka sa lahat ng places na napuntahan ko sa trip na to. I'd go back here for sure! Ganda rin ni PT sa gabi nakakaakit siya ha! dami kong night shots di mabilang nga eh…heheh! mwah!
eist… thanks for putting my blog on yours =) kaso wala na yung Backpackers Travelogue hihihi…. binago ko na http://www.lonelytravelogue.blogspot.com na hihi… thanks =0
Welcome..update ko na! 🙂
Love reading your post about my country, Malaysia…Hope you had fun…
Hi Leez I had the best time in Malaysia I assure you! Will definitely come back! 🙂
I'm excited beyond words, just seeing your adventures for the day and of the twin towers so brightly lit at night! I plan on visiting Melaka too… so thank you for the bus tips, Paula! 🙂
You're welcome Mai! Have fun! I miss Melaka because it's one of my favorite destinations! Lots of old structures! 🙂
I'm excited beyond words, just seeing your adventures for the day and of the twin towers so brightly lit at night! I plan on visiting Melaka too… so thank you for the bus tips, Paula! 🙂