Monkeys in Melaka Again
The Monkeys were in Melaka once again for another mantastic trip!
5 of the bestest friends in Cohort 2...
The Monkey Productions: Seng Chee, Guna, Shim, Nesa & I.
We finally got away from the hustle & bustle for a little relaxation & conversation.
We spent 3D2N in an A'Famosa Resort villa with a private pool.
The trip was awesome & really brought us closer together after being away from each other pursuing our degrees in various countries around the world.
I will cherish the memories from this trip, guys...
Even though we may have no more trips together in the future...
This trip is good enough for me...
=)
Here are the highlights from the trip:
We spent a lot of quality time at the pool.
We would play games, swim or just soak in the pool...
We had our man-to-man talk over some drinks at a table by the pool...
We went au naturel in the pool late one night...
Many great memories with the pool!
During this trip we had lots of distinctively Melakan food...
We tried Melaka's unique 'Nonya' food.
Zaini, a local friend, treated us to Nonya food at his favourite Nonya restaurant: Bibik Neo Restaurant, Taman Melaka Raya.
The food was authentic & unpretentious.
It was alright to me but really good to my companions.
I'd say it's worth a try.
The company was great & the owner reminded me of a composed & clever lecturer of mine, Mdm Caroline Yong.
Very memorable visit indeed!
We also tried Melaka's novelty chicken rice balls.
One afternoon, we got lost and ended up on Jonker St.
So we decided to stop and look for food because we were really really hungry.
We asked for the best chicken rice balls and the locals recommended: Hoe Kee, Jonker St.
After some research I found that this restaurant is owned by the children of the founder of the chicken rice ball concept!
Click the link above to read their down-to-earth story.
Anyway, the chicken rice was awesome!
I would definitely go back for the chicken rice!
RM10 each for plenty of chicken, chicken liver, stir-fried veges & extra rice.
Definitely worth it!
My opinion on chicken rice balls?
Well... they are just a novelty...
this restaurant made really soft & tasty ones, but I would prefer normal rice because the only difference is packaging...
and most importantly... price.
We also tried Melaka's heavenly 'gula Melaka' laiden 'cendol'.
When I asked about dessert, the owner of Hoe Kee recommended the place next door: No1 Kopitiam, Jonker St.
The pieces of paper stuck to the glass of the stall are actually newspaper/magazine clippings of stories written about the shop!
Famous authentic Nonya cendol indeed!
This little establishment is set up like a little cendol bar!
There was a bar counter with some of those elevated counter seats.
The cendol was average to me but my friends liked it.
My compliments were that it was flavourful but not too sweet.
At RM2 per bowl, they were a little bit on the pricy end because of the small bowls.
But if it's famous... why not?
haha~~~
The owner, Mrs Yong, is a retired teacher who started the business in 1999.
We went on and on talking about the education system.
hahaha~~
Interesting to meet someone married to family...
Interesting to meet someone who has lived through my profession...
Interesting to meet someone with so much zest for life...
I wonder if my wife will be the same...
My mom was a big fan of it so I bought some 'gula Melaka'.
I asked Mrs Yong if she had gula Melaka & enquired why her gula Melaka was RM10 per kilo while other places offered the same item for RM5 per kilo.
She explained that it was because her gula Melaka was pure.
The cheaper ones are of a lighter colour & they have cane sugar mixed into it.
When compared to their mixed counterparts, they are not as sweet but much more flavourful.
The pure ones melt easily in the Malaysian heat & can last 2 years in the fridge.
p/s:
I apologise for my lack of original pictures...
My compact camera got wet on the first day & is officially broken.
