A is For Amanda & Amelia

We went for a short trip to Malacca. Daddy has been wanting to bring us there for a long time.This time its only 3 of us, 4 if you include the little one in my tummy haha.

We departed from home at 8.30am. The road was clear and the ride was smooth as its a Friday morning. It felt good to be going away for a short break. We stopped at first R&R stop Machap at 10.30am and have our breakfast at this shop called Kaya Kopitiam (toastbox like shop).

Kaya Kopitiam

Waiting for our breakfast

By noon, we reached Malacca and went to Mahkota and new shopping centre nearby for a walk.

Her favourite new pose

Father and daughter walking along the shopping mall street. Don't know the name of that mall...

Amanda enjoying the Gui Ling Gao. She loves it with or without honey.

Daddy and Amanda. Take one, take two

At the entrance of Melaka Megamall

Walking back to our car to proceed to our hotel in Jonker street

We booked our accomodation with a boutique hotel called Hotel Puri which is right in Jonker street at the recommendation from my colleague. The room is clean and its in a superb location and not forgetting its only half the price of Holilday Inn which we intially planned to book. But of cos, Holiday Inn room would be more luxurious. However, I think Hotel Puri is good enough.

At the hotel lobby. It has a peranakan feel. Oh there is Amanda carrying her toy cat to show it around haha.

Our room number

The room's toilet is clean. Very important to me!

The beds.

Amanda inspecting the room.

Our "bibles" sans the GPS and internet

Amanda wanted to call Aunty Cat when she saw the phone......

What is Amanda looking at? She was thrilled to find a real cat in the hotel

Checking out other parts of the hotel

At the hotel entrance

Went out to look for food!

Our first stop was at Jonker 88 which serves chendol and some other local food

Our Chendols and asam laska. Look at the grin on Amanda's face... She can't wait to get her hands on the Chendol! Oh and I love the asam laska! Sour and spicy! Thats's what a preggy needed haha.

Amanda's tears of happiness when she tasted the Chendol haha. Actually, she just threw a tantrum cos Daddy crushed her ice! Sighh Terrible 2

While Amanda was enjoying her Chendol, a group of tourist requested to take a photo of Amanda. Wow, its the second time there was ever such a request. And they requested that we do not ask her to look at the camera and just let her continue enjoying the Chendol. Natural shot. Hmm will we see Amanda on the Time Magazine cover soon? haha Sorry pardon me. I think they just find her cute. Yeah, she is the cutest. I know I am bias. :P

Kaypoh Amanda. The shop settings has those old shops feel.

Satisfied customers leaving the shop

A walk on Jonker street to check out the shops

Amanda checking out the toys selling in those old toy shop. Daddy loved those shops and he bought a couple of toys there like those bubbles blowing toys, toy aeroplane and a xylphone there. Amanda loves the xylphone, making music and singing to with the tune.

Hokkien Huay Kuan.... hmm that reminded me to do something..

At a souvenir shop

Amanda looking for Dora shoe to buy. I am serious.

We rested at a cafe when Amanda fell asleep

Its run by two foreigners serving western food and beverages

What are we looking at? I can't remember.

Enjoying fruit juice.

We have "lou lou'' for dinner or satay steamboat. Its delicious!

Every Fri, Sat and Sun,the Jonker street will be closed. No cars can passed through as there will be pasar malam. We were still early for the pasar malam and decided to go back to hotel for a short break and come out for the pasar malam later.

Bought some tarts or "bing" from one of the well known shops there.

Taking some pics at hotel outdoor area before going to the pasar malam. The place is really nice but our camera cannot capture it.

Our hotel signboard at night

Frankly, there is nothing much to buy at the pasar malam but I guess its the people and the atmosphere there. Did I mention before Daddy is an "old man" at heart sometimes. He likes to go to places like these instead of shopping centres. Even before we were married, he likes to go to Chinatown instead of Orchard road..ha Anyway, we only bought some food for supper that night, nothing else but we enjoyed the walk there.

Our supper for that night! Actually not fantastic lah haha. The black thing is their carrot cake. They smelled heavenly when the uncle was frying on the street. When we opened it in the room, gosh smelled great but........ its tasteless ahha they did not put garlic and cai por like we do in Singapore.

That night, Amanda slept late too at 11 plus all the way till morning. No night feeds yeah!

At the hotel the next morning before we head out for our breakfast

Behind us is how the hotel signboard looks like in the morning

We went to a shop called Long Fatt for breakfast. Its recommended in Axian food show (a popular food show in Malaysia) for its teochew porridge.

We were there at 8.30am and were their first customers but not all the dishes are ready yet. But its really good. Simple but good. The asam fish shown in the pic above have been cooked for 12 hrs or more and the bones just melt in your mouth. No fear of fish bones! We will be back next time when we come to Malacca. Just to note, they are usually sold out by afternoon and are closed on Sunday and PH.

Nancy's kitchen- a peranakan cafe which we will try the next time

We walked around and saw how people there sell their pork in the shop. The pork are displayed in the open. No fridge, nothing. Its a no no in Singapore. We also went Tong Hup, a wholesaler shop to buy some things.

Why did Daddy take this pic? hmmm must be some food he wanted to try next time. Must ask him again. I really have pea sized brain nowadays... bleh

Outside San Shu Gong. Told her to do the xiao xi xi face haha. Bought some local food there.

Our little food taster

We settled our lunch at this chicken rice shop. That's Axian photo there.

Our lunch. Frankly, I like Singapore's chicken rice more as I like "hard" rice. But the chicken is nice and I love the black bean soup here. I usually can't find black bean soup outside except in my own mum's kitchen.

After lunch, we slowly made out way back to the hotel for a short rest before checking out. We thoroughly enjoy ourselves although its tiring cos Amanda wanted us to carry at times or she was walking too slowly haha.

But ..bye Malacca, we will be back soon!

Finally, we went to the zoo last month on 18th July 2010. Its Amanda's first trip there. We have been wanting to go for the longest time but the trip was always cancelled at the last minute. I was in fact quite excited about it.

However, on that morning, it started raining cats and dogs! We decided to still go ahead with the trip when the rain subsized and was only drizzling.

At the entrance of zoo

Its a first for us too to use umbrellas at the zoo haha

She insisted holding the umbrella herself..............

I cannot remember what we are looking at....................

The little girl *sa jiao*

Waiting for the animal show to start. I think its called *rain forest* or something

After the 1st animal show, we rushed to the second theater for another animal show by the sea animals.

With wai por and auntie cat

With her papa

Telling her papa where to go?

She got excited at kids world when she saw the goats.

As Amanda was still coughing and having running nose, she could not play at the water area and she was really envious of the kids playing there.

One of the few things she can *play*

Inside the souvenier shop at kids world

Waiting for the animal show to start at kids world

At the end of the animal show, kids can take pictures with the dogs and there are bubbles. Kids love bubbles.

We only managed to cover part of the zoo before Amanda fell asleep. We did not see many animals that Amanda was familiar with. The trip was ok as Amanda was a little unwell and was not that excited throughout the trip. We will be back again some day.