|
Day 10 |
Monday 29 April 2002 |
From
Singapore to Malacca |
Note: Photos do not have individual links to save
server space. The full size photo links are at the bottom of the page. The
diaries are provided for context and perspective – but you can go straight to
the photos if you wish.
Up
reasonably early and at 7.45, made a booking for the 11 am departure. Breakfast
was good and quick, and we were able to pack and checkout with a minimum of fuss.
Caught a cab to the Lavender Street bus depot. The word depot is rather loosely
used. It is in fact, a paddock with some temporary rented offices and shipping
containers used for the same purpose. The buses however looked quite good and
modern. We were there just in time for the 10 am departure – so we changed
across to that.
The
tickets were only $13 each – tremendous value for the 4 hour journey. The price
compared very favourably to the quote of $360 for a pre-arranged transfer. Our
bus was very modern and comfortable and we were soon on our way to Tuah – the
new bridge crossing to mainland Malaysia in the far west of the island. We were
able to pass through immigration and customs very quickly – particularly so
since it is a two-step process – once leaving Singapore and another entering
Malaysia.
One
disturbing aspect of the bus was that it was speed limited to 80 km/h and once
that speed was achieved, the bus let out a loud whistle. Since the limit was
often exceeded, it was initially very annoying. Once we hit the freeway system
in Malaysia however, he sat on 100+ km/h and the engine noise soon drowned out
the whistle.
The
driver was fine on freeways – but really came into his own once we departed the
freeways (toll ways) and moved onto the local road / highway system. He became
just as feral as every other local driver, throwing common sense and manners
out the door. Overtaking over double lines, around bends and on the crest of
hills was his speciality. I could see
the headlines now ‘tourist brush kills 15 including 2 Australians’. The horn
was the most used accessory on the bus.
One
such diversion was to Ayer Hitam (literally ‘half way’). We had a 20+ minute
stopover in a fairly grubby roadside café where everyone got to buy food but
the drivers (all the busses stopped here!) had their own section to eat – and
were provided with generous spreads for which no money seemed to change hands.
It even cost 20c to go into a very grubby toilet. The saving grace was a
pottery / nick-knack store across the road. Not being hungry, Chris and I
wandered across and filled in the time there.
|
|
|
|
We
were soon on our way again – making a stop in the busy town of Muar before
reaching Malacca at around 3 pm. That was around 30 minutes late – and largely
affected by traffic hold-ups because of extensive road works just outside
Malacca.
The
national bus terminal was more formal here than in Singapore, and was a hive of
activity as this now seems to be a hub for national bus lines. While we could
easily see our hotel from the terminal, we needed to get a cab, as it was
across the river and difficult to reach on foot. The cab fare – like all others
around Malacca we were assured, was RM10 ($5). Seemed worth it, but since
Malacca is now a sea of one way streets, we had to go a heck of a long way to
get to an otherwise very close destination.
My
first impression of Malacca was that it hadn’t changed that much – other than
traffic was now more of a nightmare than I remember.
We were staying at the
Renaissance Hotel. Late of the Ramada chain, it was now attached to Marriott.
While it is a genuine 5 star hotel (and the best in Malacca), it is starting to
show its age. It is well located northeast of Newcomb Road near Bukit China. Most of the recent
development has been at the waterfront, where massive reclamation program has
provided plenty of land – and facilitated a bypass freeway right on the beach.
Land use is questionable and development largely ad-hoc. They have however, put
substantial tourism effort into developing the A Formosa historical area –
including setting up a land locked Portuguese ship and maritime museum, and
further developing / refurbishing the Dutch fort into a museum.
The
waterfront is also the location of a large resort and an adjacent Mahkota
shopping centre, however both of these were disappointing and although
relatively new, had already fallen into disrepair.
We
decided to head back to the hotel, and although hot and tired, decided to walk.
We went round in circles and got lost – notwithstanding that we could see our
hotel. We made our way back to the Fort and caught a trishaw back to the hotel.
|
|
|
The RM 10 ride was worth it for the experience alone.
While he seemed to know what he was doing, going the wrong way up the narrow
one-way streets was not a problem for the driver – as long he could ring his
bell. We got him to drop us off where we could get some Tiger for the night,
and got back to the hotel at night fall. |
Had
dinner at the local ‘Formosa Chicken’ franchise. Had chicken and rice and satay
that you cooked yourself at the table. Very nice.
|
Back to
the room and a nip or two of Irish Mist before retiring. Another hot and exhausting
(although interesting) day. |
|
|
|
Day 11 |
Tuesday 30 April 2002 |
Malacca |
Got
up late (we seemed to have slept in late a lot on this holiday). Breakfast in the restaurant was
excellent – although you have to put up with no bacon in Muslim Malaysia.
Went for a walk North to the bus terminal area and
looked over the local food market. As in Singapore (only worse), this was not a
good idea. Filthy! 
We also wandered around
the adjacent multi storey shopping centre (Plaza Hung Tuah), and although the
shops were relatively modern, they too were filthy and run-down. The thought
that kept cropping up was why development in Malacca was out of step with
development in all other parts of Malaysia that we have visited over the past
10 years. It must have something to do with the local government …..
Although
it was hot, we walked down to Chinatown (how that gets designated is not
obvious to the uninitiated) – including Jonkers Street (Jalan Hang Jebat).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
While
tourism brochures are big on this street, we must be a bit fussy because it
failed to impress. There were a couple of fine temples there, and the coffin
manufacturing shop was interesting…..
We
wandered off to look at the Maritime Museum – but it was shut on Tuesdays. Just
our luck. We went across to the Dutch Stadthuys museum which depicted the
period when the city was under Dutch control, and that was quite interesting –
and worth the minimal entry fee.
|
|
|
|
|
We made our way back to the hotel and had a rest
and a cup of tea and some pastries that we had bought locally. Chris wanted a
swim and a read, and I wanted to wander. I found a place for dinner (the City
Bayview hotel) and took some local photos.
Got
back to the hotel and had a quick swim then back to the room for a rest. I teed
up with a Captain Shatif that we could go look at Terendak tomorrow at 11 am.
That was only after considerable persuasive argument – since he wanted me to
write to obtain permission. Note for next time – write from home before you
leave. In the event, he was quite helpful and set everything up for me. He
stressed though, that one of the guard would need to accompany us over the camp
– and that under no circumstances could we take any photos. I was looking
forward to it.
We
had a nap for an hour or so. We went down for another swim and a read. The pool was fantastic – although they were
replacing all the trees that surround it and as a result, it didn’t 
present as well as it
would normally.
Went
back and showered and had a beer and some nuts before dinner.
Dinner
was fantastic.
|
|
For RM 20
each, we had;
|
|
How can they do that?
For
drinks they had a wine promotion. Wine which is normally prohibitive was only
$24 for a bottle of French wine (Chardonnay style). We partook and it finished
the meal beautifully.
Back
to the room after a short walk to move the dinner down.
Retired
relatively early after another fabulous day.
|
Day 12 |
Wednesday 1 May 2002 |
Malacca |
Slept
in again as it had rained heavily all night – plenty of thunder and lightning
through the night. Great breakfast again – but a bit later today at 9.15. Still
ample time for our 11am visit.
It
was a public holiday in Malaysia so it was quieter outside. After breakfast,
the weather again set in. The river – down to a stream for the
past 2 days, had now overflowed. 
The rain did not let up –
and from our 14th floor room, you could see no end.
At
10.45 I rang to defer our 11 am meeting at Terendak. Curiously, the guard house
knew nothing about it in any event, and I had to go through the whole process
again – setting a time for 1 pm. Fingers crossed.
By
12.30, the deluge had stopped to a drizzle. We jumped downstairs and grabbed a
cab. On advice from the Hotel concierge, we negotiated RM
50 for 2 hours with the cabbie. He was 
OK but he didn’t have much
English. Cab was a beat up Nissan.
Some
observations from the drive out to the camp;
The road is widened, straightened and much
improved.
The town has developed to the extent that it has
spread all the way out to Terendak
More of the coast is visible on the trip – because
development has replaced the natural vegetation (unless my memory is playing
tricks – and that shouldn’t be entirely discounted – it was after all 35 years
ago!)
There are some very large condo developments on
the road – maybe 35 storeys. Many others have been started but not completed –
a result I guess of the Asian financial crisis of 2-3 years ago.
There are some large resort developments at Tanjon
Kling.
There is a large Petronas oil refinery 2/3 of the
way out – right on the beach.
There is an army camp at Sungei Udang – on the
beach 3 kms from Terendak. That may have been there previously, but I can’t
remember it.
The entrance to ‘Kem Terendak’ 
is largely unchanged –
although the ‘Strip’ out the front is a lot larger, has spread to the other
side of the road, and is generally in a state of disrepair. Some of the old
signs are still there – including the ‘Evergreen Tailor’
We made our way into the camp. The driveway
is very familiar to the first hill. Once over the hill, the first big change
hits you. Opposite the garrison guardhouse, there is an enormous mosque –
modern and magnificent. This spells out loudly that this is now a Malay camp.
The guardhouse is in the same location – but has been remodelled – with more
parking for visitors.
We
picked up our escort – a Corporal from the Malay regiment. We can go wherever
we liked – but NO PICTURES!
We
went first to the 8RAR Lines.
It
took us about 5 minutes to get through there but we were eventually allowed to
proceed. There had been a minor upgrade to the guardhouse, and the main sports
grounds contained admin buildings of some sort and an enlarged transport
section.
The
insignia on the Parade Ground had been changed to Malay, and the only other
perceivable change was the presence of cars and bikes around the quarters. The
place looked pretty untidy – and being a public holiday, there were some guys
around the place in civvies. We drove the length of the quarters and down to
the mess – but didn’t get out of the car.
The
whole area needs a spruce up – and a bit of ‘area beautification’. They mustn’t
have as much time on their hands as we used to have. Chris was fascinated because
she didn’t realise how big the place was – despite me having talked about it
over the years.
We
headed off to the community centre – which is still there and largely
unchanged. Only the Cinema remains in good condition. The square in the centre
is completely overgrown with weeds. The chapels seemed to be being used for
storage of some sorts – and these too, had fallen into disrepair. The Bank
building is being used as a library.
We
headed off to the hospital, and that looked both in good condition and
unchanged. Opposite the entrance to the hospital is a new recruit training
centre.
We
headed off to the beach club – and they took us firstly to the officers’ beach
club by mistake. It was in good condition, but I’d not seen it before so can’t
compare.
We
trundled around to the OR’s Beach Club. It was in top-notch condition but
without tables and chairs – or anything else for that matter. Our escort
advised that they just don’t use it any more. Didn’t know why not….. The pool
was there and still being used. It too was a little run down but still
serviceable. The whole area was protected from the beach by a cyclone wire
fence. I don’t recall that being there previously – and it certainly detracted
from the appearance of the area. The squash courts were still there – but
completely dilapidated and overgrown. I’d say they haven’t been used in years.
Did
the familiar drive back to the guardhouse through the once ‘married quarters’.
These are now largely units for civilians that now work on the base (in this
era of privatisation). These were in very bad repair, filthy and disappointing.
As with any (poor) Asian community, washing was strewn from balconies and on
poles out of windows etc, and the stucco was in great need of repaint and
repair.
We
dropped off our escort and thanked all present for their assistance, since it
had been a really worthwhile experience. Stopped and took some pics on the way
out of the camp and at the ‘strip’.
|
|
|
|
|
Back
in town, we paid our cabbie RM 53 (we took longer than 2 hours) and he dropped
us at the Maritime museum. For the RM2 entry fee, you got to look over the
Portuguese Sailing ship,
|
|
|
|
|
|
the attached Naval history museum, and the WW11 Naval museum on the
other side of the road. Such is the extent of reclamation here, I am sure this
would have been on the beach when we were there – and it is now 500-600 meters
inland.
We
went for another stroll around the town – and taking in the river.
|
|
|
|
The river
is a lot cleaner than it was – and certainly not as smelly. It does however
suffer from being a river that floods regularly, and inevitably that means
that rubbish washes down with the rainwater. |
We
went back to the hotel and had a swim and a freshen up. We then went for a walk
and picked up the tickets for the return trip to Singapore the following day at
10 am. Interestingly, although the cost was $13 each on the way up, it was only
$8.75 each on the way back. There must be some subtlety in pricing that I don’t
understand.
Back
to the hotel for a drink and a nap followed
by another swim and some reading.
Being
our last full night, we decided to lash out – and had the Malacca seafood
buffet at the Renaissance. At RM 42 each it was tremendous value. Plenty of
oysters, mussels and prawns as well as baked whole fish and any number of other
seafood dishes. Breads and deserts were also magnificent, and we finished off
with tea and coffee.
Walk after dinner – trying to get hold of some night shots – but there wasn’t much in the offing. Pleasant enough walk though – before heading back to the room to pack for the return journey that started the following morning.
See the
Malacca today photos Here
See the
Malacca History photos Here
See
More General photos Here
|
|
Or send me an e-Mail
