Feeling "cooked" since morning.
Guess some of you are aware that Laogong and I were stuck in a terrible 4hrs jam at the customs on Friday as we travelled from Singapore to Melaka for our long weekends. Yesterday's jam on our way back was slightly better but still it took us 2.5hrs to pass Msia and Sg customs.
Surprisingly, Laogong who never likes jams, was pretty cool about the jams. I do agree with him that the jams created the opportunities for us to spend time together "doing nothing" but chatting about ourselves. Back at home, we often had to juggle with our multiple roles as employees and parents etc. We hardly have any time to chat about ourselves and we had not gone on a holidays as a couple for over a year. We did have staycations but I think staycations do not serve its purpose as well as travelling further away from the borders.
Laogong and I believe every couple should maintain their marriage and not only focus on their parenting roles after we have kids. Should we not maintain our marriage and roles as spouses, we may experience the empty nests symptoms after our children grow up and have their own lives. We need to acknowledge our individualism and couplehood, so that lives go on for the parents even if the children are able to fend and provide for themselves.
It was sweet Laogong who suggested to go on this getaway. He felt that I needed a break from my busy work schedule and we need some couple time. I would like him not to spend too much time on the road and yet watch our budget. Melaka seems like a good place for a short getaway. I personally like its laid-back feel and rich peranakan heritage. And of coz, its rich varieties of food.
Some friends asked me why am I revisiting Melaka again less than one year since my last trip to Melaka. Well, Melaka may seem small but we still have some unsettled "business" there.
Last year, we didn't walked through the Jonker weekends night market because of the hot weather. However, this round it was windy on our first night, so we decided to walk and eat our "dinner" at the night market.
We not only tried various nice food such as satay, otah, fried oyster, coconut ice cream, bbq korean quail eggs and coconut jelly, we also bought many good priced loots...
Satay, Otah and Fried Oysters
Coconut Jelly (again)!
All-time favorite - Coconut Icecream
My Loots for myself and my little Js
This round we didn't shop in the shopping centres and we didn't sing KTV, but we tried local food in local-recommended eateries/restaurants.
It was really nice of my KL friend, Stephen, to drive down to Melaka to meet us for a catch up. It was even nicer of his Melaka friend, to recommend us to eateries frequented by locals. I always believe the eateries frequently visited by locals serve more authentic local food than those recommended by travel websites or bloggers.
Satay Celup
I was a bit disappointed for not having the satay celup last year. And was glad we finally get a taste of it this year. However, I still prefer the first satay celup I had in year 2007, which was thicker and more flavorful.
Nevertheless, it costs only RM1 per stick here... Where to find such good deal? We had 73 sticks with 3 drinks and it costs us only RM84.. Burps!
Local Nyonya Food
There are so many Nyonya restaurants in Melaka but this one we went to was recommended by Stephen's friend who was born and grew up in Melaka.
The rice was uniquely blue and flavorful because it was made with morning glory. We also tried the tau gua rojak and the chendol. Unlike the chendol I had before which focus on the gula melaka taste, the chendol we had were served with thick coconut milk.
Indian Nann
Stephen told me the Indian eatery he brought us to was never to be missed. It was a pity we overate at dinner, and hence we could only order 2 Nann and 1 chicken dish to try the taste. I will definitely go back again soon!
Last but not least, Laogong and I are big fans of A&W. So how can we miss it during our trip? I still love the waffle with ice cream and the root beer float most!
We really don't mind going back to Melaka again soon. But the next time we go, maybe we will think about how to make it a family-friendly trip ^^
Talking about family-friendly trips, I would be sharing more about the family trips we had been to and will be going to in the other new label "Familytrips". In this new label, I will like to share the suitability of each trip location and what to take note of when travelling with young children. Sharing of family local dayouts will be posted under "DayOuts".
Though I feel cooked after this couple trip, I feel more bonded with Laogong now. I seriously look forward to more of such couple trips ^^