Melacca

It's the Nation's Birthday and we were comtemplating on what to do. By the time we decided to head up north, heritage-filled hotels were no longer available for booking via the www. Still, we set off at 6am and headed for 2nd Link. Petrol aside, it was pay and pay from Tuas (S$4.60) all the way to Melacca(approx. S$16). Thankfully, we were not stopped by some traffic police for wrongfully-wrong reasons; which include 'tinted windows', 'speeding', 'tempered engine', etc., which'd burn another RM50(S$21).

Our first stop over was at YongPeng's (Exit 242 on NSE2) Pusat Mekanan Mewah where I had the awesomest Bak Kut Teh. Unlike local garlicky/pepperish soups we are used to, the one we had was indescribable. M had wanton mee at RM2.80. Giggles; so cheap! The noodles were damn soft!

Headed back on NSE2; in an attempt to top up the Touch&Go card, we exited at AyerHitam, as instructed by many locals. Apparantly, there's a petrol kiosk near the toll gate that offer top up services-totally wrong. At a T junction, my instincts told m to turn right. Landed at SheII without top-up facility and many locals who look like robbers. Cost of unfamilarity: RM8.

Using my self drawn map (the last thing we want to know is that we're lost), we headed back E2 and continued the ardous drive towards Ayer Keroh Toll (Exit 231). Topped up touch&go at one of the toll gate; forgot where.

Top priority was to get a roof over our heads, so m can take a rest from long hours of driving and we can down more chendol. Chanced upon a budget hotel that quoted us RM60/night.

Instead, we quoted her 40/night. So the very next question i asked m was, 'Jonker street can bargain or not huh?' Haha, cheap thrills lah!

From then, it was eat drive/walk shop eat drive/walk shop!
The mediocres we had were meesua,coffee and lime juice; which could never go wrong.
Famosa chicken rice balls were hard and starchy, maybe cause it's machine made, but their roasted chicken's nice and juicy. Nothing compared to one I've had locally, where the rice balls were soft and fluffy. Famous 88JS's baba laksa and baba rendang chicken was nice and forgettable, but nothing beats our..
Highlight of the trip: Carnation Crab! The carnation sauce was spicy, sour and sweet at the same time.
Oh, chendol. It's the first time i had a bowl of chendol to myself. I tell you, it's so different from the ones we have here. I don't like the smell of local chendol+evaporated milk+coconut milk, much less eat it. But the ones in Melacca, look deceivingly plain and smells darn sweet. Their secret? They rain, not drizzle, gula melaka over crushed ice, and hide loads of red beans, sweet corn, and atap chee (yucks) beneath. Not sure if they add evaporated milk+coconut milk, but it sure was pleasing to my tastebuds! One outlet had its kitchen windows tinted, but i got a picture nonetheless. Teeheehee. And when we were back the next day, the chendol 'chef' cheekily said to m in malayu, 'ah take picture ah huh?'
Haha!

Of cause, we were back in Sg for pledge moment. And had a Sg flag in the car, in case we didnt make it back on time.
Ilovesingapore, lah!