2 Going 1 Way
A blog following the adventures of Sam and Georgi around the world. Join us on our adventure as we travel, eat, inspire.
Melaka was our final stop in Malaysia and I wish we had spent more time there! On planning our trip we were chatting to people in a hostel and a group told us there wasn’t much to do, from now on we won’t be listening to other people.
Melaka is beautiful, it’s a cross between Hoi An’s bustling old town and George Town’s quirky street art and cafes. The most beautiful, road level river, runs throughout Melaka’s centre. Lined with street art, bars, cafes and numerous art galleries, the place is so picturesque.
The best way to see the UNESCO heritage site is to take a short river cruise. The cruise costs RM18pp (£3ish) and only takes around 40minutes, but you get to see the river meander through the arty backdrops of the quaint cafes.
After the river cruise we popped into Sid’s Pub at Jonkers. A lovely little tourist trap but provides a great view over the river and a damn good Guinness! We also saw some massive monitor lizards swimming around by the pub, an added bonus and worth a mention.
When you start to delve deeper into Melaka and veer off down the side streets, you come across street art similar to George Town, Penang (see HERE for George Town street art). You can spend hours wondering the streets taking pictures and chatting to the artists as they paint. Who said there was nothing to do??
The famous Jonker street night market runs Friday-Sunday, unfortunately when we arrived Sunday night all we wanted to do was eat so we missed the market. BUT you have to go to Pak Putra Tandoori and Naan restaurant for a curry! One of the best food experiences so far on our trip. The crowds of locals and tourists all flock to this eatery, where the restaurant floods into the street. The menu is priced for locals, a whole tandoori chicken was RM11! We dined like kings, the curries were outstanding and the naan breads were top drawer. The guys serving were so attentive, as soon as it started to spit with rain they quickly set up indoors and moved everyone in table by table. Make sure you arrive early as they fill up so quickly!
Just like George Town, there are so many art galleries turned coffee shops and bars turned art gallery! We spent both our nights trawling through them, sampling the local beers and taking in the local music. There’s a number of expat owned bars running through the main strip. We enjoyed “Me and Mrs Jones”, the owner even dedicated a song to Georgi hahaha
The whole town has a lovely, friendly vibe to it with loads of artists and travellers all going about their own business, my mum would love Melaka. We shall return!