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Just last week, I went to the Transformers Cybertron Con 2012 held in Resort World Sentosa. I am not a big fan of Transformers even though I do watched the movies. One of the main attraction of this event was giant size – 22 feet Optimus Prime on display. Besides this, there was also a comprehensive range of Transformers toys on display; from the past to the present. I bought the entry ticket at the booth which start at $12 onwards. There were lots of parents bringing their noisy kids along as it was also school holidays at that time. But there were many young adults and teenagers too; many should be avid fans of Transformers.

Transformers Cybetron Con 2012

22 Feet Transformers Optimus Prime

When I looked at the 22 feet Optimus Prime; it was very tall but not so spectacular as I expected. It would be great if the giant Optimus Prime could make some basic movements like extending out its arms.  Also I felt that the head of the Optimus Prime was really too small that you can hardly see it. The body was too overwhelming with different parts sticking around its upper torso. The arms and legs are huge but the hands are too small. I don’t recalled Optimus Prime looking like this – maybe this is the latest version.

Transformers Bumblebee

Transformers Optimus Prime

I think the best part of this event was the huge collection of Transformers toys on display. I think there should be more that 1000 Transformers toys – ranging from the earliest series to the latest; and there is the Japanese version as well. It took me more than one hour just to view all the toys; and I really enjoyed it even though I am not a Transformers fan. I saw parents buying toys for their kids; and young children sitting down watching Transformers movies. This place is almost liked a carnival for kids to enjoy themselves. One thing that can be improved upon was to put up benches around the exhibition corners for parents and visitors to sit and rest. My feet does get tired after standing for 2 hours and I don’t want to watch the Transformers cartoon movie just to sit and relax.

Transformers Soundwave

Perhaps the next Transformers Cyberton event could be held in more central location as in Suntec City Exhibition hall or Expo Exhibition hall next to Tanah Merah MRT. These 2 locations are definitely more accessible and convenient for the public. Getting to Sentosa means that I need to take a monorail or bus into Sentosa island – a waste of time and incurring extra transport charges too.

Transformers Cybetron Con 2012

Transformers

Gold Plated Transformers

Transformers Cybetron Con 2012

I will try to put up the range of Transformers toys photos into my photo gallery section of my website at ImageSingapore.com as soon as I have the time to do so.

I took a trip to Haw Par Villa with my friend on a weekday afternoon. Nowadays it is easy to go there -simply take a MRT train and alight at Haw Par Villa MRT. Get out of the train station and turn right. The Haw Par Villa is just a few minutes walk away from the train station. The good thing about going to this Chinese theme park is that it is totally free – no entrance free to pay. This theme park is the only one in Singapore or in fact in Asia with more than 1000 statues and 150 huge dioramas depicting Chinese mythology, the famous Journey to the West scenes and the scary 10 Courts of Hell. Other statutes and dioramas may not make sense like the Statue of Liberty, a huge gorilla, koala bears, lady in clam shell, old man sucking on a lady breast??, a vintage car with the tiger’s head, etc.

Entrance to Haw Par Villa

My first impression was that this place really need a good maintenance and upgrading work as it looked worn out. Dried leaves scattered all over the ground, the pond was filled with dark greenish water and many statues have the worn out appearance; but I saw a few workers doing some painting and maintenance work on the statues. Even though there is no entrance fee, it was very quiet when I was there; there were hardly any visitors. It was hot and humid on that day and luckily I brought along sun shade and 2 bottles of mineral water.

Lots of Statues in Haw Par Villa

I find Haw Par Villa a very unique and interesting Chinese theme park. Lots of bizarre and unusual statues; a riot of colors everywhere and there were lots of stories about filial piety, doing good and punishment for evil deeds. In short, this theme park really has its own unique character and charm. The 10 Courts of Hell is a must see – though it is advisable not to bring little kids along if they are afraid of statues depicting gruesome violence and blood. My friend told me that the scenes depicted in the Courts of Hell are too extreme and violent. Perhaps the message is simply to tell people to be good and do good deeds.

Vintage Car with a Tiger's Head

I took about 2 hours to complete the tour of the Haw Par Villa theme park. By that time, I was feeling very hot and slightly tired. There are plenty of benches around the park to rest but there was no cafe or canteen where visitors can buy drinks and food. If you are visiting Singapore, the Haw Par Villa is worth taking the time to visit. In fact, it is the most bizarre and colorful theme park that I ever have visited.

Old Man sucking a Young Lady breast. No idea what is this all about.

Sumo Wrestlers

What is this all about?

Beautiful Pagoda

The pond at Haw Par Villa needs a clean up

A Giant Gorilla in the middle of nowhere

Moral of the story - don't be enticed by Lust and sex

Giant Face Mask of Justice Pao

Lots of tales and stories depicted in many statues

Statue of Liberty - a much smaller version

There is even a statue of a turtle and a frog riding on Large Birds at Haw Par Villa.

I visited the Marina Barrage again because my friend had wanted to see this place and he is not sure on how to get there. So this would be my third visit to the Marina Barrage since last year. My friend and I took a MRT train to Marina Bay and then a bus to Marina Barrage. The free shuttle bus service did not arrived at the schedule time and so we took Bus No. 400. I have also written 2 blogs last year about this place; and if you are keen to read about it, here is the link:-

Visit to Marina Barrage

 Open Flood Gate at Marina Barrage

When I was there, the place was very quiet, there were only a handful of visitors – why aren’t the tourists visiting this place? Personally, I felt that this place is worth visiting and is an ideal place for picnic and newly wed couples wanting to take their wedding photos. Anyway, I took the opportunity to take some photos of the Sustainable Singapore Gallery at the Marina Barrage. There are all together six galleries and is free admission too. Another advantage is that if you feel hot after taking photos or looking at the reservoir, this is a nice place to cool off as the air conditioned is very cool. It took me about one hour to complete browsing through the six galleries and the exhibit does give you a good history of Singapore and a understanding of water technology and environment challenges.

My friend told me that the Marina Barrage is a nice place to relax your mind and body. He said that next time if he feel stressed out from work or feeling down, this is a good place to contemplate and recharged. Well, I think the water element in this place does make a person more relax; and the wide open space is very good for picnic or flying kites. Do remember to bring along a bottle of mineral water or your some snacks; as there is no food kiosk over here.

Gallery at Marina Barrage

Artistic Display at Marina Barrage Gallery

Beautiful Gallery At Marina Barrage

Model of the Marina Barrage on Display

Since 2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon, I have took some photos of dragon ornaments and sculptures. Just thought I share it here in this blog. The Chinese believe that the Dragon is a symbol of Power, Energy and Superiority – so the Dragon is a revered symbol. Hopefully most of us will take this auspicious year to build our wealth, have a healthy body and invest our money and time in meaningful activities.

The photos that I have shown here are taken in Singapore during the Chinese New Year period. If you are visiting Singapore during the Chinese New Year holidays, take note that many shops and even malls are closed during this festive holidays. So if you are here mainly for shopping, it would be wiser to choose another date. This is because the Chinese forms that majority  of the population here.

Anyway, in this Year of the Dragon, I wish everyone Good Health, Success, Happiness and Peace.

Twin Dragons

Dragons in Motion

Dragon

Dragon Display outside a Shopping Mall

Dragon Display at Marina Bay Singapore

Dragon Display during Chinese New Year at Marina Bay

A few days ago, I took a bus from Johor Bahru CIQ or alternatively called JB Sentral to Johor Premium Outlets ( JPO ). The first thing that I did before the trip was to check the bus time schedule on the JPO’s website. When I arrived at JB Sentral bus station, I noted that the time table as stated in the JPO’s website was not updated. There was a new bus time schedule pasted on the bus bay No. 6. The bus number that goes to Johor Premium Outlets was JPO1 and there were only a handful of people taking this bus – perhaps became it was a weekday. The bus driver told me that the bus fare was RM4-50 for a single trip; therefore a return trip would cost RM9. The bus was new and clean but the air-conditioned was not strong enough as it was a hot sunny day. The bus ride was smooth and it stopped and picked up passengers along the way at designated bus stops.

This is the bus that goes to JPO

The bus journey from JB Sentral to Johor Premium Outlets took about one hour. I alighted at JPO’s bus bay and I saw that there was a wide open space car park right next to it. The entire place looked spacious and looked almost resort liked. There were literally hundreds of Malaysian registered cars parked at the car park during that day. I saw many locals as I walked along the outdoor pavement between stores. There were many designer brand stores in the JPO and many of the items were on sale – the discount range from 20 – 70%. Some of my friends told me that the prices of the merchandise in JPO are not cheap; well I think price and value is something subjective and personal. Still there is a good crowd of shoppers during that day looking for good bargain.

The JPO1 bus is clean and new

The updated bus time schedule

There is a food court and a few restaurants in the JPO. It would be nice if the management could invite fast food chain such as Macdonald’s, Pizza Hut or KFC to operate there. The food court was air-conditioned but not all the stalls were taken up. Then there is also a Coffee joint, a Japanese restaurant and a Chinese restaurant. For those who need a rest, there were plenty of benches along the rows of shop outlets; but as the benches were placed outdoor, the heat can be quite unbearable if it is a hot sunny day. If you need to cool off, then you need to step inside any of the shops which are air-conditioned.

Wide Open Space at JPO

I took about 2 hours to browse through the various shops selling a wide variety of merchandise; there were a few shops which I skipped. Thereafter, I walked to the bus bay and took the bus back to JB Sentral. Personally, I would not be visiting this place as often I have visited other malls in Johor Bahru. That is because, JPO is mainly a mall for selling clothes, bags and fashion accessories which I have no interest in it. I don’t see the need to travel so far just to buy a pair of good shoes or shirt. If  the management of JPO can build another mainstream shopping mall next to it, then I would be keen in visiting this place.

One of the fashion outlet in JPO

Coach Shop in JPO

Designer shoes and bags outlet in JPO

This is Part 2 of the photos of Melaka Trip 2011. A friend of mine just came back from Melaka and he told me that the place was crowded especially in Jonker Street. I told him to avoid going there during the school holiday season. The months of November to December are always the time when parents would bring their kids for holidays; and Melaka is one of the easiest and favorite place to visit for the Singaporeans.

I notice that a lot of buildings and houses in Melaka are painted in red. Red must be the auspicious color; and indeed many Chinese consider the color red as lucky. Personally I do not liked the stay in a home painted red. I find that it is too bright and glaring. There is a hotel called Aldy Hotel in Stadhuys which is near the river and historical site and it is painted totally red.  If you looked carefully, even the airconditioned compressors are painted in paprika red – which I think is quite awful. Anyway one man’s food or delight is another man’s poision, so to speak. The Aldy hotel location is really good as you can walked to Jonker Street, visit historical sites and shopping malls nearby. If you don’t mind staying in a simple and comfortable hotel with good location, then this is the place.

Aldy Hotel in Stadhuys Melaka

I liked the decorated doors of some of the historical shops along Jonker Street. It is artistic and is liked having Chinese calligraphy art on the main door.  You can also see a signage written in Chinese on top of the main door. I asked a friend of mine and she told me that the Chinese characters are the surnames or names of the family staying in that home.

Beautiful Chinese Calligraphy Door and Windows in Jonker Street Melaka

Beautiful Chinese Calligraphy Door and Windows in Melaka

The Stadhuys Museum Complex is a historical building that was built in 1641 to 1656 and it is also painted red. Back in the old days, it was formally used by the Governor as his residence. Now it is a museum. The Christ Church was built in 1753 and it is the oldest Prostestant Church in Malaysia. I understand that it took about 12 years to build this church; and it is constructed without joints. And again, it is painted red, naturally. The Church does not allow taking of photos inside their premises. The Christ Church is a beautiful historical church and it is just next to the Stadhuys Museum.

Stadhuys Melaka

Christ Church Melaka

As I continued walking along this historical site, I saw a few antique canons rested on the old brick walls.  There is nothing much too see beside the old canons which is facing the river. Most tourists would simply take photos and move along. These old canons reminds me of the poem from Lord Tennyson – The Charge of the Light Brigade. I used to read his poems in my younger days. Here is an excerpt of it -

“Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.”

Historical Walls and Canons in Melaka

Historical Walls and Canons in Melaka

And near to antique canons, there is also a watermill and it is called The Melaka Sultanate Watermill. It was built quite recently in 2007 and it is the largest watermill in Malaysia.The cost of building this mill is RM1.5 million and it stand at 13 meter. The building of this watermill was based on Islamic technology. At the time when I was there, the watermill was not moving at all.

The Melaka Sultanate Watermill

And as I walked along the river, there is a huge old ship which is called the Replica of Flor De Lamar. It is a replica of the Portugese galleon and you need to buy a ticket in order to visit this exhibition.

Replica of Flor De Lamar in Melaka

For shopping, I visited the Dataran Pahlawan Megamall and the Mahkota Parade Mall – both of them are near to Holiday Inn Hotel. These 2 malls are very spacious but they don’t have a supermarket as an anchor tenant. I would normally buy beers and snacks and would consumed them in my hotel room in the night while watching TV; and the best place to buy beer and snacks is the supermarket. Anyway, I couldn’t find any shop selling beers in Dataran Pahlawan Megamall and also in Mahkota Parade Mall. There are plenty of fast food outlets over here, so you will never go hungry.

Mahkota Parade Mall in Melaka

Dataran Pahlawan Megamall Melaka

Dataran Pahlawan Megamall Melaka

That is the end of my photos of Melaka trip for the year 2011. I will put up more photos of Melaka when I visit Melaka next year in 2012. Many thanks for taking your time to visit my blog.

Just visited a new mall in the eastern part of Singapore and it is called the Changi City Point Mall. This brand new mall is located just next to the Singapore Expo MRT.  So those residents staying in the Eastern part of Singapore have a new mall to visit and do their shopping. What I liked about this mall is that it is very spacious and designed friendly for the shoppers. Unlike the Tampines Mall which is very cramped with shops and kiosks making walking so difficult for shoppers, this new mall is really spacious and there are plenty of seats on each floor if you need to rest.

Changi City Point Mall

Changi City Point Mall is very spacious

The Changi City Point Mall has a roof top garden, playground, an outdoor amphitheatre, landscaped garden and two food courts. There are plenty of food outlets and restaurants. I saw  a few factory outlets for branded clothes and shoes. There is a Cold Storage supermarket, Watsons and Guardian Pharmacy as well. The only complain that I have is the washroom, which I think is too small. Shoppers may have to queue up to use the washroom if the mall is crowded. The shops in the mall have not been totally leased; so there are pockets of empty stores here and there. I do hope to see more shops selling different merchandise and less food outlets and restaurants; otherwise it would be just another boring mall.

Changi City Point Mall - Lots of food outlets and restaurants in this mall

Changi City Point Mall - Roof top garden

I would definitely visit Changi City Point Mall again; especially when I am in Singapore Expo to visit an exhibition. This mall is definitely a nice place to relax, shop and have a meal.

Changi City Point Mall - Lots of trees and plants around this mall.

Changi City Point Mall

This year theme for the Christmas light-up in Singapore is about elephants. I was at Orchard Road on a Saturday evening and it was crowded with people. As I was walking along the pavements, I could see statues of elephants on display outside the malls. The elephants theme was chosen in support for the protection of elephants around the world. I think the elephant statues were really beautiful – every one of them is unique and colorful. These colorful elephants will be on displayed and eventually be auctioned off in a private auction in Janauary 2012, with some of the proceeds going to The Asian Elephant Foundation and Wildlife Reserves Singapore Conservation Fund.

Personally, I liked the blue elephant as it is very stylish and artistic. The green elephant is also very attractive as it has flowers, animals and green grass painted on its body. If you have the time, take some time to view all these elephants before they are gone. There are lots of people taking photos with these elephants especially on weekends; so you have to be patient to get good shots of these colorful elephants.

I liked this Blue Elephant.

Colorful Painted Elephant

Artistic Elephant Statue

Beautiful Elephant Statue

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I went to try out a chicken rice food outlet in City Square Johor Bahru. The name of the shop was called The Chicken Rice Shop – which is a chain of hahal chicken rice food outlets in Malaysia and Singapore. This Chicken Rice Shop served chicken in many styles – steamed, braised, BBQ and roasted; and besides chicken, there are many other types of food that are also available in the menu – such as beef stew, vegetables, curry chicken, tofu and even wanton noodles. The shop was rather crowded that day as it was a public holiday but I was still able to get a table within minutes.

Roasted Chicken DrumstickChinese Vegetable Soup

When I looked at the menu, I saw that it was more value for money if I ordered the set meal instead of choosing from the Ala Carte Menu. So I placed an order for a Noodle Meal ( RM14) and a Chicken Rice meal (RM15). Both of these meals came with a free drink, 2pcs Nyonya Pai Tee and a desert; but the Chicken Rice set came with an additional free soup of the day and Ipoh Bean Sprouts. I have made a change from normal chicken portion to a drumstick chicken which cost an additional RM1. In addition I had also ordered a bowl of Saito Fish balls and a bowl of Special Penang Chai Boay ( spicy mixed vegetables).

The photos that I have taken didn’t turned out to be very clear – I was using an Apple Iphone to shoot it. Anyway, the roasted chicken was quite lean and tasty. The chicken rice was rather average. I did not enjoyed the noodles – the noodles were rather sloggy and the chicken meat was hard to chew.  The bean sprouts was slightly overcooked and taste sweet ( MSG or sugar added ). The Saito fish balls was just average – I definitely have eaten better Saito fish balls in Malaysia. The best food that I liked the most was the bowl of Special Penang Chai Boay ( spicy mixed vegetables). The vegetable soup was spicy,sour and hot – it was rather unique in flavor.  The free soup of the day was a vegetable soup – quite pleasant. The 2 pcs of Nyonya Pai Tee was cold but crispy – nice but not worth ordering extra. And lastly the free desert was simply a simple mixed fruit cocktail which you can also buy from the local supermarket.

Special Penang Chai Boay

Penang Hot and Sour Mixed Vegetables soup

If I do come again to The Chicken Rice Shop, I know what to order – just the Chicken rice set meal and the bowl of Special Penang Chai Boay ( spicy mixed vegetables). Perhaps I would also try out the wanton noodles, Gado Gado and Laksa.

Nyonya Pai Tee

Cocktail Fruit Desert

Curry Chicken Noodles

Sliced Green Chilli

Red Chilli Sauce and Ginger Sauce

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A friend of mine had asked me to put up some photos of my recent Melaka trip with brief comments on my blog. I think this is a good idea and I hope that my friends would enjoy browsing through it.

The first photo would be appropriately be the coach that I took from Singapore to Melaka. There are many coach companies offering this service – from basic to more luxurious coach. Choose what you need. There are coach that takes you directly to you hotel instead of the Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal. Personally, I still prefer to drop in at the bus terminal as I can take the opportunity to do some shopping at Tesco and Jusco Mall.

Coach ( Bus ) departing from Singapore to Melaka

Melaka Bus Sentral Terminal - Buy your coach tickets from these booths.

The Melaka Bus Sentral Terminal is also a shopping mall. Lots of food stalls including Macdonald's.

Walk to Tesco Mall using this overhead bridge from Melaka Bus Sentral

The Tesco and Jusco Mall are within walking distance of the Melaka Bus Terminal. You have to cross the overhead bridge from the bus terminal to reach Tesco Mall. Tesco Mall is a rather old mall but it does have many interesting stores inside. The Jusco Mall is about 10 minutes walk away from Tesco, it is a relatively new mall and very spacious. Jusco is the anchor tenant and packed with shoppers during the weekend.

Tesco Mall is a nice place to have a meal as it is not too crowded.

There is a Popular Book Store, Kluang Station Coffee, Marybrown, First Lady Boutique etc in Tesco Mall.

The Jusco Mall in Melaka is a new mall and is more crowded with shoppers. It is very spacious and the washrooms are huge.

Kids get to play in this large playground at the Atrium of Jusco Mall Melaka

Jusco - A nice place to browse and shop at Jusco Mall Melaka

Taxi Stand is on the ground floor near the Supermarket Exit to carpark. Supermarket is on the left, the food court is on the right; and there is an exit door to open space carpark near the washrooms.

Stayed in Marvelux Hotel. New hotel but in a remote location. You need a taxi to get around.

Jonker Walk is the Chinatown in Melaka.

Jonker Street is a must visit place when you are in Melaka. Lots of shops selling all kinds of food and items.

One of the many shops in Jonker Walk.

Temple at Jonker Street. There are a few temples along Jonker Walk.

Dragon Figurine

Buffalo Figurine

Body Builder Figurine

This is the figurine of Datuk Wira Gan Boon Leong. You can see the engraved words – Mr Universe, Mr. Asia, Mr Malaysia and Mr. Melaka. A Champion Body builder from a humble background. Understand that he is now a local politician and a community leader in Melaka. So if you intend to build solid muscles, just head down to Datuk Gan Boon Leong’s Gym.

Figurine of Body Builder in Melaka

Boon Leong International Gym Melaka

There are lots of old traditional Chinese houses in Melaka. Really Beautiful and Artistic.

This is the Hokkien Huay Kuan that is located in Jonker Walk Melaka. A really beautiful and artistic place. It is hard to find such  beautiful and traditional architecture place nowadays. Hokkien is a Chinese dialect and Huay Kuan means Association or Clan. So this the Hokkien Clan or Association.

Even the walls of the traditional house is so well decorated. It is located along Jonker Walk.

Hokkien Huay Kuan in Melaka

Hokkien Huay Kuan in Melaka

You can also take a river cruise along this river.

I will put up more photos of Melaka later on when I have the time. For those who enjoy viewing the photos, I would liked to say – Thank you.

When I reached Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal, it was already 1 pm in the afternoon. I decided to take my lunch but was undecided on what to eat. There were many food outlets in the Melaka Sentral bus terminal; but then I wanted to try some western and local food at the same time. I then decided that my choice of restaurant would be the Kluang Station Coffee. So I walked out of the bus terminal towards the overhead bridge which brought me to Tesco Hypermarket. This Tesco Hypermarket mall is a smaller and older mall as compared to the Jusco Mall which is also nearby. As I entered the Mall, it was not crowded at all. There was a small number of shoppers in the mall; but when I went to Tesco, the hypermarket was packed with customers. I guessed most of the shoppers here would just go to Tesco to buy their groceries and necessity.

Tesco Hypermart Mall in Melaka

The restaurant that I have chosen to have my lunch was Kluang Station Coffee. It is a famous local coffee shop with many chain outlets in Malaysia. It is supposed to serve one of the best local hainanese coffee and tea. It is also famous for its toast bread and kaya spread. My order was toast bun, Hainanese chicken chop, Saito fish ball with bean sprouts and a coke. I didn’t order their famous coffee as I was so thirsty for a cold sizzling drink. The restaurant was spacious with ample empty tables available, despite the lunch time crowd. My food was served in about 15 minutes and I noticed that the chicken chop came in quite a generous portion covered with gravy, green peas, fries and cucumber.

Kluang Station Coffee in Melaka

The toast bun was good though the kaya spread was a liitle too sweet for me. The butter bun was more suitable for me; the only complain was that the bun was too small – more suited for small kids. The Hainanese chicken chop was warm and not sizzling hot. I would prefer the chicken chop to be hot ( freshly deep fried ) and then served with the toppings of gravy and vegetables. The gravy was sweet as it was a tomato sauce based gravy – in fact I felt that the gravy was too sweet. I don’t really enjoy eating the chicken chop because it was served warm and the sweet gravy. The Saito fishball soup was good and there was a generous portion of bean sprouts in the soup. Personally I think the Saito fish ball soup was better than the chicken chop.

Toast Butter Bun - Kluang Station Coffee

I understand from my friend that the Kluang Station coffee also served  delicious Nasi Lemak and Laksa; perhaps I would try them out when I am backed in Melaka again. There are also plenty of food outlets and restaurants in Jusco. Jusco is just about 10 minutes walk from the Tesco Hypermarket. But the problem is that there is no proper pavement for pedestrains to walk. Sometimes I have to walk along the side of the main road and then hop on back to the pavement. I simply don’t understand why the Melaka local government cannot put up a proper pavement to link the 2 malls together – they should consider putting up a covered walkway for pedestrians linking the 2 malls.

Kaya Bun at Kluang Station Coffee

Kluang Station Coffee - Hainanese Chicken Chop

Kluang Station Coffee - Saito Fish Ball Soup with Bean Sprouts.

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I went to Bei Zhan restaurant for dinner while I was in Melaka. As I was staying in Marvelux hotel, I just walked along the pavement and reached there within 15 minutes. If you are staying elsewhere in Melaka, just booked a cab and most of the cab drivers know the location of this restaurant. The exterior of the restaurant is totally white; a two storey building with a colonial facade. As I was early – I arrived at the restaurant at 6.30pm, the restaurant was quiet and the first impression was that this restaurant was spacious and new. There were lots of staff staying there and most of the tables were still empty. The walls and pillars were white in color, the tables and chairs were white, the window frames were white; and I liked the high ceiling of this building.

Bei Zhan Restaurant in Melaka

An elderly lady came and took my order and surprisingly the food were served within 15 minutes. After tasting the food, I would say that the food was good; just liked home cooked meal but it was not great. The thing I liked about the food here was that the ingredients were definitely fresh. The prawns, mushrooms, fish and vegetables were all very fresh. Overall the dish that I liked the most was the sliced fish in curry gravy. I did not expect that a Chinese restaurant could prepared such a wonderful curry fish dish. The curry gravy was so good that I had to order another bowl of plain rice just to finish up the curry gravy. The Fried Prawns with Macadamia Nut was rather unique and it was very tasty as well. The Macadamia Nut was fresh and crunchy. I ordered a total of 3 dishes in medium size serving and it was sufficient for 2 persons. The desert was free and the Chinese tea that was served in a pot was nice as well.

Assorted Vegetables with Mushrooms - Bei Zhan Restaurant in Melaka

I was lucky that I arrived at the restaurant early because by the time it was 7.30pm, the restaurant was totally packed with customers; the empty tables were all taken up. The total bill for my dinner was about RM80 ( if  I could recall correctly ). The price of this dinner for 2 persons was not cheap but it was worthwhile. Personally, the Bei Zhan restaurant is worth a return trip when I am back in Melaka again. But this time, I will try to go there during the weekdays – so that it would not be so crowded. I would definitely want to order the sliced fish in curry gravy again.

Very Fresh Prawns - Bei Zhan Restaurant in Melaka

Sliced Fish in Curry Gravy - Bei Zhan Restaurant in Melaka

Bei Zhan Restaurant in Melaka - Very Delicious Curry Fish

Free Desert - Bei Zhan Restaurant in Melaka

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When I was traveling to Melaka, I took a coach from Singapore to Melaka. There were in fact two alternatives – First, take a coach from Singapore and disembarked in a hotel in Melaka; or take a coach which will bring me to Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal. I had decided on the latter, as I wanted to see the Melaka Bus Terminal and also buy my return ticket back to Singapore. I took the coach that departed from Singapore at about 9 in the morning and then arrived in Melaka at about 12-30 pm – just nice to have lunch at the bus terminal. The journey was smooth but this coach that I took did not have a stopover for toilet break. If you do need to have a toilet break in between the journey, then you have to book coach from companies that provides a stopover.

Booths of Bus Companies at Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal

The Melaka Sentral bus terminal was relatively spacious in size. Once the coach reached the station and parked at the bay, I asked the bus driver for the counter number of the company so that I could booked my return ticket. Once I stepped inside the terminal, there were rows of coach companies offering different routes to many places from this bus terminal. It would be advisable to book your ticket for your departure trip early especially during the peak season such as public and school holidays – as booking tickets are sold out quite fast. In fact, the return ticket was sold out for the afternoon slot and I have to book a ticket from another coach company. It was cheaper to buy a coach ticket in Melaka Sentral as I paid for it in Ringgit rather than in Singapore dollars.

Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal

The first thing that I had noticed was that the Melaka Sentral was in fact a mini shopping mall itself. There were plenty of shops and small kiosks selling a variety of merchandise and food. Thw whole place was bustling with activities and there were hundreds of travelers just liked me walking and browsing through the mall. There is a area where you can take a cab from Melaka Sentral to the main town or alternatively, you could also take the local bus – the local bus terminal is also located inside the Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal. But I wanted to visit the Tesco Mall just opposite the bus terminal. So I walked to the overhead bridge and crossed over; the Tesco Mall was about 5 minutes walk away. After visiting the Tesco Mall, I walked about 10 minutes to the Jusco Mall; which was quite close to the Tesco Mall. Personally, I prefer the Jusco Mall, as it was new and spacious. After all the shopping, I took a taxi from Jusco Mall to Melaka town.

Choose a slipper - Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal

The thing that I don’t liked about Melaka is the taxi ( cab ) service. Most of the cabs were worn out or old vehicles; and most annoying part was that the cab drivers do not use the cab meters to calculate the exact fare. Everytime I booked a cab, it is always RM$15 or more. Even for a short traveling distance of 5 minutes, it is always RM15.  I felt that the Melaka local government should stepped in and addressed this problem. Otherwise, everytime you took a cab, you cannot  helped but felt that you have been ripped off. There were many occasions when I choose to walk or alternatively took the local bus. However if there are shopping bags to carry, then I would take a cab.

The Melaka Sentral bus terminal is a convenient transportation hub for traveling to and from Melaka. All the coach companies were located in one convenient place , so it was easy to book a ticket to travel to any destination in Malaysia and Singapore. Just ignore the touts who may try to sell to you their services. If there is an improvement that they could make that could be – to make the local bus service more easily to understand for travelers. Perhaps they could make a large board with the destinations such as tourist spots and hotels and indicate the bus numbers besides it. In that way, the travelers would know which bus to take to reach their destinations in Melaka town.

Tesco Mall is just opposite the Melaka Sentral Bus Terminal

When I was in Melaka, I took the opportunity to try out the chicken rice balls at a restaurant in Jonker Street. I am not a fan of chicken rice balls because the rice balls are quite hard and it is almost tasteless. Personally, I still prefer the chicken rice that are selling in Singapore because the rice is fragrant, soft and fluffy. The distinct advantage of eating chicken rice balls is that it is not oily at all; unlike the normal chicken rice that is normally oily in nature. Anyway, there are many chicken rice food outlets in Melaka, and I have chosen the so called famous chicken rice shop in Jonker Street. It was chosen not because the food is that great, but because I enjoy the ambience of this restaurant.

Chicken Rice Balls Restaurant in Jonker Street Melaka

I have chosen 2 individual plate of chicken rice balls – a white chicken and a roasted chicken rice ball set meal. Besides that, I have also ordered a bowl of fish ball soup. If you do not liked chicken rice balls, there is also the normal chicken rice that is available. The chicken rice balls that were served were lukewarm in temperature. That is a turn off for me; as I prefer rice that is hot. There were 5 chicken rice balls in each individual plate. Though the rice balls looked small, it is definitely sufficient for most of us. I have seen people ordering additional chicken rice balls and not being able to finish it later. There is really not need to order so much rice balls because it would be better to order other side dishes such as vegetables, wanton or fish ball soup.

Chicken Rice Balls with White Chicken

The chicken that were served were reasonable in quantity and taste. There is nothing great about it and as I had mentioned earlier, I still think the best chicken rice is in Singapore. I really enjoyed the fish ball soup as it was simply delicious. I could taste and smell the fish as I put in it my mouth; and that is what fish balls should be. The red chilli sauce that was given was also very nice – strong and distinctive in taste. The lemon and lime juice that were served came in a small plastic cup with more ice than juice was a complete let down – I should have just ordered coke instead. The price that I paid for a meal for 2 was less than RM25.

Chicken Rice Balls with Roasted Chicken

When I do return to Melaka again on my next visit, I intend to try out other chicken rice balls outlet – hopefully the taste and food variety offered would be different. There are also chicken rice balls food outlets outside Jonker Street. I have seen one of them in a coffee shop which was also quite crowded during lunch time. Perhaps this coffee shop served delicious chicken rice balls and I would try it on my next visit.

Delicious Fish Balls Soup

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I went for a short trip to Melaka recently and stayed in the new Marvelux hotel for 2 nights. This hotel is located along Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz and is quite close to the popular Bei Zhan restaurant – about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. There are quite a number of taxi drivers who does not know the exact location of this new hotel and this was the problem that I faced during my stay there. So I told them that it was near Bei Zhan restaurant and at the traffic light junction of this restaurant, just turn right and drive straight – the stretch of reclaimed land is on the left and the hotel is on the right – facing the reclaimed land.

Marvelux Hotel Melaka - Hotel Lobby

Marvelux is a small boutique hotel with about 100 rooms. The check in was smooth though it would be nice if the staff at the counter could perhaps smile more, be friendlier and  looked less stern. The lobby was quite spacious and the theme colors were orange, white and green; which I felt that it was nice and soothing. I have booked the normal superior room for my 2 nights stay in this hotel. The superior room was small but there was sufficient space to put your luggages and to move about in the room. The unique feature of the room was the spacious balcony where there was a nice view of the sea. It would be better if the hotel could placed a small table and 2 chairs on the balcony; so that the hotel guests could sit and relaxed on the balcony during the evening. The toilet was small but it was clean and there were only basic toiletries given. So do remember to bring your own toiletries when staying in this hotel. There was a kettle and some tea/coffee bags but there was no mini fridge in the room. The bed and pillows were clean and comfortable; and there was also a LCD TV mounted on the wall facing the bed.

Hotel Lobby at Marvelux Hotel

At the moment there was only one restaurant in this hotel and it is called The Windmill Station Western Food restaurant which served western and local food. So if you do not wished to walk or take a cab to go elsewhere to eat, then this is the only place where you could have your meal. Because surrounding this hotel there was practically nothing – no cafe or restaurant, no shops, no malls; just empty reclaimed land. Taking a cab was also a problem as there was hardly any cab around – you need to ask the hotel staff at the counter to book a cab for you. The mimimun charge even for a short distance is RM$15. Alternatively, just walked to Bei Zhan restaurant, and along the stretch of road next to this restaurant, there are a few food outlets over there. I have tried walking from Marvelux hotel to Jonker Street and it took me about 40 minutes to reach there. Along the way while I was walking, I am able to see lots of interesting small shops selling many variety of items and food. But be prepared to sweat it out as it can be quite a hot and perspiring experience.

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Superior Room at Marvelux Hotel Melaka

On the whole I find Marvelux hotel is nice place to stay. The only problem is the remote location of this hotel and there aren’t any shops around. I guess it would take another few years before the surrounding empty land are being developed. For those who drive to Melaka, this is a good place to stay. For those who don’t drive, it would be better to stay in hotels near Mahkota mall or Jonker Street.

Marvelux Hotel Melaka - Superior Room

Marvelux Hotel Melaka - Bathroom

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