MAKE A DAY OF IT
Travel south of KL
for Nonya cuisine,
souvenirs and a
luxurious spa visit
FAHTHAI
127
SPEND A DAY IN MELAKA
SINGAPORE COUNTRY CODE
+65
EXCHANGE RATE
S$1.27 = US$1
FREQUENCY
1 flight per day to Singapore from Samui
TEXT: CLAIRE KNOX (MELAKA DAYTRIPPER) AND ARWEN JOYCE
Day trip toMelaka; Singapore
gets creative;KL’s neweats
Singapore
& Kuala
Lumpur
THEGUIDE
SHOP
10am
Stroll over to lively
Jonker Street
.
At the street stalls here you’ll find
hand-painted clogs and a range of
curious trinkets while nearby antique
stores, housed in restored Chinese
shophouses, sell teapots, lanterns,
clocks and furniture. For a one-of-
a-kind souvenir, head to
Wah Aik
Shoemakers
(wahaikshoemakermelaka.
webs.com)
, where you can buy tiny,
traditional Chinese “lotus feet”
(embroidered, bound-feet) slippers.
The place also sells charming (and
more comfortable) Peranakan
beaded sandals. On nearby Jalan
Tun Tan Cheng Lock,
Joe’s Design
(joedesignjewellery.blogspot.sg)
sells
exquisite handcrafted freshwater pearl
and semi-precious gem jewellery.
EAT
1pm
Melaka’s Nonya cuisine testifies to
the city’s multicultural past – a mix of
Malay, Chinese and other influences. Just
around the corner from the antique-
filled Baba and Nonya House museum
is Peranakan food favourite
Nancy’s
(7
Jln Hang Lekir)
– be prepared to queue.
Nancy’s serve great
kueh pie tee
(a crispy
pastry tart filled with vegetables and
prawns), candlenut chicken and
popiah
(a fresh spring roll). Try any of the
street-side eateries here for more Nonya
favourites – tasty chicken rice balls and
dense pineapple tarts are available just
about everywhere. Satay in Melaka is
saltier than it is elsewhere; it’s made
with
belimbing
(star fruit) rather than
pineapple. Try it at
Loi Satay
, a
stall on
Lorong Hang Jebat.
INDULGE
3pm
Head to the five-star
Majestic
Malacca Hotel
(majesticmalacca.com)
for
luxurious spa treatments that draw on
old Baba-Nonya rituals; it’s the only
such spa in the world. The hotel itself
is a glorious ode to the city’s past – an
elegantly restored 1920s Sino-French
mansion once owned by a rich Chinese
rubber plantation owner. Treatments
begin with tea and fruit on daybeds
under whirring fans. Then guests are
whisked off for a soothing Peranakan
hair wash “ceremony”. Specialities
here include bird’s-nest facials, nutmeg
rice rolling massages and egg-rolling
therapies. The spa is spread across two
levels and vintage tiles and wooden
saloon-style doors add to the Old-
World ambience.
On the first
Saturday of
every month,
Singapore’s
Orchard
Road is
closed
to traffic
between 6pm
and 11pm.
Pedestrian
Night is
intended to
make the city
core more
vibrant.
DID YOU KNOW?
Head two hours south of the city to the history-rich port town ofMelaka – designated as a
UNESCOWorldHeritage Site in 2008 – for a dose of the indigenous Baba-Nonya culture
Daytripper
K U A L A L U M P U R
