108. Jonker Street

New Found Friends

When I was at St. Paul's I met an English lady called Joanne and she said she was travelling with two people whom she'd met. We arranged to meet in half an hour and she brought her friends, Isa who was 22 from Hong Kong and Andanna who was Spanish and 30. We all went to the night market in Jonker Street and that first night in Malacca was a night of magic, fun and friendship.

I remember we went to this bar in a street off Jonker Street (can't remember the name and my camera doesn't take good photos at night. Unless I can rest it on something like a table or carry a tripod - one of those ones that are 4 foot tall and weigh a ton - most of my night photos come out terribly blurry and very dark. Editing doesn't help - all it does is lighten it and have coloured dots/spots everywhere.)



The residential heart of Old Malacca

Is Jonker Street - once famous for its antique shops, now is filled with clothing shops, craft shops, eating places, antiques and quirky little spots. But its real charm is at night - the Jonker Street nightmarket is famous and anyone who visits Malacca, simply must come here. For at night, the street comes alive with the sound of music and a hubbub of contained excitement.

Stalls line the street - the street vendors selling their homemade goodies, Portuguese tarts - a little like the English egg custard tarts, only better. Joanne bought 6 of them and they were oh so scrumdiddlyumptious. I fell in love with them and just writing about them brings back the aroma and taste - I can almost taste them on my tongue. Mmm mmm.

 

Above: Jonker Walk
Jonker Street, or Jonker Walk - photo taken during daylight hours. Today, Jonker Street has been renamed Jalan Hang Jebat, but people still refer to it as Jonker Street. I should imagine there'd be an outcry if the government took down this (and other) famous signs.

 

Above: Local street between Jonker & Heeren Streets
You can see an old Chinese building at the end of the street (Jonker is after all in Chinatown), there's Nancy's Kitchen (I wonder who Nancy was?), Sorvana Spa (just the place for a relaxing massage), the Karabau Rock Bar, stall holders setting up their wares and there's even a satellite dish perched precariously to the red brick wall!

 

Above: D'Arts Cafe
Ah - D'Arts Cafe while I didn't go in here, I thought their sign was excellent - Save water! Drink Beer.
Eminently suitable advice if there's a drought!

 

Above: Jonker Street night market

Here is where the fun begins - Joanne, Isa, Andanna and I worked our way through the crowds, stopping here to look at this, and there to look at that. And ay look - over there, those cute little thingies; so many things to see, so much to experience. We finished off the Portuguese tarts and decided to go for a drink. Remember that bar I spoke of? Yes, well we turned up a street on the left hand side and found this rather cute place. I remember I had sour plum and lime juice (3.50MYR) and coffee (disgusting) 4.00MYR. There was ice in the drink Andanna ordered the same sans ice (we swapped). Asked for an ashtray - it came with ice in it. We all laughed our heads off. We just couldn't get over an ashtray "with ice"!!!

OH we did have fun - we sat and talked about our adventures, where we'd been, where we were going next. Alas my friends were leaving the next day. Andanna told me here was flying to Australia (Perth the capital city of WA) and he had no money, no WHV (working holiday visa) because he couldn't get one, but intended to work "cash in hand."


The moon is made of green cheese

 

Above: Smile!
See that little round green ball in the sky? Well - that's the moon. The saying "The moon is made of green cheese" comes to mind. (The Proverbs of John Heywood 1546)


Jonker Street and the Red Lanterns

 

Above: Red Lanterns
During the day, Jonker Street is open to cars and vehicles. But come Friday night as the sun goes down and weekends - the place is transformed. The street is closed to traffic, red lanters light up the road and people throng the place looking at the many stalls and objects for sale. Saturday night especially is most busy - sometimes you can hardly move for the number of people milling around looking, stopping at one of the trinket stalls or the place selling whizz bang toys. The place is crowded with people - locals and tourists alike. Young lovers hold hands walking slowly as they gaze into each other's eyes, old uncles amble along on a night out, quietly puffing away, parents try to keep their energetic children in tow to cries of, "Please mum, can I have this?" and everywhere is a happy place.

And the food! The glorious food stalls! The famous rice balls are truly delicious, so many foods, so many tantalising aromas as they waft through the air filling your nostrils with the delicious smells of home cooking. Your mouth is salivating, your tongue moves, you lick your lips and only a plate of those noodles or bag of tarts will do the trick. You stop, you buy, and then you eat. It is a most heady feeling and rewarding experience - a veritable feast, a gastronomic delight. I was in Melaka for three nights and every night I went to Jonker Street.

 On the Saturday I found this place - a rather small, ordinary looking shop of undistinguished appearance and went in and asked for Hainanese Chicken Rice. Behind the cooking was this little old Grandmother with iron grey hair, her skinny arms stirring a large pot with a big ladle, the daughter or granddaughter doing something with green vegetables and furious activity going on. I went and sat down. The tables were round with Chinese stools. I lit a cigarette and looked around and noticed everyone there was looking at me. Is there something wrong? Do I have dirt on my nose? Why are they all staring at me? Then it dawned on me - I was the only "European" there, the place was filled with locals. I felt a bit self-conscious and it was sort of like ehm. Remember, this was my first time in Asia - I was a complete novice! Since then I've been back to SEA more than once and were I back there in that shop, there would be no feeling of self-consciousness, I'd look at them and smile and say hello and have a chat.

 

Above: Puppy photo
Anyway, back to the Friday night with my mates - we spotted these puppies. Aren't they cute? They look like little balls of fluff. None of us had our photo taken with them, instead we took photos of them. Not because we were too stingy to spend 2 ringgit but because what the heck can you do with a fluff ball so small?

 

Above: Help! Clowning around

I came back just after midnight. The others walked me "home". Got there at 12.15AM. Had a great time and a wonderful night. Joanne flies to Oz on Sunday, Andanna goes to Perth for work, but has no WHV. Isa told me of her travels and parent problems.

Here are my friends. Andy is falling into the river being "saved" by the two girls.

 

Above: Friends
The last photo of me with my friends (Joanne took the photo)

 

Above: Melaka River at night
After my friends left and went back to their hostel, I strolled along here just looking at the river flowing quietly, thinking on all that had happened that day. I arrived in Malacca, met three wonderful people who took me under their wing and extended the hand of friendship, ate and drank with them and had the most fantastic night. The memory of that night will stay with me even when I'm old and grey.

And the river? Well, the river will go on forever long after we have gone.

74. Batu Ferringhi Night Markets

Batu Ferringhi
One of the places I really, really wanted to go to was the Batu Ferringhi night market - I'd heard, and read so much about it, it was one of the things I didn't want to miss. I noticed a tour desk in my hotel and when I went to enquire about doing a couple of day tours I asked about the price of taxis. Being by myself, I didn't much fancy travelling by myself at night on a bus, especially as I was unfamiliar with the area. (I wouldn't travle on public transport at night at home either). Winnie, the tour operator, said the hotel offered its guest a mini bus which takes them to the bus stop and collects guests at a designated time.

When I went to get picked up, there were only two other guests that night so the driver said he'd drive us there. He dropped us off at the start of the market and arranged to pick us up at the Hard Rock Hotel which is at the far end around 11.00pm.

Nightlife at Batu Ferringhi
The nightlife in Batu Ferringhi is centered on its 'Pasar Malam' or night market. Open from dusk until late, often past midnight, the night market is a sidewalk bazaar of makeshift stalls operated by local traders, selling an assortment of goods ranging from souvenirs to fake goods, toys, gifts - these even ice-cream stalls.


Long Beach food court
My  companions from the Bayview were Margaret and Ivor (think that was her husband's name, I can't read my own writing from my travel journal), an English couple who live six months of the year in England and the other six at Langkawi where they have a property. Margaret said you can't buy bacon on Langkawi, but you can from Penang, so they pop over every now and then for a few days of shopping, markets, tours and of course, bacon.  She said they usually eat at the food court when coming to the night market here.

The Long Beach is on the 'strip' west of the Lone Pine resort. About two thirds of the customers are tourists and a third are locals although that can vary, especially during Chinese New Year when you'll find there are a lot more locals. It's very popular with the expats who live in the area, and the tourists staying not only in the local hotels here, but those staying in Georgetown. If you're on a tight budget, this is the place to come for the food's good, it's cheap, and so is the beer.

Above: Price List
Prices are written in both Malay and English and are easy to read as the writing is quite large. You can see the red decorations hanging from the ceiling - it was the tail end of Chinese New Year when I was here.

Above: The Diners
This being my first time here, I was unsure of the procedure, but Margaret said you find a table, flag down the drink servers, give them your order (alcoholic or soft drinks etc) pay them for your drinks and your drinks will be along soon. Sometimes you may have to wait some time when it is especially busy. You take a note of your table number, go to a food stall and order your food, tell them your table number. You pay when they deliver it. Simple! My food came before my drink did.

I had Chinese for tea - cost was 5MYR, spring roll for 3MYR and a glass of wine which was 11MYR. The wine was like lolly water. I heard that the owner of the food court makes his money on the drinks and I can well believe it too. The drinks flowed like a river!

Friendly Conversation
When I was walking back to our table after having ordered my dinner, I heard someone greet me by name and looked around but didn't know who had spoken. A good-looking young Malaysian chap spoke to me and asked, "You don't recognise me do you?" I must confess I didn't - he was dressed in white t-shirt and jeans. He said, "From the Bayview". It was Daniel, who had spoken to me in the lounge lobby. I thought that was so nice of him, I clearly hadn't seen him (let alone recognised him), but he had seen me and came and chatted with me. How many hotels have staff who speak to you away from their place of work?

It is true what is said at the Bayview ~ "Where guests become friends."

 

Above: Food court scene
The food stalls run along all sides of the food court with the tables and chairs in the center. It starts getting really busy by 8.00pm, when the weather has cooled down a bit. During Chinese New Year, you need to come even earlier as it gets very busy then.

Batu Ferringhi Shopping
When people mention Batu Ferringhi, two things come to mind: beach & night market. The Batu Ferringhi night market, otherwise known as the sidewalk bazaar, is one of the area’s major attractions.

Stretching along Jalan Batu Ferringhi from Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa all the way to Shangri-La’s Golden Sands Resort, the place comes alive every night as vendors set up hundreds of stalls all along the road after dusk. Offering everything from fake designer bags to dirt-cheap pirated DVDs and home deco items to souvenirs, Batu Ferringhi’s night market is Batu Ferringhi’s main tourist attraction - something not to be missed when visiting Penang. Best of all, you can still bargain for the best prices.

Above: Footwear
Thongs and sandals of every colour and style imaginable.

Above: Bags and Gifts
There are just so many things on offer here - plates, artwork, wall-hangings, jewellery and the inevitable genuine, fake designer label handbags! I swear I had never seen so many hand bags in my life. This is just a very small section - there was row upon row upon row. I couldn't even count the number of stalls there were so many of them.

 

Above: Trishaw
One of the most popular things with tourists is having a ride in a trishaw. The three-wheeled trishaw used to be a common sight on the island, but modern times have nearly phased them out. Today, they exist as a novelty for tourists to enjoy.


Restaurants
Restaurants, or Restorans as they are called, are dotted all along the Batu Ferringhi strip. Below are some that I liked.

 

Above: The Ship
I just loved this and thought it was a fantastic design. Serving so its tagline proudly proclaims – “The Best Steaks in Town”, The Ship’s eye-catching exterior and interior are a great attraction. It is shaped like a large wooden vessel, and serves a wide range of Western food and features a maritime theme complete with captains and crews in charming uniforms.

 

Above: Eden Seafood Village
Another one that caught my eye was the Eden Seafood Village which is marked by sharp, pointed roofs reminiscent of traditional Malay houses over a reddish-brown wooden exterior. They serve seafood of every imaginable variety straight from the tanks, from fish to crustaceans, and have an extensive a la carte menu with a variety of cooking styles. There’s also a stage for cultural shows to accompany your dinner. The place is usually packed to the rafters with hoards of tourists.

35. Kuala Lumpur Central Market

I made my way back to the bus stop and it was at this point I found I had gone the (very) long way around. Cutting through a side street on my left and using a large building as a sort of landmark, I found myself back to not far from where I started. Next on my "must do's" was the Central Market. The photo below isn't all that great but it's the only one I have - there are so many cars and people walking it isn't easy to get a shot without them.

Above: Central Market

The market was lovely, full of umbrellas over the outside stalls, and going inside the building was ---Ah, air conditioning! It was welcome after the heat (remember I had only arrived that morning and was still adjusting to the change in climate) and I found after five or ten minutes the body gradually cools down. I wanted to buy something from here - a momento of Kuala Lumpur and I knew just the thing - a fan!

Above: Silk Fan
A friend back home had recommended I take a fan with me to combat the everlasting heat. Walking around Central market I saw many lovely things - bracelets, embroidered silks, clothes, knick knacks, object d'art, beautiful jewellery, and - fans. There were many at this particular stall but I had eyes only for one - the fan you see above. It is made of silk and bamboo and I loved the colours and timelessness of the picture.

On asking the price, the lady said MYR35. Here was my very first experience at "haggling" - you know, where the seller says one price and you say a lower price, then the two of you go back and forth until a price that is acceptable to both parties is agreed upon. Anyway, the lady looked at another lady who nodded her head slightly and we settled on MYR20. The proprietaries had been preserved and nobody had "lost face". I was very happy with my purchase and it came in very handy over the coming weeks.

Above: Silk Fan - back
These Chinese characters are on the back of the fan.

Above: Kuala Lumpur scenes
It was time to head back to the airport, and crossing over the road I waited for the Tourist bus. Above are some scenes I saw from the window. Arriving back at Sentral Station, I made my way downstairs to get the bus back to the airport.

Above: The Air Asia Bus
The Air Asia bus which runs between LCCT airport and Sentral Station. Traffic was pretty heavy and after a long day walking around it was good to finally sit back and relax.