THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF MELAKA
The writer discovers that no matter where she is, there’s no place like home
MANY of my friends often tell me how much they love Melaka. If they could, they would visit the historic state every weekend. Never mind if they have to endure a two-hour traffic jam on the North-South Expressway on Saturday and en route to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Not to mention, the scorching, sweaty and humid Melaka weather.
I left Melaka when I was 17 to pursue my studies in advertising and marketing communications. Each time I go back to my kampung, I will discover new things — from places to eat to the latest tourist attractions.
Although a local girl, I find myself becoming a tourist most of the time.
Growing up in Padang Jambu, Taman Ke-2 (now known as Taman Indah Seksyen 2), there was everything within a 5km radius of my home, from eateries, schools to malls.
Just a short distance is Sin Hoe Garden, where I would cycle to the decades-old Tong Nam Bakery, famous for its hot and piping coconut buns.
There was this old Chinese uncle who knew that I would order only his famous fried rice and addressed me as “En dao de mei
mei” (or “to the sister of the handsome boy”, referring to my older brother).
My family and I would spend some weekends at shopping malls like Fajar Supermarket in Jalan Tun Ali, Great Wall, which was opposite Fajar Supermarket, and Madam King in Jalan Bunga Raya.
Those were the places to hang out and this was long before the coming of shopping malls like Aeon, Tesco or Mahkota Parade.
Fajar is now known as Soon Seng Plaza, while Madam King is
standing strong.
Great Wall, unfortunately, was closed down.
Jalan Bunga Raya, in the heart of Chinatown, was where my mother would go to shop for Chinese New Year decorations or get our cushions sewn.
We would have our wantan noodles, which was only RM1.80 a bowl, and end our meal with a glass of cold longan drink.
When our family members from Johor and Kuala Lumpur visited, my father would make them go on kereta lembu rides at the open field in Banda Hilir, where Dataran Pahlawan Shopping Mall sits now.
I remember being tickled pink during the rides as the cows understood the commands given by their owners, such as “Jalan ”or “Berhenti sekejap”.
After the rides, my cousins and I would run on the field and fly kites.
Next to the field is the AFamosa, a former Portuguese fort which was described on Wikipedia as one of the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Southeast Asia and the Far East.
I loved going to the nearby Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum where I remember staring at mannequins dressed in traditional Malay outfits, hoping they would come alive.
Sun, sea, sand and seafood were pretty much the order on Saturday evenings when my family and I went to Pantai Kundur in Klebang.
After taking a dip in the sea and building sandcastles, we would eat fresh seafood at restaurants dotting the stretch of the beach while watching the sunset.
On Saturday mornings, my close friend, Hafiza, and I would take the bus from Bukit Baru to the old bus station in Jalan Tun Ali before taking another bus to Mahkota Parade, which, at that time, was the newest shopping mall, for our weekly bowling fix.
Before heading home, we would visit the nearby Kampung Morten, a traditional and rustic Malay village in the city, located along the Sungai Melaka riverbank.
Its setting is similar to Kuala Lumpur’s Kampung Baru where the serene and peaceful traditional houses are dwarfed by the surrounding modern and rapid developments.
We would stop by a stall operated by a villager who sold the crispy version of apam balik or
cekodok, before hopping on the bus to get home.
After graduating from college, I took a year off and worked at an art gallery called Orang Utan House near Jonker Street.
This was the time I learnt more of the town’s old quarter.
Every morning, I would walk past rows of pre-war houses to get to my workplace and made pleasant discoveries of local businesses, such as the Low Yong Moh Dim Sum shop in Jalan Tukang Emas, which has been operating for more than 50 years, a stall selling noodles run by an old couple, and a shop selling chicken rice balls which I loved to have with asam pedas gravy.
Whenever I feel like going back to Melaka, I’d prefer to make the trip down on weekdays where I can enjoy the city quietly, away from the weekend traffic and crowd, and be spared from the snaking queues at some of my favourite eateries downtown.