Malacca River

The next morning, we continued with our adventure and on the background is the neo-gothic structure of the St. Francis Xavier Church that was built in 1849 by the French.

We took a morning stroll along the Malacca river to enjoy the rustic scene of its past.

A statue to honor a son of Malacca who once processed the title of Mr. Universe, Mr. Asia and Mr. Malaysia in the sport of body building.

According to the Chinese calendar, this year is the year of the dragon.

Taking a rest at the scenic river bank...

... before continuing on our tour of the historical ruins from past settlements.

Having a relaxing time enjoying the rich history of this river...

... such as this huge replica of the Sultanate Water Wheel that was once used to channel water from the river to fuel the booming port trade.

There were many flight of stairs along the way...

... and there were many bridges with picturesque scene to cross too.

A boat taking tourist on a cruise along the river.

As we entered into the city, we were greeted by a long and fiery dragon.

We had lunch at one of the old and dilapidated shops which was bustling with customers.

Meimei was tired after all the sight-seeing...

... but I can tell you that hell hath no fury like a hungry baby.

After we had our nommies, we continued to explore the city for its alluring old charms...

... such as this colorful majestic entrance doors of Chinese origin, a reminiscence of its rich history and heritage.

The columns of the building is also meticulously crafted with symbolic mythological characters.

Meimei admiring the work of art on the wall...

... which happens to be her Chinese astrological sign as well, the sign of a tiger.

There were antiques and collectible items for sale everywhere...

... such as this charcoal pressing iron of yesteryear.

This was truly a memorable trip and we had a good time...

... gallivanting around this historical city of Malacca.

Historical Malacca

This is the historical city of Malacca, a city listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site...

... due to its rich cultural heritage and historical origins.

The Christ Church was constructed in the year 1753 by the Dutch...

... to commemorate the centenary of their occupation of the city.

It took them 12 years to complete the church in 1753 and that's like 12,271 dog years ago. OMD!

After the Dutch left, the British ruled Malacca from 1826 to 1946 and built a water fountain in front of the church.

Meimei and I admiring the gushing water from the fountain...

... that was built to commemorate Queen Victoria in 1901, coinciding with the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Her Majesty's reign.

This majestic red clock tower near the fountain was erected by a Chinese tycoon in 1886...

... to fulfill the wish of his late father.

Colorful trishaws to take tourists on a ride around town.

We left these interesting historical landmarks...

... and ventured to the nearby Jonker Walk for some street fair and the lively night market.

Meimei looking at the inviting pictures of egg tarts at one of the stalls.

Can we have some egg tarts pleeeease?

Fresh out of the oven... looking delicious as the aroma filled the evening air.

This was actually meimei's first outing at a night market...

... and she was really excited looking at all the trinkets and stuff on sale at the stalls.

Meimei first introduction to the ubiquitous angry bird characters.

After a tiring walk at the night market, we settled down for a meal of the famous chicken rice ball of Malacca.

Back at our hotel room, someone was getting impatient...

... while waiting for his egg tart snack...

... with mouth all drooling wet at his best behavior.

Yummy yum yum... nom nom nom.

Catching up on some late night tele before hitting the sack.

- To be continued -

My Lil Sis Birthday

We went to a restaurant to celebrate meimei's 1-year birthday.

*Yawn* Meimei getting sleepy while waiting for the food.

The food finally came...

... and here I was scheming with meimei on how to drop the chicken drumstick onto the floor.

But our plan did not work.

I only got small chunk of meat from koko instead of the whole drumstick.

Hey mister! Keep them coming will ya.

Now this is more like it...

Hey, can someone please pass the wine too.

What! We are going home already?

But... but we have not had our dessert yet!

Little did I know that the dessert was waiting for us at home... a yummilicious jelly cake.

Happy Birthday!... my little meimei.