Mini Malaysia

We started the day early today. Irfan woke us all up and insisted that we head for breakfast. Initially after checking out we wanted to go for the river cruise. But the weather was too warm. It was already hot by the time we reached the jetty. Although the boys were keen, Puan Anita decided otherwise. The trip was to last 45 minutes going up Sungai Melaka, passing by a few landmarks. The boat was open-aired with no air conditioning.

Time to leaveAt the jetty for the River CruiseLeaving Bandar Melaka, we headed straight to Ayer Keroh. There were many attractions there, from zoo, butterfly park, botanical gardens to cultural centers. We initially wanted to go to the botanical garden and 'Pekan Buku'. We were not sure what to expect, but it turned out that the 'Pekan Buku' was a boot camp from what we saw. We were not allowed in since it was taken for the weekend for a corporate event. We turned back, stopped at a couple of stalls to get some cencaluk and belacan for my mother-in-law, then went to Mini Malaysia. I remembered visiting the place back in 1986 as part of my school trip. Unfortunately I can’t remember much about anything else. The park was opened back in July 1986. It was a cultural center where houses themed after all the states in Malaysia were featured. These are full-seized house we were talking about, complete with ornaments and bits that differentiated the states. It used to be a spectacle and at one point it was extended to include houses from all the ASEAN nations. Unfortunately that part of the exhibit was closed today. The houses were also in need of renovation as I was sure the foundation must be almost 25 years-old by now. After a few houses, the boys got bored as they had to take off their shoes to enter the houses. A few of the houses looked unique. The biggest being Selangor and Sabah. Sarawak featured a long house, and it was being renovated. Kedah I thought had the most unique house with four rooms, well planned into compartments.

WelcomeRumah Pulau PinangThe cultural dancesAt 2 pm, a group of dancers performed on an open air stage in the middle of the compound. They danced away for 20 minutes featuring the mainly joget and some basic dances. Nothing special. There were not much of a crowd either, as it was just a week after the school holidays. According to one of the stall operator, it was havoc the week before. After a quick drink, we then drove away onto the highway, stopping again at a rest-stop along the highway for more food. We finally reached KL just after six. I had to clean the car and get around to the bank teller to pick up some cash. The boys will be back to school tomorrow and they were still talking about the trishaw ride when we went to bed.

The slideshow for the trip is linked here