Soursop Shake at The Baboon House, Malacca
This was the first time I tried Soursop and it won’t be the last. This punchy, zesty, tangy fruit makes a mean shake. I had this at a supremely cool cafe called The Baboon House in Malacca. The place is sumptuously decorated with lots of brickwork, wood and leafy plants. Some tables, like the one I was sat at had tiny fish swimming around in glass bowls. Young people flock here for the shakes and the burgers and to look around the attached art gallery. The place had a really cool vibe and would be somewhere I’d visit often if I lived in Malacca.
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Vegetarian Laksa
I could go on and on about this photo, but what would be the point? You’re reading this now, but I bet your eyes can’t wait to flick back to the photo. I shan’t delay you any further. This is vegetarian Laksa, probably the best Laksa I’ve ever had. You can look back at it now.
Freshly-Squozen Sugar Cane Juice
The scene in the first photo of this set doesn’t exactly scream, “lovely place to eat and drink,” but don’t be fooled. Sure, there’s the burnt out shell of a building in the background and an ever-present procession of cars and vans passing by, but this is a local market, where real life happens. The stalls running along both sides of the road were packed with tables surrounded by locals eating Nasi Goreng and Nasi Lemak, washed down with the ice-filled cups of fresh juice.
I joined them briefly for a drink to get out of the hot midday sun. The chap sitting down the foreground of the first photo was very surprised to see me. Perhaps trade had been a little slow that morning. I stuck one finger in the air and he jumped into action, sticking an entire sugar cane into a mangle. The shredded remains of the cane came out one side, while fresh juice poured out of the other.
It’s surprising just how refreshing sugar cane juice is. I think most people would expect it to be overly sweet and sticky but it isn’t. So long as it’s fresh, it’s no sweeter than cola and just as thirst quenching.
Crossing the Road in Malacca
You’ll probably watch this and wonder why it took me so long to cross one road. I’ll be the first to admit the traffic here isn’t too bad. That said, I’ll also admit I’m not very good at crossing roads. I always end up hesitating too long whilst I judge how fast traffic is moving. This was my problem when I was learning to drive. I still passed first time, but I was given two negative marks for hesitancy. I don’t think erring on the side of caution is a bad thing, though it sure takes up a lot of time.
This video started as a demonstration of how bad the pavement situation is in Malacca. There often aren’t any. I then kept the camera running as I tried to cross the road. As you’ll see, I became impatient pretty quickly and starting walking through a car park to the corner where I thought I’d have a better view of oncoming traffic. The view was better, but vehicles just kept coming at me.
This video rather sours my “adventurer” status.
Tranquil Coexistence in Malacca
A beautifully compact Tamil Methodist Church sits happily alongside street decorations celebrating the Chinese New Year and Malacca’s 750 year existence.
Melaka River
Winding through the centre of the historic town of Malacca, Malaysia is the Melaka River. A programme of gentrification has seen old, dilapidated warehouses lining the river transformed into cafes, restaurants and art galleries, creating an attractive riverside community.
The skies were clear and the sun scorching hot when I went for an early morning wander from the town centre northwards. Many buildings near the centre were beautifully restored and some had vibrant murals painted on them. Loud music briefly echoed down side streets, the source a busy cafe serving plates of rice and soup noodles to hungry locals. At one point, the pavement turned into a boardwalk as I entered an area of mangrove where monitor lizards were easily spotted swimming between tree roots in the warm water. It was serene, though occasionally the peace was interrupted by a pleasure cruiser ferrying tourists with cameras at the ready. Mine stayed on throughout as a spent a happy couple of hours taking photos from all angles and vantage points. It was well worth it.
Deep-fried Vegetable Snacks at Jonker Walk Night Market
So far on my quest to try a little bit of everything at Jonker Walk Night Market in Malacca, Malaysia, I’ve had Satay Fish Balls, Taiwan ‘Han Bao’ and a Tiramisu Milk Tea. There was definitely room for some more so I walked down a side-street to find something else to sample. One stall was attracting quite a crowd so I fought my way through the throng to find out what was on the menu.
I discovered a stall offering deep-fried vegetable snacks for an unbelievably low price. You could fill a bag with Spring Rolls, Sweet Potato Fritters and Samosas (among other options) and have the whole lot drizzled with chilli sauce for next to nothing. This was a meal in itself and I struggled to finish everything, but it was so tasty, I managed to eat the lot.
Taiwan ‘Han Bao’ at Jonker Walk Night Market
Here’s another tasty treat I tried at Jonker Walk Night Market in Malacca, Malaysia. I’ve tried to ‘google’ some information about this snack but I haven’t had any luck, leading me to suspect this isn’t something that’s particularly well known in Taiwan, more something the stall owners have concocted. I could be wrong though, so if you recognise what these are, let me know.
They were essentially thick, freshly-prepared omelette cakes with a choice of filling. I could have had crab meat, chicken floss or octopus, but I opted for Taiwan sausage. The omelette was firm and slightly crispy on the outside while the sausage filling was both sweet and peppery. It was really tasty!
I've followed you for a few months and love your site. I'm currently an American living in London with the condition of wanderlust. Although I've been really busy with my studies for the past year, I've been dying to travel more. So I'm thinking of doing the extreme and going somewhere for a few days on my own. Why wait for others to make up their minds when I've decided this is what I love years ago? Anyway, where was your favorite place to visit in Germany? Any guidance would be great!
Asked by
rbhoward
Hi! I’m so sorry it’s taken this long to reply to your lovely message.
I’ve visited Germany twice, but this was before the days of blogging and I can’t really remember the fine detail of my trips. The first occasion was during a big European road trip with the family. We stopped off for one night on a campsite in the Black Forest. From what I remember, this wooded mountainous southwestern corner of Germany was stunningly beautiful. If I was to recommend going anywhere in Germany, head to the south where the scenery puts on a spectacular show and the culture seems to be much richer than elsewhere.
The second occasion is barely worth mentioning. We stayed at a Center Parcs holiday village in the north of the country. The landscape was the polar opposite of that in the south; very flat and featureless.
If it’s specifically cities you want to visit, I don’t think you can go far wrong with a weekend in Berlin, Köln (Cologne) or Frankfurt. Köln is easy to get to by train from London and Berlin is easy to get to by budget airline from any of London’s smaller airports.
If anyone has any other suggestions for rbhoward of places to visit in Germany, drop a note in the comment box.
