the historical city of Melaka, Malaysia

I visited Melaka (also spelled Malacca), Malaysia on October 14-16, 2005 as a belated birthday trip.  The state of Melaka is the third smallest Malaysian state located on the southern region of the Malay Peninsula.  The capital is the historical town of Melaka which is about 150 km south east of Kuala Lumpur. 

Melaka is unique because although it is the location of one of the earliest Malay sultanates, it was abolished when the Portuguese came in 1511.  Since then it has been under the Dutch, British and Japanese control until it was incorporated into the Federation of Malaya in 1948 and eventually became part of Malaysia in 1963.  Just imagine the rich mixture of culture and history playing up in this small unique town. 

I went there via Singapore and was met by a friend at the Changi Airport and immediately we headed to cross the border.  If I remember it right, it took only about 20 minutes to cross the Singapore-Malaysia border.  Still feeling sleepy from having to wake up early that day, my adventure started when at the immigration checkpoint (it was like a toll gate where you have to open your car window and present your passport and ID) the officer motioned me to follow him to the office.  Inside the officer excitedly told another officer (maybe his boss) "she just landed! she just landed!"  while pointing at the Singapore entry stamp in my passport.  The other officer looked at me and i calmly explained that I already travelled to Singapore earlier that year (he checked the old entry/exit stamps and nodded) and that this time I want to explore the southern part of Malaysia.  I explained further that I was going there with my friend who already resides and works in Singapore.  Both officers scrutinied my passport one more time while talking in their language and to my relief, they stamped it, handed it to me and i was escorted back to the car. Whew! how's that for starters? haha.

The drive to the town of Melaka took another 4 hours and it was the cleanest highway i've been to in my life so far, both sides of the highway lined with tall green trees (i wish i knew what they are called) to complete the setting of a very relaxing stress-free drive.

The good thing about Melaka is that the town is so small you don't need a car to hop from one tourist spot to the other  or you can choose to ride the fun-looking colorful tri-shaws.  Here are some photos i took during our walking tour of this historical town:

Fort A Famosa constructed by the Portuguese in 1521 and suffered
severe damage during the Dutch invasion

local kids having their class photo taken in front of
the surviving gate of Fort A Famosa

Proclamation of Independence Memorial
built by the British in 1912 and formerly known as Melaka Club,
it now houses a rich memorabilia of Malaysia' struggle for independence

wooden replica of Melaka's Sultanate Palace built in 1984 which
officially became the Cultural Museum in 1986

must-ride: colorful trishaws draped in garlands

Stadthuys also known as the Dutch Square or Red Square was built in 1650 as home
to the Dutch Governor and his Deputy; now serves as Museum of History and Ethnography

Christ Church Melaka built in 1753 exhibiting true Dutch architecture

climb to the ruins of St. Paul's Church built by the Portuguese in 1521
located on top of a hill overlooking Melaka

top: colorful flowers line the streets; shops at melaka
bottom: Dutch Windmill; Youth Museum; Maritime Museum; statue of St. Francis Xavier

top L-R: the straits of Malacca top of photo; Hotel Equatorial; Sultanate Palace
bottom L-R: view from Hotel Equatorial; welcome sign; residential buildings

We also checked out Jonker Street famous for antique goods and had lunch at an antique shop (i can't remember the name) which offered free internet surfing while they prepare our food (weeee!) :)  The best part of the trip was dinner at Hotel Equatorial where, to my surprise, the strings quartet played the Malay version of the song "Anak" made famous by Freddie Aguilar, a popular filipino artist whose song was translated into various languages.  What a pleasant surprise, indeed!

The drive to Singapore to catch my flight back to Manila was uneventful.  No more drama at the immigrations stop.

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Shades of Blue

I am not a blue person. Except for a bag I permanently borrowed from my mom, a couple of shirts and one set of accessories to go with the regular jeans, most of my things are in the shades of green, red and orange. The flamboyant me finds blue plain and safe, unfeminine, sad, unnoticeable, unexciting… B.O.R.I.N.G!

But photography made me a convert. I would like to think that God must have used up too much yellow, red and orange to make sunsets more dramatic, planted too many pink flowers, roses and violets, created wide green meadows and thick brown forests. Left with nothing but BLUE in his palette, He didn't stop...and look what wonders He did with it. Amazing!

"How far can you see?" - Batad, Ifugao Province

"Boracay of the North" - Pagudpud Beach, Ilocos Norte

"welcome to paradise" - Aboard Superferry approaching Coron, Palawan

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Two Women



Mt. Tapyas, Coron, Palawan - April 2004

I am two women trapped in one physical body:
one craves for all the joy, thrill, adventure and excitement this life could offer; the other snuggles to life’s routines, to the certainty of repetitive work

one rides the roller coaster, feeling trapped yet delights in going up, down and upside down; the other rides the carousel, safe and secure in simply going round and round

one dreams of traveling the world and getting to the very top of the career ladder; the other wishes to stay home, read a book and enjoy the simplicity and comfort of family life

one leaps blindly, prepared to face the surprises of the unplanned; the other steps back from a cliff after peering over it, always on the side of things that can be planned

one faces the world with a sweet, happy smile; the other with a mona lisa

one is passionate and surrenders blindly to it; the other keeps her passion at bay and on guard

one is possessive, suspicious and selfish; the other is freeing, trusting and selfless

one publicly talks about herself; the other keeps a diary.

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My Northern Exposure

27-30 May 2004. It was a road trip. Laya, my classmate in UP who migrated to the States a few years after college, was vacationing and invited me and Eder to join her in a 4-day tour up north. We haven’t seen each other in years but that morning of our meeting day, we became best friends again. Eder and I spent the next 4 days together at the back seat of a 2-door Pajero with Laya at the front passenger seat and her cheerful and energetic dad as our navigator.

We spent the first night in Vigan, Ilocos Sur; second night in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte; third night in Tuguegarao. Each time we stopped by to check on what each town has to offer:

• Basilica of our Lady of Charity (Agoo, La Union)
• Bantay bell tower and the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity (Bantay, Ilocos Sur)
• Burgos plaza and museum, pottery shops, Crisologo Museum, the narrow cobblestoned streets of the UNESCO Heritage Village (Vigan)
• Malacanang of the North, Lake Paoay and Paoay Church (Paoay)
• Marcos Museum and Masoleum (Batac)
• Fort Ilocandia (Laoag)
• Saud Beach Resort (Pagudpud) - click here to read about our stay in Pagudpud
• Tuguegarao, Isabela & Nueva Vizcaya/Ecija

kalesa ride in and around Vigan

Top L-R: Shrine of Our Lady of Charity; Malacanang of the North; Paoay Lake viewed from Malacanang of the North
Middle L-R: Pagudpud Beach, Ilocos Norte sign; northernmost tip of Luzon
Bottom L-R: the busy street of Tuguegarao City; Laya and the manghihilot; our ride

Dalton Pass in Nueve Ecija

In Tuguegarao we stayed at Hotel Roma, had my first taste of pancit batil patong at a local carinderia and spent a wonderful night listening to a live performing band at "The Port."  During our walk of its busiest street, Laya twisted her left foot. The hotel "manghihilot" gave her leg an intense massage to sort of bring it back to place but even after that she has been limping  with each and every step. 

On our last day on the road we stopped by Isabela to have lunch at (where else?) Jollibee, drove through the long and winding road of Nueva Vizcaya and paid our respects to the heroes of World War II in the historic Dalton Pass. I slept from there and woke up only to have dinner in Bulacan. It was already past midnight when we quietly and reluctantly re-entered Metro Manila.

I’ve been to the Ilocos region twice before but this has been my most comprehensive northern exposure so far. We had many (mis)adventures along the way, tasted a lot of local food delicacies and brought home some souvenir items but what I will never forget are the quaintness of each town, the warmth of the people, the image of the beautiful terrain and the friendship I shared with Eder and Laya.

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