2026 Melaka

30th Jan - 2nd Feb 2026, at 30+2w - 30+5w of pregnancy.

We wanted to take a short trip during the third trimester. Given the pregnancy, our travel options were limited. Planes and boats would require a doctor's letter certifying fitness to travel. It wouldn't be an issue obtaining a memo, but we decided a road trip up to Malaysia would be a comfortable way to spend some family time. 

Day 1.

We decided to use my dad's car (Mazda 6) as it was larger and probably more comfortable for the 4 of us. Crossing the customs is always abit of an unknown. We enjoy driving up but it can sometimes be difficult to predict the traffic - there was a weekday noon that was very busy, and a weekend/holiday that was traffic free. Thankfully we didn't face any trouble going up. 

We played it safe by choosing to spend a night right across the Tuas checkpoint at Medini. We checked ourselves into OZO Medini Malaysia, and headed out to our favourite Pekin Restaurant Sutera. It was C's first time here, and we were quick to order the standard dishes of Beijing Xiang Pai and San Si Dan. The San Si Dan is my favourite. The vinegary fried shreds of egg is very appetising. The Pekin Xiang Pai today also had a healthy amount of fat. We did some shopping at Aeon Sutera before heading back to Ozo for some rest. 

Day 2.

Breakfast was included at Ozo. The dining hall was had both indoor and outdoor seating, facing south across a small pond toward Singapore. The indoor area was surprisingly half filled with what seemed like Korean international students. We chose to sit outside to get some fresh air - escaping the lack of fresh air in the hotel rooms. The food options are simple but decent. It was an enjoyable meal, and we all felt like the view added to the atmosphere. It really felt like a holiday already despite being <10km from the border. 

We had a bit more ground to cover as our destination today was Melaka. We decided to skip a stop at Kelapa Sawit despite my eagerness, and take the small roads following the western coast. Crossing over the new Pulai River Bridge, we soon found ourselves at Pontian. We were quite full from breakfast still, but felt an overwhelming desire to grab a bowl of Pontian Wanton Mee. The noodles were okay, probably because we weren't hungry. Nevertheless it felt like a sin not to stop and eat here. 

We pressed on up, making a quick stop at Batu Pahat for some Zus Kopi, before heading further north to Parit Jawa where we had lunch at Gerai Makan Laut Hai Yen. Lunch was alright. Muar is famous for its Assam, but we weren't really in the mood to eat something warm and spicy in the afternoon sun. What was nice was its location. We (or rather just me), chose Parit Jawa as it was at a small river mouth where we could potentially do some bird watching. There was also a small jetty out, but it was incredibly hot and we didn't spend too long there. Still a nice small village to stop by. The whole place along with the uncles sitting under the shade, fishermen and boats going about their business, felt very authentic.

Our next stop would bring us right along the Johor-Melaka border at Sungai Rambai, specifically to Kem Benteng Viewpoint. Sungai Rambai has vast paddy fields that brings about with it the grassland birds. We were not disappointed with the bird life, but again as it was still ~4pm, the sweltering heat limited our ability to explore. We still managed to have some fun driving in and around the paddy fields. There were recent reports of a Black Headed Ibis sighted around the area, but we were not lucky enough to catch it. There were several shy Swamp Hens, various Munias, Bee-eaters etc.

Feeling tired, we pressed on to Melaka where we arrived to a very crowded town, and a long flight of stairs up the unventilated stairwell of our Airbnb (Lot 78). We parked the car right outside the Airbnb, and took precaution by locking the steering wheel and accelerator pad. 

This seemingly random weekend we chose turned out to coincide with Thaipusam, hence the crowds. 

We dragged ourselves out to Atlantic Nyonya HQ just across the road for dinner, before taking a stroll down Jonker street. CMS had some tired legs and painful knees. Problem with the busy streets is that calling a Grab would take longer than just walking back. Hence we just trudged along slowly along the Melaka river. Will need to get her knee pain sorted..

Day 3.

Started the day with breakfast at Lian Pang Kopitiam. Small little coffee shop that we've eaten at before. Had Char Kuay Teow and oyster omelette, CNF's favourites. Saved our legs by taking a Grab back from the nearby mall. CNF and CMS's room faced the road, which was full of Mat/Mina rempits all through the night - apparently hundreds of them. 

For lunch we went abit farther out to Malim Jaya where we ate at Restoran Baba Albert. It was a small Baba Nonya restaurant. We reached probably around 1-2pm, toward the end of lunch hour, and were the only guests around. We were greeted warmly and quickly proceeded to order the Gerang Assam fish, Rendang chicken. Buah Keluak Chicken, Bendi Ulam (Lady's fingers), Kuey Pai tee, Cai Poh egg. The total was 180 ringgit. Toward the end of the meal, we were greeted by a man, who turned out to be the founder and chef, Baba Albert. We couldn't get a sensing of whether they wanted to close the restaurant post-lunch or if he wanted to continue chatting. He gave fairly mixed signals by mentioning the closing time and asking his staff to clear the plates. Turns out eventually he was keen to chat, and he even treated us to cendol that we were already planning to order. We had a very nice conversation about Melaka, tourism, took some photos etc.

There was an optical shop nearby that was also a cafe. Rated 5 stars on google, we had to check it out. Lensmith & Coffee is an interesting family run business. We saw 3 generations running the place, with a youg couple, grandfather, and a young child all chipping in to do abit of work. It was a cozy environment to hide away from the heat. The environment probably earned it the 5 stars. 

Keen to hit up some of the key tourist spots on our only full day here, we took a Grab to the Melaka Megamall, where it would be easy to access attractions like A Famosa. The mall was crowded and not our thing. Going up A Famosa was also not high on our list in the heat and with CMS's bad knee, so we took a slow walk around to the Church of Saint Paul. The famous cobblestone roads and red brick architecture date back to the 1500s when Melaka was a Portuguese colony. Now the streets are trawled by trishaws blasting the latest K-Pop from the Demon Hunters and Saja Boys. Quite interesting for us as tourists, but not sure how the locals feel about the noise. 

We chose something sort of nearby for dinner - Long Feng龙凤 at Dusit Princess. We had wanted to find some chicken rice initially but couldn't find anything suitable nearby. The walk to Dusit Princess was pleasant, mostly following the river. This small hotel along the way looked very spacious for its prime location, with a large parking area and low rise buildings - Jawa Townstay. Perhaps we can consider staying here next time. The exterior of the Dusit Princess hotel appears dated, but the interior was quite posh. The restaurant looked next level to anything we've been to this trip thus far. Fortunately for our wallets, we weren't too hungry from our late lunch. 

We were all quite tired and called it a night.

Day 4.

It was time to go home. We had quite a tight schedule as we did not want to reach the checkpoint too late, fearing the possible queues. CNF, C, and myself woke up early to eat at Papayun Kitchen, right at the corner of our accommodation and the river. We had a prime seat right by the river, and in the cool morning air, it was a very nice place to chill. We over-ordered and had a plate of almost everything - fried rice, beehoon, kuay teow, kaya toast, vadai etc. They unfortunately somehow did not have Roti Canai that day despite it being on the menu.

We packed our bags and set off for, what was a highlight of the trip to me, Kelapa Sawit. We reached around 1pm, and was quickly brought 3 bowls of Lei cha. They were very busy that day and had run out of the usual non-lei cha food (like ban mian and nasi lemak) to C's horror. I could see it in her face as it started to show some signs of despair. I quickly took out my phone and placed an order of noodle soup on Grab. Thankfully it came within 15mins. Probably a nearby stall. Was quite surprised Grab food works so well in such a remote place. Perhaps the fact that it is a smaller town meant that these services exist to serve the houses located farther away from the main food streets. 

We had ordered Ban in advance, and they came out in frozen packets. This is comfort food to me, and something I have loved to eat as a child. Hope our future child will also share a similar interest, otherwise I will be alone in this pursuit!

Our next stop was Kulai Aeon, where we chilled in the AC and had some Ilao Ilao and coffee. Onward to the checkpoint, where we were greeted by empty gantries. This trip turned out to have one of the best / shortest quests at the customs ever. Glad C could experience this as pain free as can be. 

It was a short 4 days but time well spent with family and nice food. Will want to do more road trips around Malaysia next time, perhaps taking a ferry to Desaru or flying to Fraser Hill / KL before renting a car there. 

Camera gear.

• OM System OM-1 body

• 12-100mm f4 PRO

• 6mm f2.0 Laowa

• 25mm f1.4 Panasonic Leica

• Shimoda v2 30L and a random small sling bag

• DJI Osmo Pocket 3

• DJI Mini 4 Pro - never found the chance to use