Sunday -- What better way to start it then good roti canai, eh?

Nice flowers to welcome you to Shanker's Chettinad restaurant in Bukit Beruang.

Nice curried lamb.

And great roti canai with chicken or fish curry.

Great fried noodles.

 My friend the waiter from India who makes my tea.

And this guy who's like Agent K played by Tommy Lee Jones in MIB. He never smiles. Well, actually he does. Sometimes. And this is what it looks like!

Nice, but shy mother of Shanker's.

 And finally, friendly Shanker with a great smile.

Saturday Pics in front of Christ Church Melaka

One of many tourists our old city welcomes every day. She must have sore feet walking around so much and enjoying our town.

This cool dude can draw you a nice caricature in minutes.

Good old-fashioned ice cream cones, anyone?

Melaka - Durian sellers in Ujong Pasir

Durian, the Malaysian "King of Fruits." Foreigners hate the smell, Malaysians love the taste. We ban it from hotels and planes, but we can't live without it. Wonderful!

Ah Lek, our durian man in Ujong Pasir. His stall appears once a year during the durian season, just beyond the city jail and police station. Great quality, and he doesn't cheat you by giving you rotten fruits. 

See? Good flesh inside!

His partner can tell if the fruit's any good by the way it balances in his hand. I don't care how they do it, but the flesh IS good, every year.

Food in the side streets of Old Town, Melaka

Back street restaurant of Old Town, Melaka. This is the famous Teochew Restaurant. 

Hawker fare is best. Pork satay is simply delicious. Sometimes it is the sweetish pineapple dipping sauce that makes the difference.

My friendly satay man.

And the best Mee Suah in Melaka! You have to be prepared to wait ages for your freshly cooked food, though. Every dish is prepared and cooked to order, so wait for it!

Melaka - Unesco World Heritage City

Welcome to Melaka! Daughter of the owner of a fruit juice restaurant in Old Town of Melaka, not far from Jonker Walk.

Steamed peanuts is a favorite munch here.

The old world and the new. But in these old, narrow streets of Melaka, there are no prizes for guessing which one gets you around faster.

All buildings in Old Melaka Town have narrow frontages. This dates from Dutch colonial days when the tax paid depended on the width of the house. Many of these houses are still lived in, though a large number have been converted to shops and hotels.

Black and white view from the old bridge looks much the same as it did when, as a kid, I visited Peranakan (Baba and Nyonya) relatives in Melaka so many decades ago.

Melaka

The salted egg crab at Tong Sheng Restaurant in Melaka Raya is quite delicious. Don't forget to try the cheesy prawn rice noodles (bee hoon) too. 

E&O Hotel, Penang - III

Nice cosy pub with a good mix of cocktails and a reasonable selection of whiskeys. Beer was OK.

An international collection of guests, too.

A sumptuous breakfast cooked to your order ...

... served by attentive staff completes a nice weekend stay.

E&0 Hotel, Penang - II

Very clean, nice bath, but for me, always the shower! Which was nice, too.

Toiletries for him and her. Just enough for one use or two uses at most, though.

Nice big room, almost but not quite like a suite.

Very big and comfortable bed, I hasten to add. But there's no bed turn down service. 

The long corridors evoke a nice, nostalgic feeling for the hotels of old, like those I remember from when I was a kid; not that I could afford to stay in a place like this in those days.

The Majestic E&O Hotel in Penang - I

A magnificent colonial facade welcomes you to this historic hotel in Penang.

An affable welcoming doorman...

... and his morning shift partner.

An impressive lobby with a high atrium that produces loud echoes, so speak in hushed tones or beware of what you say.

A warm reception and a welcome drink to set the mood

I like the wooden bannisters that welcome you to the first floor. But I took the lift!