Short trip to Bukit Tinggi, Genting Highlands and Melaka

CY and Kevin flew back to Singapore on 23 Dec, and would stay till 6 Jan. 

Both of them were supposed to have their LASIK surgery done on 27 Dec, and then we would go for a short self drive tour to Bukit Tinggi, Genting Highlands and Melaka from 31 Dec to 3 Jan.

But alas, CY eyes were quite dry (when examined on 26 Dec), and had to repeat her eye evaluation on 2 Jan (after applying eye drop to moisture her eyes) to assess if she was suitable for LASIK. 

Kevin's cornea was deemed to be bordeline for LASIK - and eventually he opted for TransPRK surgery (which was performed on 27 Dec).

We made a last minute plan to drive up to Bukit Tinggi for a night, then go to Melaka the next day, and return to Singapore just in time for Kevin's and CY's eye check up in the afternoon of 2 Jan.

In anticipation of heavy traffic jam in the causeway on 31 Dec, we left our house quite early in the morning (~6.30am) - reach Tuas check-point and JB check-point by 7am - it was smooth sailing in both immigration counters, no jam at all (barely any waiting incurred, which was unheard off in our many travels across the causeway/Tuas 2nd link). 

Stopped over at Bukit Indah Pasar Pagi (aka morning market) for breakfast.

Make-shift stalls on both sides of the street

Local carrot cake ... not bad at all

another corner of the morning market

carrot cake.... RM 6

After that, we resumed our drive all the way to Bukit Tinggi.

We stayed overnight at The Chateau Spa and Wellness Resort - was quite amaze at how posh the resort was - literally resemble that of old French villa. 

The Glass ballroom where we had our breakfast 

And of course, the highlight of the trip was a visit to Colmar Tropicale (aka French Village).

The French Village is rather small... the entire stroll can be completed within half hour (if one is in a hurry). For those who just wanted to experience a visit to european village without flying long distance, this is not a bad place... but don't hold too high an expectation.

Walk-way to the Villa

The garden next to the Villa

view of the entire village, from a clock tower

close-up view of the multi-coloured rooftops

We drove to Bentong for dinner. The restaurant/shop that we wanted to visit was not opened for business. Chance upon a Malay restaurant which was well-known for its Rendang Chicken.

Drove back to the Resort after dinner... rested for the night. 

After taken our breakfast in the resort, we drove to Genting Highlands (which was about an hour drive from the resort) - stopped over for a short walking tour (visiting the casino, indoor theme park), and drove for another 3 hours to Melaka. 

Genting Highlands Resort

It was 5 pm by the time we reached Melaka. Checked into our hotel (Christee Suites Hotel), and walked for about 10 minutes to nearby tourist attractions.

A Farmosa.

Church of St Paul.

steps leading to Church of St Paul

Dutch Red Square aka Stadthuys.

Replica of fortress facing Melaka River

Jonker Street nearby...

It poured heavily as we just finish buying some local delights from a shop. We waited for a few minutes... but the rain showed no signs of stopping. Hence, I had to walk back to our hotel (carrying umbrella with me) to pick up our car. 

We drove to a Peranakan Restaurant nearby for our dinner. 

The next morning, we drove to a residential house to purchase some Nyonya dumplings. Wanted to get some Nyonya kuih, but the shop that we went to did not cater for on the spot purchase (had to order the day before). Drove to another shop nearby, but could not locate the place (after following Google Map instruction). Gave up --> drove all the way back to Singapore via Tuas 2nd link --> it was another smooth journey across the causeway.

The entire trip was rather rush... it would have been better if we could spend another day in Genting Highlands itself. This would allow us more time to visit Melaka.