Seniors Travel Bug Flies Off

MAIDEN PERANAKAN MALACCA TOUR 5 JULY TO 7 JULY 2008

This tour to Malacca was organised by Centre For Seniors (CFS) volunteers under our Senior Travel Bug programme. Senior Travel Bug is a volunteer-spearheaded programme in which CFS aspires to create an unparallelled and unique travel experience for seniors to overseas locations. With value and quality as our foremost criteria, the hotel and various places of interests in Malacca had been researched by our volunteers. This tour offered greater flexibility and provided enjoyment, entertainment and education for the seniors.

For seniors with an avid interest in history and the arts, Malacca, as a melting pot of Peranakan culture, is a treasure chest of great delights and discoveries for them.

The highlight of the tour was the Peranakan Buffet Dinner and Dance with Live Band at the Peranakan Club. Everyone had an enjoyable and an unforgettable night. We were fortunate to have a competent, spontaneous and humorous Master of Ceremony in Mr Stanley Foo, who was adored by all the seniors. The Peranakan party with lots of singing, dancing, endless jokes and laughter surprised many seniors who eventually immersed themselves into this nostalgic lifestyle.

The best place to learn about the Peranakan lifestyles and culture was the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum which was the ancestral home of three generations of a Baba Nyonya family. The museum with its beautiful furniture, intricately embroidered panels and artefacts exuded a traditional homely feeling that made visitors feel like visiting a friend's home. The highlight of the tour was the tour guide who told stories and anecdotes of Peranakan past with a distinctly Peranakan sense of humour that enthralled visitors.

Moving on to food which is a subject very much close to Singaporeans' hearts, we trawled Malacca for scrumptious Peranakan cuisine and bites. We visited the Nyonya Kuih Factory at Tengkera selling freshly cooked Nyonya kuih at fantastic prices. The aroma induced us to go on a kuih rampage and our palates were satisfied so divinely. What a glorious kuih day!

Another interesting and unique tour was the historical Malacca River Boat Tour. In fact, this river boat ride was featured in the Hollywood movie “Entrapment” in 1998. The Malacca River was also dubbed as the “ Venice of the East” and has now become a tourist attraction. The knowledgeable and eloquent tour guide waxed lyrical as the boat cruised upstream through several bridges, cafes, Malay village and the “Eyes of Malacca” (a mini Singapore Flyer-lookalike). Most of the houses built along the riverbanks during the Dutch rule were long and narrow so that the owners did not have to pay tax. A visit to Malacca won't be complete without the Malacca River Cruise.

Other historical and heritage areas visited were the Portuguese Settlement, The Dutch Stadhuys and Clock Tower, Red Square and Jonker Street where we explored, shopped and indulged in the local delicacies like popiah, bakchang, cendol, etc.

We left Malacca with a feeling that we would be back soon. It was a place that demanded return visits.

From feedback received, the participants were very satisfied with the overall trip and were looking forward to CFS organising the next Seniors Travel Bug trip. The trip to Malacca was educational and enriching especially the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum and the Malacca River Boat Tour.

From this three-day, two-night outing, we could see that there was a very special social bonding among the seniors and it was very heartening and satisfying to see all the seniors aged 54 to 77 blending and bonding so well together. At the end of the trip it was so hard to say goodbye but we know that the travel bug has bitten us and we will be exploring new vistas soon again.

Contributed by: Stella Tan