Melaka Apa Kaba Village

Continued from last post. After our long day of cleaning up the Turtle Sanctuary and beach front in Melaka, we had a late dinner and drove an hour to Apa Kaba Homestay.

What a delightful place it is! According to the front desk, the place is more than a 100 years old, but refurbished and extended a little to accommodate guests.

The simple and lovely courtyard. Outside of the house there's a little patio for guests to lounge at. 

This was our room, facing the main hall. The windows had traditional wooden shutters, which the children found fascinating.

The front of the kampung house.

 There were bits of antiques here and there to give the house an old feeling, such as the very antique oven seen on the left, a knob to control fan speed (top middle), traditional glass windows (right) and the old typewriter (center below.)

While we were there, we rented bikes for rm10 each. The bikes were quite creaky and old fashioned, which made it fun for the kids. Surprisingly Jo, being a new rider handled her high bike well. Kids and their friends cycled around the neighbourhood exploring while we parents walked along, sometimes stopping to talk to villagers.

We stumbled upon many old houses like the one with the steep roof. An elderly lady we met lived in such a house, but in a really dilapidated condition. She told us, "Makcik dah tua. Dulu makcik ada rumah kampung yang cantik, dekat jalan sana. Skarang...semua diambil untuk bina bangunan baru. Jadi sewa saja rumah ni. Takda duit dah....nasib baik sudah tua...." 

An old Chinese village house. Banda Kaba has two sides, the Malay side and the Chinese side.

A slightly more modern Malay traditional house.

As the room we booked had an adjoining door with their friends next door, the children passed messages back and forth. :)

Overall....we found the experience lovely. However, do not expect a 5-Star hotel with comfortable beds. Beds were a little sunken, and there was dust. However, the hosts were very warm and friendly people, and we just enjoyed the experience of staying in an old kampung house, and definitely exploring the village by bike/foot.

@poundthegarlic.blogspot.com 2015
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