Chung Wah famous Chicken Rice Balls Melaka

Normally if you walk into a chicken rice stall, you wouldn’t expect to have your rice served up as balls the size of ping pong balls. But in Melaka, this is why people are willing to queue up in scorching sun just to have a plate of this “Chicken Rice Balls”.

On our recent trip to the historic city of Melaka, we took the 2 hour bus down from KL. Because we were here to do reviews on Melaka, so we needed to try what the locals branded as “famous”.

We started off with the Hainan Chicken Rice balls at Chung Wah Coffee Shop for lunch. We arrived about 4pm, which was way after lunch time, so the crowd wasn’t that crazy. Honestly I’m not a very patient person. I personally believe in going for the alternative even though the stall isn’t that famous. Take for example the Sate Celup in town. I couldn’t be bothered with waiting 2 hours just for people to take their own sweet time to dip and chat while we fellas are grumbling standing by the side of the road for them to finish. If you are coming from the Tan Kim Seng Bridge, the yellow signboard on your right is Chung Wah Coffee Shop. If you are walking from Dutch Square where the red buildings like Christ Church or Stadthuys are situated, keep look up on the right hand side of a white colour building. Chung Wah is exactly on the right corner after crossing over Melaka River by Tan Kim Seng Bridge. It is a simple and clean coffee shop. At the top of the coffee shop, you will see a traditional Chinese name plate hanging high above an arch, describing the name of this shop usually implies it could be a family business run over generations. Our order came in like 7 minutes to be exact. (I do time these kind of things). I ordered a glass of home cooked barli which was a thirst quencher after our tiring trip up from KL.

Chop Chung Wah Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball

The chicken meat was smooth, juicy and tender. My plate came with 5 chicken rice balls, which were about the size of a ping pong. Im not sure about the statement that other bloggers write about the rice “The rice was soft and sticky consistency that binds the rice grains together. It’s strong enough so that you can pick it up easily with chopsticks yet it melts away in your mouth. The taste of the rice balls is a gently fragrant one but it lingers in the mouth and you just keep popping in more of those rice balls! Needless to say this is why I keep coming back for it” To me, when my rice balls came. It was just a simple compacted ball of rice which I had to flatten with my spoon in order to put it into my mouth. Then I started asking myself.  Wouldn’t it be easier to just eat normal rice? Instead of ordering something round, and then flattening it again? But this is what I personally think. To the other thousands of people who has eaten and written about this place. They put two thumbs up for this place. I say, come here if there is no one in the queue.

our plate of chicken rice balls with our barli drink

My personal theory of “They decided one day to roll up the rice into balls out of boredom” doesn’t seem to be popular with the locals. p/s: I used to think , it was some genius lazy fellow who grew lazy of scooping up spoons of rice into his mouth. Since it was much easier to just gulp it with one go, if it was rounded!

So upon digging, I found out that in the olden days, the rice balls were invented because they stayed warm longer and were easier to transport, so farmers and labourers would pack them into wooden containers and take them out to the plantations to eat.

So for iconic sake, besides buying a t-shirt to proof you have been to Melaka, you might as well grab a stool, order a –kopi o and enjoy a plate of Chicken Ball Rice.

Address: Chop Chung Wah Coffee Shop Right corner after crossing Tan Kim Seng Bridge from Dutch Square Lorong Hang Jebat Melaka, Malaysia
Tips: Go as early as 11 am on weekend to avoid long queues

For more backpacking tips and information, do visit join our travel group on facebook. At backpackies is now on facebook.

Bloody Bed Bugs! Budget hotels Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Asia

God Damn! I hate Bed Bugs!
Blood Sucking Bed Bugs! Yeah…You better be afraid!
Cuz they are your worse night mare!
If you are constantly looking out for cheap hotels, motels, hostels to sleep in, you can be sure that one of these days, you will run in to them!
** Thats why we search hard on www.backpackies.com to find you accomodations that arent with BED BUGS!
Bed bugs are tiny, “if you got shitty eyes, then yeah you can’t see them”, well hidden parasitic insects, that feed on BLOOD. They usually infest the bed – hence the name BED BUGS.
  

this is how small a bed bug is, AFTER it is filled with your blood! Its smaller when it just started sucking

Bed bugs are mostly active at night, and they are very good at sucking your blood without you noticing it.
** From now- THEY refers to the BED BUGS  

This is what a bed bug on close up looks like!

this is the life cycle of the bed bug!Most species only feed on humans when other prey is sleeping, or not moving. bed bug bites is itchy as hellThey are attracted to CO2, warmth, and other chemicals that your body emits. They don’t necessarily crawl on the bed sheets, setting fire to the blanket, doesnt work!

( They can be crawling from the walls, or drop down from the ceiling! (Wear a hat? When you sleep? Cuz they might make a home in your hair?) ha ha we are kidding. But seriously, they can crawl!
  

How do they suck your blood? 

Bed bugs feeding on your skin!

There is these hollow feeding tubes that stick out from their mouth, and they pierce your skin and inject their saliva which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics while it slowly sucks your blood. Kind of like how vampires and mosquitoes do it.
You wont feel pain or itchy at first, but after they bite you, and the drugs wear out, then you start to itch. And really itch badly!
  

bitten by bed bugs

Bed bugs will suck for about 3-5 minutes and then go back to hide. Probably to digest what they just took from you.  

Mind you, these critters can live for a year without feeding, but they normally try to feed every 5 – 10 days. When it’s cold, they can also hibernate. So in this hot Asian climate, don’t ever think of hiding from them! 

How do they infest and move in with you?  

There are several ways in which dwellings can become infested with bedbugs and their eggs.  

Bed bugs can infest and breed  

bed infested by bed bugs!

1. In clothing’s and luggage – which is why most damn hotels don’t allow you to put your bags on the bed!
   bags on bed
2. They can also backpack! They just travel with their bags on your animals! (If you bloody have one), soo now instead of ticks, you have to be worried of bed bugs too!

They can infest anything! Unless they are killed together with their eggs!  

How to know if there are bed bugs?  

It is really hard to see if the bed or room has any bed bugs.  

They hide mostly in dark corners, cracks, and in clothes and mattresses.  

Typically a bed sheet might look nice and clean. But after a few hours, once you start to feel itchy, and find small blood stains on the sheets, then you can be sure there are bed bugs around.  

Catch them in the act – Keep a flashlight by your bed, and turn it on when you start to feel itchy, watch the sheets closely for movement. If you get up or move too much they will go back into hiding. This can be hard to do – if you’ve only got a few of them, they only need to come out once a week or so anyway, so you might get unlucky and not see any, even though you have them.  

What wont work?! We tried it already!  

If you are sleeping in a room with two single beds. No point moving to the other bed, for it is surely infested also. (But you can always try)  

Putting on an extra bed sheet or towel doesn’t work either.  

Putting a bath towel on the bed doesn’t help, they just crawl over the towel!  

Sleeping on the chair? Its as bad an idea as sitting and falling asleep in the toilet.
  

sleeping in the toilet- they might climb up your ass and bite you!

and if we were forced to sleep on the kitchen table, we would surely bring some company with us! he he

Sleeping on the kitchen table (that is if your budget hotel even has one) wont help  

Sleeping in the bath tub, is freaking cold!  

Dont bring them home with you.  

Make your target less attractive. Put it up high on a chair. Don’t put your bags on the floor. But of course dont put them on the bed also, as you might not know if there are any that is already in your bag.  

Using a plastic bag to store your clothes is a good way to isolate them from the bed bugs.
  

packing smart!

Finally, do a quick inspection of your clothes in your luggage before you leave.  

When you get home from your trip, immediately send your clothes for washing and air your bags in the sun.  

They hate sunlight 

How do you ease the itch and not get bitten again?  

corticool - mint cooling gel

Corticool, which is a cream that relieves itching from insect bites and that you can buy over the counter.
You can also try Benadryl or using calimine lotion will help with it. Of course, that won’t stop you from actually being bitten.  

Some ways you can try.  

Use a double tape to tape around the sides of your bed legs. It only works if the mattress or bed sheets aren’t infested already. The bed bugs will get trapped if they try to crawl up the legs on to the bed.
  

bug spray!

2) Sterifab is a good stopgap solution until you can bring
an exterminator in. It’s a spray bottle product that is effective at killing them. You’d never get them all with it, but reducing the number of them helps reduce the number of times you’re bitten. It also lingers and keeps killing for a day or so after you spray it, so it can keep working overnight.  

There is a new certain type of sleeping bag that comes with an Insecticide Layer.
If you are travelling in asia. Most probably, you can try the medicated oil, which is cheaper and easier to find here than Corticool. It is the same minty gel – CORTICOOL mentioned above. This is in oil form. Great for head aches and easing nausea.  

chinese medicated oil, helps a little

The bites can last from a few days to a few weeks.  

Depending on how allergic you are. It will definitely be faster if you apply some medication.  

When are these bites going to go away?  

That could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. It depends on how allergic you are to them. Some people are really allergic and will have them for a lot longer. Most of the time, the itching will stop first and the bite mark will gradually disappear.  

 We hope you know when its mosquitoes and when its bed bugs!  

We wish you all the best and may god ..kill all the rest (of the bed bugs) 😀
Have fun backpacking!