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TRAVEL
220
February15
Hiring a car
After lining up a suite at the best hotel in town – The
Majestic Malacca – for our deserving guest, we next
went on the lookout for an affordable and, if possible,
environmentally friendly vehicle to hire for the trip. A
quick Google search led me to Hertz and its Green
Traveller Collection, which included the Peugeot 508
RXH HYbrid4.
In English? This attractive set of wheels (one of the
few in production in the world) is a diesel-electric hybrid
with extremely low carbon emissions, which essentially
means a smooth drive and huge savings on fuel – plus,
it’s kinder to the ozone layer. The four-wheel drive also
comes with a flashy interior and panoramic sunroof,
allowing passengers to sit back and do a spot of bird
watchingon thego (or star gazing, if it’s toodark for kites).
As we pulled away in the sexy Peugeot, Joe at Hertz
bet us that we would make it there and back – that’s
close to 500km – on half a tank of petrol. Um, surely
not! We would soon find out.
Hitting the road
The trip to Malacca itself is a pretty straightforward drive. Tuas is the
quietest checkpoint, so we hit it at 3pm on Friday to avoid peak hour.
The drive-through immigration process is easy enough, but there are
a couple of things to remember:
•
Have your Employment or Dependent Pass handy, as well as
your passport.
• It costs a few dollars to leave and enter Singapore, so make sure the
vehicle’s cash card has sufficient credit (it comes with the rental).
• Make sure the petrol tank is three-quarters full before leaving
Singapore (this is a legal requirement).
• Buy a freeway toll card at the first booth so you can use the
“Touch’n’Go” lanes at the several toll points.
The route to Malacca is essentially one road along the West
Coast (pretty jungle views, although none of the sea) and it’s almost
impossible to muck up, particularly because your hire vehicle comes
with satnav. Once you’re there, you’ll find that the town itself is quite
large and spread out, but the part that counts the most – the heritage
area – is fairly small and right in the centre.
Colourful designs coat most
of Malacca
’
s shophouses
Malacca
’
s colourful riverside
Fancy a ride?
Our über-green wheels for the weekend
Back-street coffee shops