I reached Melaka (also called Malacca) after a long 7 hour bus journey from Penang to the South of the Malay Peninsula. I took the ferry from George Town into Penang Sentral from where I caught the bus. Melaka City is another world heritage town and I took a hotel which was a few minutes walk to the historic town area where most of the attractions were.
History
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| River Front |
Melaka is the location of one of the earliest Malay sultanates, the Malacca Sultanate. The head of state is now a Governor, rather than a sultan as the local monarchy was abolished when the Portuguese conquered it in 1511. Strategically located, Malacca was once a well-known international trade center in the East. Traders from Arabia, China and India traded at the port of Malacca and a great diversity of ethnicities now live here reflecting its history. Significant ethnic groups living in the State of Malacca in the present day are the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Baba Nyonya, Kristang, Chitty, Temuan and Eurasians.
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| Christ Church |
After the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British ruled here. The Dutch ruled Malacca from 1641 and was ceded to the British in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. From 1824 to 1942, Malacca was under the rule of the British, first by the East India Company and then as a crown colony.The Melaka city economy is largely based on tourism and has a superbly maintained historic central area. This area includes St Paul's Hill with the ruins of the Portuguese fortress and the Dutch Square on the right (eastern) bank of the river, and the old Chinatown on the left (western) bank. Surrounding this area are all the major hotels and malls making it very convenient for tourists to stay and explore the area.
Chinese New Year
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| Local Art |
It was the Chinese New Year when I was in Melaka and the celebrations could be seen across the Chinatown area. Crackers were bursting all around and the temples were full. 2025 marks the Year of the Snake in the Chinese lunar calendar. Hordes of tourists from China had come (It's visa free for them similar to Indians) and it was also a public holiday in Malaysia, so the local population including Chinese, Malays and Indians had come to Melaka to celebrate. It was a festive atmosphere across the city and restaurants and malls were full with families eating out and celebrating.
Apart from the food, people were shopping for goodies made by the local Chinese which are Malacca specialties. I also bought quite a bit of them to take back home. These included baked biscuits, cookies, tarts, condiments etc. I also picked up a print of one of the local artists who had a great collection of his paintings and a few other artists in his studio.
There were shops selling various antiques, tea sets and some excellent Chinese tea. I bought a portable Chinese Tea set and some high graded tea which isn't available back home. The art of tea making is something that I learnt in Vietnam from one of the antique dealers there who had invited me to a tea drinking ceremony. Here's a short video for those who are interested in it.
How to drink Chinese Tea
Tourist Sites
Jonker Walk
The Jonker Walk located along Jonker Street is the Chinatown area and is superbly well preserved. It is filled with historical houses dating back to the 17th century, many of which are shops selling antiques, textiles, foods, handicrafts and souvenirs. I spent most the days walking around these streets.
Chen Hoon Temple
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| Jonker Walk |
The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple is a Chinese temple practicing the three Doctrinal Systems of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. It is the oldest functioning temple in the country. The temple consists of a complex of several prayer halls with a large main prayer hall dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Guan Yin. Other prayer halls are dedicated to the Chinese deities of wealth, longevity and propagation and one dedicated to ancestral tablets. |
| Chen Hoon Temple |
The temple was full of devotees who had come to celebrate Chinese New year and of course for me, a photographer's delight. The prayers, incense and ceremonies reminded me of a Hindu festival without the cacophony and noise. The Chinese also burn paper in a traditional practice called "burning joss paper," where people offer paper items like money, clothes, or even houses as symbolic gifts to their ancestors or deities, believing the items will be accessible to them in the afterlife when the paper is burned.
The Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum
The Malacca Sultanate Palace Museum is a replica of a classic Malacca Sultanate Palace, was built to represent the Malay culture and Malaccan history during the sultanate era. The building was constructed without using any nails. This museum explores the trade and ethnicities of the area and is pretty well curated.
Dutch Square
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| Dutch Square |
The Dutch Square is an area surrounded by Dutch buildings such as the Stadthuys, Christ Church and a Fountain. The Portuguese traces are mostly on the Fortress and St. Peter's Church at the top of an elevated hillock. I took a walk to the Fortress built in around 1512 and from here climbed the stairs to St. Paul’s Hill and Church. I then walked around the ruins to soak up the panoramic views of the city and the sunset in the evening.The Kopitiam and restaurants around the city serve mixed cultural influences of Malay and Baba Nyonya as well as various regional Chinese cuisines such as Teochew and European cuisines.
Next Destination
After a few days, I decided to go further south and check out Johor. This was earlier a Sultanate and the capital Johor Bahur which is a stones throw away from Singapore and the second largest city after KL.
