A Summer Trip to Malacca

Malacca is a quiet seaside city with a very rich historical and cultural heritage. All around the city are historical buildings dating as far back as the 16th century. Located within the strategic Straits of Malacca, it was a much coveted city in the past, so much so that the Portuguese writer Barbarosa wrote "Whoever is Lord in Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice". Malacca had changed hands a number of times in history, from the original Malaccan Sultanate to the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally to the British.

Today, Malacca has long left its turbulent history behind after Malaysia gained its independence. It is now a historical city with an interesting mix of old and new buildings. Fortunately, new developments within the city had not taken place at the expense of its historical heritage—many of its old buildings were fortunately protected. The cultural aspect of Malacca is an interesting one, where influences from the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and Chinese had left their mark in the style of the buildings as well as the locals' way of life. Many of the inhabitants are Peranakans, descendants of inter-racial marriages between Chinese and Malays. The have their own culture and customs as well as their own unique style of cooking. A popular dish of the Peranakan is the laksa; which consists or rice noodles bathed in a thick, spicy and aromatic gravy of coconut milk.

Quick Tips:

There is usually no problem with accommodation here in Malacca, with its numerous hotels within the city. Most hotels have an occupancy rate of less than 50% during most of the year, except the June and December holidays.

The weather here can get pretty warm during the afternoons, with little cloud cover. Visitors are advised to wear light clothing and bring along sun shades and possibly a hat.

When exchanging money, try to request for smaller bank notes. Many shops here wouldn't have enough change if you gave them a RM 100 note. The most versatile bank note is the RM 10, with the RM 50 note being second best.

Best Way To Get Around:

The road system in Malacca city are well-developed and it is easy to travel from one place to another by car. Car rental can be arranged at the airport. However, in order to fully savor and take in the sights of this historical city, the best way of getting around is still by feet.

The May Chiang Hotel is located at the end of a row of shop houses, on the second floor. The exterior looked a bit old, owing to the fact that the shop houses were built quite a long time ago. However, it can be observed that it had been renovated before.One needs to ascend a flight of stairs to the second floor to reach the hotel. The receptionist is a friendly old uncle that speaks English. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet. The hotel also looks very clean.A double bedroom with attached bathroom, air-conditioning and hot shower cost RM40 per night (approximately $12). The bathroom is a bit small though, but the room is very clean and pretty spacious for two. Facilities are very basic, which consist of a hairdressing table, clothes rack and a small cupboard. There isn't any telephone or TV, but who would really bother with them on a holiday trip?The gate to the hotel would be locked at 12, and if one wishes to come back at a later time, one would have to get the gate keys from the receptionist. The receptionist would sleep in the hotel lobby at night, making sure that everything is alright and secure.This hotel is featured in Lonely Planet too, and would make a good alternative to the very slightly cheaper guesthouses that offer less privacy and value for money. The hotel is also centrally located, with many interesting sites within walking distance.A recommended place for the budget traveller who wishes to have more privacy and comfort than the typical guesthouses.

Afamosa Chicken Rice Balls, located next to the junction of Jalan Munshi Abdullah (Munshi Abdullah road) and Jalan Bendahara, is rather famous in Malacca and is usually crowded during lunch time. It seems to be a favorite restaurant among many locals. The place is air-conditioned and is nice and clean with a traditional Chinese restaurant atmosphere. Tables and chairs are made of solid marble and wood. Chinese lanterns are hung on the ceiling, giving a very traditional look. The food is nice tasting, not oily and is economical. They use farm-reared chickens which are free to run around, hence the chickens tend to be meatier and has little fat.Other than chicken rice, they serve various local vegetables, soups and desserts. A very interesting thing about this restaurant, different from the many other Chinese chicken rice restaurants, is that they also serve the rice in the form of small rice balls. One can dip the rice ball in a variety of sauces or eat them as it is. They really taste good. It is said that rice served in ball form is far more aromatic, especially at the instant when you bite into it.The price of the food is reasonably cheap and nice tasting. The waiters are friendly and attentive to your needs. Definitely a recommended place to try out the local cuisine!

Bukit China is a small hill in the eastern side of Malacca city, along Jalan Puteri Hang Li Po, and is one of the tourist spots in Malacca. History records show that during the Ming Dynasty in China, in order to seal diplomatic ties between Malacca and China, a Chinese princess is wedded to the Sultan of Malacca. The Sultan housed the princess and her 500 handmaidens at this hill and name the place Bukit China (Bukit means hill in Malay). Later on in history, the hill becomes a cemetery for the Chinese settlers that came to Malacca. Bukit China is currently the largest Chinese cemetery outside of mainland China. The oldest grave found here dates back to 1622.

 

Graves of various ages marked the slopes of this hill. The place is quiet and serene, and doesn't feel spooky at all. The hill is popular among locals as a jogging spot and it is not rare to see whole families taking a walk in the hill.

 

There are concrete paths and mud tracks that traverse the whole cemetery. One can see the grand style of the Chinese graves and some of them can be quite large by American standards. One can also see the difference in style between historic and recent graves. Unfortunately, many of the ancient graves are in a state of disrepair.

 

The top of the hill is flat and offers a nice view of the city below. There is a ceremonial grave built on the top of the hill for some unknown ceremonial purposes.

There is an ancient temple (Sam Poh Kong Temple) at the foot of Bukit China that acts as the custodian of the Chinese cemetery. There is also a historic well (Hang Li Poh's well) beside the temple. This well was built by the Sultan of Malacca for his Chinese princess-wife (by the name of Hang Li Poh), and is reputed to never run dry, even during very dry periods. This was an important well during the olden days and was involved in several conflicts between the Malays, the Portuguese and the Dutch.

Situated on top of St. Paul's Hill is the ruins of St. Paul's Church. This church was originally built by the Portuguese Duarte Coelho in 1951 in gratitude to the Virgin Mary for saving his life in the South China sea. It was then known as the Chapel of the Annunciation.

 

When the Dutch took over Malacca, they renamed the church as St. Paul's Church, and used it as a place of worship when the Christ Church was being built.

 

Once inside the ruins, one can see quite a number of large tombstones placed against the walls of the ruins. The words on the tombstones are in Portuguese (or Dutch?) and many of them bear beautiful and intricate carvings. Little white displays at the foot of these tombstones provide a translation of what was inscripted on the tombstones.

 

This church is famous for having been the temporary burial ground for St Francis Xavier for 8 months in 1553 after he died at sea.

 

There is a Dutch cemetery beside the church's ruins and the remains of the Portuguese fort Afamosa. Once a mighty fortress, now all that remains is a tiny gateway called the Porta de Santiago.

Jalan Hang Jebat (Hang Jebat Road), alternatively known as Jonkers Street in Malacca, is located on the western bank of Sungai Malacca (Malacca river). It is well known among the antique collectors worldwide as a great place to search for authentic antiques that can date back a few hundred years. During the day, the shophouses along this road sells antiques and food but come Friday and Saturday nights, this place will transform into a busy and colorful night market (locally known as pasam malam) that is hugely popular with the locals. The night market becomes active from 6pm and continues to bustle till midnight.Here, you will see street peddlers lining both sides of the street with their make-shift stalls, selling all sorts of local delights, drinks, trinkets, bags, shoes, pets, toys, souvenirs and many, many more. This street would be an ideal place to visit if you are looking for souvenirs to bring back home. The whole stretch of road is about 300m long and it can take a few hours just to take in all the sights of the night market and sample the local food sold there. Some shophouses are open at night too, adding to the variety of goods that can be bought there.If you are lucky, you might get to enjoy free performances presented by the locals. While we were there, the locals were celebrating some local event, and they put up quite a number of cultural dances and performances that had a distinctly local flavor. Other than that, you might get to see street performances here as well. We saw this martial arts expert performing his skills in front of a large crowd. The performance is really amazing! He can throw a single poker card three storeys high into the air and puncture a green coconut using his index finger only! These are simply unbelievable feats and best of all, they are real feats and not "magic".The street can really become very crowded sometimes, especially when tour buses unloaded hordes of tourists onto the street. Many historical buildings can be found along this stretch of road. In fact, the American Express Heritage Trail runs through Jonkers Street!Jonkers Street is a great place to visit if you would like to gain further insights of the local culture, their tradition and their way of life. Unfortunately, the night market is only active during weekends, so travellers should take note and time their visit properly to avoid missing such an interesting street!

Christ Church is sandwiched between Jalan Laksamana and Jalan Gereja in Malacca city, in the Red Square together with several other historical buildings such the Stadthuys, the Tang Beng Swee Clock Tower and a water fountain erected in memory of Queen Victoria Regina. Christ Church is difficult to miss with its unmistakable bright-red exterior. This church was built between 1741 and 1753 by the Dutch to commemorate a century of their rule. Bricks were specially shipped in from Zeeland in Holland to build this church.

Christ Church is believed to be the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia, although it was converted to an Anglican church during the British rule. The church has a ceiling that is 12.2m high above the floor, with each 15m-long roof beam fashioned from a single tree with no joints whatsoever. Inside the church one can see old tombstones with Armenian script laid on the floor. These tombstones were originally placed within the ruined Portuguese St. Paul's church and it was believed that these were moved into Christ church by the British for some reasons still unknown. Inside the church are placed several religious artifacts such as a brass Bible inscribed with the first verse of St. John in Dutch and a nice picture of the "Last Supper" in glazed tiles. The church exudes an atmosphere of calm and peace where one can seek solace in. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed inside the church.

Next to Christ Church is the Stadthuys, a Dutch town hall built in 1661 and is the oldest Dutch building in the East. Housed within the brick-red building are three museums, namely the History Museum, the Ethnographic Museum and the Literature Museum. These are opened to the public everyday from 9am to 6pm, except on Friday afternoons when they close from 12:15pm to 2:45pm for prayers. The entrance fee is only RM 2 (approx $1).

Other interesting things nearby include a water fountain that was erected by the people of Malacca in memory of Queen Victoria Regina. On it was inscription the words "Victoria Regina 1837-1901. Erected by the people of Malacca in memory of a great queen. 1904". In front of the fountain, several locals can be seen carrying huge pythons around their necks. Visitors can take pictures with these pythons for a small fee. One of the Malayan pythons here is a rare golden python, where the scales are golden yellow and white instead of the usual brown and black.

Many colorful and elaborately decorated trishaws are parked along Jalan Laksamana, waiting to pick up tourists keen to experience a different way of touring around Malacca city. Each trishaw can seat two passengers and a single ride costs about $1. This is a good way to take in the sights of the city at a leisurely pace without getting too tired.