Holidays in Malaysia: Melaka
The other city we visited during our holidays in Malaysia was Melaka, known in English as Malacca. Melaka was an important port of trade in South East Asia and a colony of the Portuguese, then the Dutch and later the British. All these influences, together with Malay and Chinese, can still be seen and make Melaka a very interesting town (and a UNESCO World Heritage Site). It is not too big so it doesn’t feel overwhelming, but there are definitely many things to do and see there! According to the Wikipedia its population is almost 900,000, but it has a small town feeling reinforced in part by the lack of high buildings.
We stayed in a hotel that was about 10 minutes walking distance from the historic town center. To get there, we had to pass by several Indian shops. They are so colourful!
The Melaka river flows along the city. There are many bars and cafés there full of expats and tourists every evening. I prefer its calmer version during the day.
One of the most popular sights are the red constructions built by the Dutch during the colonial period.
But there are also some vestiges from the Portuguese occupation which now are just pretty ruins.
The church of St Paul.
The only remaining part of the ancient fortress of Malacca, built in 1511.
We had lunch in an OldTown café. They have a brand of instant coffee that C. has been addicted to for years. I don’t really like coffee so I had a milk tea.
And food, of course.
We walked towards the sea assuming there would be a beach, or a port, or something, but there wasn’t. We couldn’t reach the water but we saw a dinosaur on the way:
What is this? Is it a water monitor? We saw another small one bathing in the Melaka river.
The next morning we visited the Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum, the house of an old Malaysian-Chinese family. There are free guided tours which explain all the house secrets and what each room was for. The inside of the house is truly magnificent and the guide explanations were very entertaining.
We tried the famous chicken rice balls. To C.’s disappointment, they don’t have meat inside, they’re just done with chicken stock.
Let’s end the post with another view of the Melaka river:
And with a picture of the most popular means of transportation for tourists: these ornate tricycles, all different, which you can choose based on your cartoon preferences. They play music during your ride and they seemed to know their audiences well, as when the customers were Chinese they always played Chinese songs. They also have colourful lights which they turn on at night for a very “fun fair on the go” feeling.
Melaka is 150 km away from Kuala Lumpur. It is easily reachable by intercity bus and the trip takes 2 hours if there’s no heavy traffic.
Melaka looks so amazing! Man, I’d give anything to travel there to escape the cold… though it IS getting warmer here in Hong Kong (and VERY humid).
Thank you for sharing, Marta!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
It is getting very humid here too! (Although not necessarily warm). The other day the floors in the common areas of our building were mopped and they didn’t dry in 2 days!!
Did you pedal around in a tricycle? If so, which character did you pick?
Andy would have been as disappointed in the lack of chicken as C., I am sure.
We didn’t! Their music was too loud and annoying haha. I would have totally picked Sponge Bob though.
Welcome to Malaysia :)
Thank you!
I liked Malacca quite a bit, especially the red Dutch church and fort, but it did feel like a small town rather than one that has almost a million residents. I didn’t visit the Baba Nyongya museum due to lack of time but I think it is interesting that they have a distinct architectural heritage.
Yup, that’s a monitor lizard you saw. It’s quite a big one.
We don’t have big reptiles in Spain (or this part of China) so I was quite shocked to see it inside a city!
Haha, I was surprised the first time I saw a monitor, which was in a big city as well (Bangkok). Since then I’ve seen them a few times in Bangkok again and Sri Lanka.
A very instructive post and beautiful photos, colorful buildings, and a lovely river.
Thanks, Nicki. It is quite a photogenic place.
Looks a beautiful place to visit Marta
I would recommend it, yes.
Did you prefer Melaka to KL? Looks very peaceful and quaint!
Yes, definitely. It has more charm!
I can’t wait to visit Melaka! Next time I head to Malaysia, I’m bringing the BF and we’re doing KL, Melaka and Singapore. Your photos have whet my appetite!
Sounds like a good plan!!