A VISIT TO MELAKA IN MALAYSIA

On our earlier trip from Bangkok to Singapore we spent two nights and a day in Melaka.  We thought it would be nice to go back for a slightly longer time.  We booked into the same hotel we stayed in earlier, the Aldy.  This is probably the best located hotel in the town and it was a good base to see around.  We took the bus from Singapore to Melaka.  The buses are very well appointed with wide seats in very colourful upholstery.  The trip took about four hours and was non-stop.  We checked into the hotel and started our exploration that afternoon.

Melaka has an interesting history. In the 14th century Melaka was just  a small fishing village on the straights of Melaka but a Hindu prince set up his headquarters there.  It soon became a favoured port for waiting out monsoons and resupplying trading ships as it was situated halfway between India and China and with easy access to the spice islands in Indonesia.  In 1405 Admiral Cheng Ho arrived bearing gifts from the Ming Emperor with a promise to protect the State from potential Siamese raiders.  Chinese settlers soon arrived, they became known as the Baba and Nonya or Straights Chinese.  The Chinese form a sizable proportion of today's population and their cuisine is evident. 

The third ruler, the Sultan, converted to Islam and Islam was made the State's religion.  Many Indians arrived at this time and they worked in the rubber plantations and their successors form another large group of the current population. In 1509 the Portuguese arrived seeking the  
wealth of the spice and China trades.  Although initially made welcome the Melakans attacked the Portuguese fleet.  This prompted an immediate outright assault by the Portuguese and the Sultan fled. 

Under the Portuguese the fortress of A'Formosa was constructed and missionaries sought to establish the Catholic faith.  This period of Portuguese strength was relatively short lived as Dutch Influence developed in Indonesia and Melaka passed into Dutch hands and they ruled for about 150 years. They built fine public buildings and churches, many of which remain to this day.  In1795 the British took over the administration and an intense rivalry was set up between the Dutch and the British.  The fortress of A'Formosa was partially demolished and the Dutch population was forcibly removed to Penang. The founder of Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles, stepped in before too much damage was done and in 1824 Melaka was ceded to the British.  Melaka, together with Penang and Singapore formed the Straights Settelments and these were the centres for expansion into the whole of the peninsular.  The Federation of Malaysia was formed in 1948.  Melaka's importance rapidly waned in the 20th Century as Singapore grew in commercial importance and Melaka is now something of a backwater.  

This complex history explains so much of what one can see in the town. 

You can see a larger version of any photograph by simply clicking the mouse once on the image. Another click outside the image returns you to the text 

 Map of Melaka Fortress

 

The Porto de Santiago - the only part of the Portuguese fortress A'Famosa remaining

The Dutch Graveyard inside the Fortress

St. Paul's Church built by a Portuguese ships captain in 1521

 on the summit of Bukit (Hill) St. Paul

Statue of St. Francis Xavier, a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary

 

The Governor's Mansion was used by the governors from Dutch times in the seventeenth century up through post-colonial times.  

The Aldy Hotel from Bukit St. Paul

Christ Church is an 18th century Protestant church in the city below Bukit St Paul.  It is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia

The Stadthuys - the Town Hall - built between 1600 and 1641.   It is believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East. Many buildings in this part of the city have the dark port red colour.

These tricycles are special to Melaka.  They are covered in artificial flowers and have a loud speaker blaring away for the delight of the tourist.

 

 

Two tricycles at night .

 

The river that runs through Melaka, much cleaner than at the time of our earlier visit.

The monitor lizards are still in residence

The Pak Putra Tandoori & Naan Restaurant, rated by Tripadvisor as the best restaurant in Melaka.  You sit in the street with all the locals who know of a good thing.  Excellent tandoori chicken and very good value.  Lots of fun.

 

Making Naan bread 

The Tandoori cookers 

 Chicken in the cooker.  The Naan bread is slapped onto the side.

  

A private residence in good condition.

  

 An older residence looking for some tender loving care.

  

A row of typical shop houses 

A shop house open as a museum.  The owner used to live at the back of the shop and upstairs.

Downstairs at the back - the living accommodation

The upstairs area, open to the courtyard below.

One of many temples in the core area 

 Inside the temple

One of the stranger shops

The well-known Geographers Cafe.

 The Chinese influence

 The Kampung Kling Mosque - the Islam influence

 These baskets are for a bride to keep her treasures.  The tourist version is much smaller

A blacksmith on Blacksmith Street.

 We were sorry to see shark fin on sale in a Chinese shop.

A Nonya speciality - pineapple tarts - very tasty.

A large selection in a Chinese shop - lots of mushrooms and many things we couldn't recognize.

One thing we found it hard to find as a coin operated laundry.  We never did find one but eventually we did find an obliging Dhobi who looked after us well.  We were in Melaka for three nights and enjoyed the longer time there this time.  It was time to get the bus back to Singapore before the next stage of our trip - to Cambodia.