Tracing History in Malacca

View from the Revolving Tower

It was my first visit to Malacca (the third smallest state in Malaysia), and what a wonderful experience it turned out to be.

Malacca is a beautiful city that carries with it a sense of the old romantic. The narrow streets are lined with quaint houses, shops selling all manner of knick-knacks and people always on the go. The city centre is constantly filled with the blaring music of bicycle rickshaws, adorned with a thousand plastic flowers and all manner of shiny trinkets (it’s cringe worthy, but utterly captivating). The old colonial buildings stand grandly and silently, watching over this happy melee.

Where did it all begin? Before it became a hot spot that every regional power wanted to secure, it was a simple fishing village. It’s the location that sealed all deals. Situated on the narrowest point of the Malacca Straits, the village became the seat of the Sultanate of Malacca, under the rule of Parameswara, an ex-ruler of Singapore.

There was much prosperity, as well as much hostility. The Sultanate warded off attacks by the Siamese and the Vietnamese, and its powerful rise led to the decline of the Majapahit empire based in Java (the most powerful at the time). Then came the Europeans – the Portuguese in 1511, the Dutch in 1641 and the British in 1824. Following the 1942 Japanese invasion and World War II, there was a strong anti-colonial movement that led to Malaysia achieving independence in 1957. A tumultuous history indeed.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, Malacca bears so many signs of these invaders, which have been turned into historical and cultural attractions that bring in thousands of travellers every year.

One of the most memorable things for me was the Jonker Street fair. A narrow and fairly long street, situated in Chinatown, Jonker Street comes alive on Friday nights with a street fair that goes on pretty much all night. There are so many things for sale – not what you need, but what you want. From costume jewellery made of dried flowers and ‘Facebook’ slippers, to fake cakes (yes, they are very popular and look very real) you name it, they got it. Then there’s the food – sliced, diced, mixed and fried right in front of you – not healthy, but tasty. They are even equipped with plenty of Justin Bieber memorabilia, and frankly, that’s where I drew the line.

Narrow streets with something to discover at every turn

A great way to relax your tired feet is the river cruise, which begins at the Malacca River jetty in front of the Quayside Heritage Centre. The 45-minute tour takes you past gardens that line the banks and under several bridges, on a river that is clean and clear. This is the best way to sample a cross section of the city, whether it is Malay houses, a pirate ship, a living museum that showcases a village from times past (Kampung Morten), a Ferris wheel (Eye on Malaysia), or the old bus terminal.

On land, there is the Baba Nonya Heritage Museum, and a visit to Malacca is not complete if you haven’t seen it. Baba Nonya, also called the Peranakans, are a people born of Chinese descendants who married ethnic Malays. The museum, located on Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, is the best way to experience their way of life, from architecture, customs and traditions, clothes, to even cooking appliances. It was an opulent life, judging by the gold-coated wall panels, the hand-embroidered floor-to-ceiling wall hangings, and the mother-of-pearl and jade inlaid furniture (no photography allowed). The most important part is the guide, whose narrative style and quirky stories make you feel relaxed in all that grandeur. Check for the tour times, before you go.

The old colonial buildings in Malacca are all equally picturesque sights. One of these is St. Paul’s church. Built by the Portuguese in 1512, and enlarged by the Dutch in 1556, the church was turned into a storage facility for gunpowder by the British. There’s not much of the church remaining, except for the stone walls, but there are some amazing views and lots of intricately carved tombstones of the Dutch nobility. St Francis Xavier was a frequent visitor to the church, and was said to have performed several miracles here. Following his death, he was buried here before being moved to Goa in India, but you can still see the site of the grave (now covered with a metal fence).

Work on wall: intricate designs at A'Famosa

I made a quick stop at the A’Famosa or Porta de Santiago as well. It’s a fortress of Portuguese creation that dates back to 1511. The Dutch destroyed it partially, but half way through realised its value, and actually started using some of the remaining facilities. In fact, parts of the wall are still being discovered, and you can see signs of excavation throughout the area.

One thing that’s hard to miss is all those red buildings. Start with the Dutch-built Stadthuys. It houses the town hall and the governor’s residence, and is a fine example of Dutch architecture. The red paint was a British idea to save on expenditure! Inside you’ll find the History and Ethnography Museum – one of the myriad of museums dotting the city. Here’s a short list – Literature Museum, Democratic Government Museum, Islamic Museum, Architecture Museum, People’s Museum, Maritime Archaeological Museum, Naval Museum, Cheng Ho Cultural Museum.

Seeing red - all over town

Want a bird’s eye view of all this? Take a tour on the revolving tower, called Menara Taming Sari. Located in Bandar Hilir, beside Dataran Pahlawan Megamall, the 110m-high tower has a 360-degree revolving observation cabin that will give you some magnificent and sweeping views of the entire city for miles beyond.

Tired? Try a plastic bag full of sweet, steaming tea! In all my life of drinking tea, I had never done that before. They give you tea in a small plastic bag, and once you make a small hole for the straw, you are ready for tea Malaccan street style. It’s good fun.

It’s a city that moves to a rather slow and steady rhythm – it’s not a place to rush about. It wakes up late and buzzes on till (very) late at night. It doesn’t seem to think too highly of itself, and embraces visitors easily into the heart of its history, and mix of cultures and habits. So, eat plenty, shop to your heart’s content, walk a million miles and pose for dozens of pics. Surely, what else would you need?