Malacca (Or Melaka) is the historic city of Malaysia. This historical city has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008. Malacca was a fishing village first, like in 1300. Then Malay sultanates controlled it till the Portuguese conquered it in 1511. Malacca was important to them as it was accessible in all seasons and on the strategically located narrowest point of the Malacca Straits. In 1641, the Dutch defeated the Portuguese in an effort to capture Malacca. Malacca was ceded to the British in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 in exchange for Bencoolen on Sumatra. From 1826 to 1946, Malacca was under the rule of the British. Malacca went briefly under the rule of Empire of Japan in 1942–1945 during World War II.
Since Malacca straights plays a
vital role in sea trade, and Old city of Malacca situated at the narrowest part
of the straights, You can probably understand the amount of sailors from
different parts of the world hovering around the old city back then.
How to get to Malacca
I travelled from KL, by Bus,
which was the easiest. You can book buses online. There are several bus
services operating to Malacca(Or Melaka Sentral Terminal). I took KKKL bus
liner to go Malacca(RM 14.50) and Transnational service to get out of
Malacca.(To KLIA2 RM 24.50). out of the 2 bus services I used, I could safely
say KKKL is much better, more leg space and comfortable.
I booked my tickets from here: http://www.busonlineticket.com/bus-from-kl-to-melaka
Journey is like 2.5 hours. In
fact you cover 95% of your journey in 2 hours on highway and rest 30 mins
traveling main streets of Melacca facing obvious traffic. Traffic is much less
though.
Once you get to Melaka Sentral
Terminal, You can book a Grab to reach your hotel.
Booking a hotel
I used Agoda. 2 most important
things.
1. Book
accommodation anywhere within 10 min reach from Jonker street
2. Night
market operates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
All most all the Historical sites
are within the reach from Jonker street. So you can cover all that by walking.
Or else you can rent a fancy trishaw, which I haven’t tried.
Another accommodation booking tip
is, try to go for an A/C room if possible. Heat is unbearable sometimes.
Especially if you’re an European.
Getting out
Same way, by bus is the easiest
and cheapest. There are buses operating to KLIA and KLIA2 as well. My ticket to
KLIA2 was RM24.50 and it was a 2 hours journey.
The ruins of St. Paul’s Church
are at the summit of St. Paul's Hill. It has been in ruins for more than 150
years. To this little mountain top, you can clearly see the Malacca straights.
St. Paul’s Church was enlarged to
two stories in 1556 (after the Archbishop of Goa in India handed over the
church to the Jesuits in 1548); between 1567 and 1596 the Portuguese added gun
turrets to the chapel and it became a fortress. In 1590 a belfry tower was
added to the front of the church and it was renamed the Igreja de Madre de Deus
(Church of the Mother of God). When the Dutch invaded Malacca in 1641 it was
badly damaged (the belfry tower was destroyed) but the complex was later
repaired and renamed St. Paul’s Church, it was primarily used as a Protestant
church for about 112 years until Christ Church was completed in 1753. After
that, St. Paul’s Church fell into disuse. Under the British administration, a
lighthouse was built and it eventually ended up as a storehouse for gunpowder.
A’famosa Fort
A’Famosa was built in 1511, the
settlement used to sprawl across a whole hillside but now only a lone gate
(Porta de Santiago) remains. One of the oldest surviving European architectural
remains in Asia. Originally constructed by Alfonso de Albuquerque (who led the
Portuguese invasion on the Malacca Sultanate), the remains of the fort is now a
crumbling whitewashed gatehouse and is located downhill from St. Paul’s Church
Jonker Walk/ Jonker street
Probably the most remarkable
place to visit in Malacca. The road starts from across Melaka River near the
Stadthuys. The road is filled with historical houses along its left and right
sides dating back to 17th century. It also has shops selling antiques,
textiles, foods, handicrafts and souvenirs.
Flor do Mar dutch ship
Not the original ship, but a
replica of the original ship. This is a Naval Museum in Malacca now. For a
foreigner entrance fee is RM 10. It absolutely worth to pay the price and see
the museum. I never thought I’d get inside a Dutch ship one day. Probably the
part I enjoyed most in my time in Malacca.
Queen Victoria’s Fountain
The Queen Victoria Fountain was
built in 1901 by the British. This fountain is still functioning well and is
probably the only functioning colonial water fountains in Malaysia. The fountain is a famous backdrop for
visitors who come to Malacca. On the tip of the fountain says 'Victoria Regina
1837-1901, erected by the people of Malacca in memory of a great Queen.
The Queen Victoria Fountain is
probably one of the last traces of the British colonial era in Malaysia and it
symbolizes the glorious days of the British colonization in Malaysia.
