Who would have thought one little place like Melaka would have been occupied or coveted by so many different countries. First, 1511 the Portuguese ruled Melaka. In 1641, after a fierce battle, the Dutch won control from the Portuguese; then in 1795 the Dutch relinquished control to the British to keep it from the French. Later it was returned to the Dutch but then exchanged by the British for Bencoleen, Sumatra. Melaka the hot potato (or po-tah-toe)! Singapore even had a hand in Melaka’s ruling. Finally in 1956 Malaysia proclaimed its independence. Though not there to conquer Melaka, there always existed a large population of the immigrant Chinese merchants.
In my last post I left you at Jonker Walk. Come with me on a short, albeit very hot and humid jaunt over the river (which I don’t know the name of) as we start our historic walk back in time. You didn’t have to go too far to be “back in time”.
A bow to the Dutch - the windmill in the roundabout; and a fountain in the square.
The Stadthuys - official residence of Dutch Governors and their officers. It is now the History Museum and Ethnography Museum. Preserved in its original structure and form and color, very red. And surely in its time, the alley was not lined with souvenir vendors.
The museum was beautiful inside but mostly displayed traditional bridal costumes and relics. This dug out canoe with the bird head was most interesting.
Christ Church built in 1793 by the Dutch- part of the Stadthuys complex. The church was furnished with hand-made pews. I wasn’t supposed to photograph them, so I ask for forgiveness.
All around the Stadthuys are these trishaws. They’re colorful to say the least, and yet notwithstanding, quite tacky — and blaring everything from classical Malay music, to oldies, to the latest hip-hop rap; you’re choice of entertainment in case you didn’t find these trishaws entertaining enough on its own. I didn’t catch the creme-de la-creme of the trishaws cycling past me, which sported on the front, a very large Mercedes-Benz symbol - now that was ridin’ in style!
St. Paul’s Church built by the Portuguese but turned into a burial ground by the Dutch for their noble dead; and renamed “Our Lady of The Hill”.
At the one end of this church still stands opened the open-grave where St. Francis Xavier, was briefly enshrined.
At the other end, brides and grooms seem to find this a very picturesque setting to have their wedding photos taken. We saw two couples here. And there’s also entertainment (on the right).
A shot of the old fortress A’Famosa - touted to be the most photographed subject next to the Stadthuys. Built by the Portuguese, sustained severe structural damage during the Dutch invasion; saved by the intervention of Sir Stamford Raffles (who established Singapore).
This is one of the best views out to the Straits of Melaka. Note the one colorful painted faςade. We met local artist, Jehan Chan while poking around his gallery/shop who features this view in his paintings. Alas, we could not afford one of his paintings; but his limited edition prints were more in line with our budgets. Rachel and I each indulged on a print. Not on display here yet, needs to have it framed.
The Melaka Sultanate Palace is a wooden replica based on the description and reference to the actual palace in the Malay Annals. It is built by two carpenters using no nails. It has 99 beams of which 4 of them are 67 feet long! It was never used as a palace of the sultanate but is the only Malay palace. It’s the Cultural Museum of Melaka.
The churches of Christ Church, St Paul, St Xavier, and St Peter were all within walking distance of each other. It almost seemed like they lined up the temples of all the other religions on one street.
. . . Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, oldest Chinese temple in Malaysia built in 1646 from materials shipped from China.
. . . Kampung Kling’s Mosque - one of the oldest mosques with Sumatran architectural features.
. . . Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple - one of the first Hindu temples built in the country.
It’s not often you find Portuguese cuisine so we had dinner out at Portuguese Square, located within the Portuguese settlement outside the main city area. The Square was not much more than some restaurants and a tchotchke shop or two. The concierge told us that there’s nothing else to do or see there - and she was right! We got the name and number of the taxi driver who took us there to make sure we could get back to the hotel.
Baby squid and kai-lan (a Chinese broccoli)
Curry debal chicken (indeterminate cuts) and Ikan Bakar, actually a Malaysian fish dish.
I asked our waitress what was it about our meal that made our dinner “Portuguese”. She remarked that it was “local” Portuguese! The food was good, but aside from having to travel out to the Portuguese Settlement, it is a loose translation of the Portugeuse cuisine.
Back we came in time for the Night Market on Jonker Walk. I miss night markets. They’re fun, colorful, and filled with local treats and a shoppers delight. They’re popular throughout Asia but do not exist here in Singapore. Head in and you’ll even find line dancing lessons!
Snacks and drinks of all kinds and colors both savory and sweet — pressed sugar cane juice, no Kool-Aid flavors this stuff!
fish paste wrapped in bamboo and grilled on a brazier, satay and rice –
Bags, and bows –
and last but not least — pet mice –
We’ve had a long, hot day and looking forward to getting a shower, into jammies, and chill out in our nice cool rooms. Just a little more exploring the next day before heading back to Singapore.
life is good!
