Malacca - Not all is Lost Pt 2

3 - 6 June 2015

Well, having given a first impression account of how I saw Malacca in Part 1, let me take you to our stay and the things that we did there.

We checked in at Mahkota Hotel Melaka on a weekday. This hotel is located on the waterfront in the heart of historical Melaka overlooking the Straits of Malacca.  By the way, the hotel is a part of a land waterfront reclamation project.  The hotel overlooks what is called the Pulau Melaka, a man-made island with a bridge linking it to the mainland.  A new mosque, with a lighthouse-like minaret, sits right in the middle.

Malacca River Cruise

On our first night in Malacca city, we went on the river cruise.  Just so that you know, tickets are priced higher during school break. MYR10 for adult and MYR5 for children - for Malaysians.  For foreigners it is MYR15 per adult and MYR 7 per child. The boat was a comfortable 40 seater.  An audio recording of the history and places we passed by was played for visitors.  

photo source :melakarivercruise.com 

There are pathways for people to walk along the banks of the river.  If you don't want to do the cruise, walking along the riverbank and making one full circle would do too.  There are small cafes selling snacks and beer along the riverbank.

Malacca Sultanate Palace - a replica

The next day we visited the Malacca Sultanate palace, a replica actually.  I like this Malay old-style architecture.  The wooden replica was cooling inside and felt cosy. History tells us that Malacca Sultanate ruled for 110 years until defeated by the Portuguese in 1511. Admission ticket is MYR2 for adult and MYR1 for children.

Foreign traders announcing their visit to the Sultan of Malacca

Malacca Museum of History & Ethnography

We could not give the Museum a miss so we bought the tickets and went in. Ticket price is MYR5 for adult and MYR3 for children.  There was a lot to absorb here.  One of the staff at the museum gave us a free talk on the town and fortress of Malacca.  He said that although the British demolished the fort, there are still many layers of underground tunnels beneath the fort.  This is something that we will never get from Malaysian history textbooks.  In fact generations of Malaysian children have grown up not knowing how Malacca was like under Portuguese or Dutch rule especially the latter.

The town and fortress of Malacca or what the Dutch called the Stadthuys (Wikipedia)

The museum staff spoke good English.  The Museum should tap on his skills and allow him to engage visitors more.

European colonials in Malacca

Malacca Governor's Museum 

We also visited the Governor's house.  The Malacca Governor no longer stays here.  By the way, Malacca is one of the states without a Sultan in Malaysia. The royals fled to Johore, a neighbouring state when the Portuguese attacked and conquered Malacca in 1511 after which they just disappeared from history. This was the former official residence of Dutch governors and British governors of Malacca during their respective rule.  Built by the Dutch in the 17th century, it continued to be the residence of 5 Malacca state governors up till 1996.  It is now gazetted as a museum that displays artifacts and personal collections of past and present governors.  Some say that the original palace of the Malacca Sultan was located here, at the St Paul's Hill.

I hate to say this but we actually saw a yellow alien inside (see pix below).

The yellow alien - a collection of a past Governor of Malacca?

The Governors' Museum

Malacca Independence Declaration Memorial

Then, we also paid a visit to the Independence Declaration Memorial which was formerly the Malacca Club which was used by the British upper class as a place for social activities. Built in 1912 by the Dutch, this colonial mansion now houses exhibits on Malaysia's journey to independence.  There used to be a huge field in front where Malaysia's first Prime Minister proclaimed independence.  The field was called Padang Pahlawan but now what you see is Dataran Pahlawan, a megamall. The field has given way to a megamall.

Malacca was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site in 2008 because of its rich cultural heritage. Malacca's history is very colourful, it has passed through many periods of history under different rulers:-

*The Portuguese ruled Malacca for 130 years.  

*The Dutch ruled for 183 years.  

*The British ruled for 155 years. 
*The Japanese ruled Malacca for 4 years.

*Prior to foreign rule, the Malacca Sultanate from Parameswara's lineage ruled for over a 100 years.  

What brought the foreign traders to Malacca was its location on the strategic shipping lanes of the Malacca Strait.  A place to wait out the monsoon season. Sadly thre is very little left of the Portuguese era.  Most part of the Portuguese Fort was destroyed by the British leaving only the main entrance to the fort.  The British did this to kill Malacca as a trading port.  They wanted traders to stop in Penang and not Malacca as Penang was the port city of British during that time.

Malacca Trishaw

By the way, we did check out the beca-ride (trishaw) but it was too pricey, so gave it a skip.

Malacca Chitti settlement

We also went to the Chitti settlement to get a feel of the life of the Hindu Peranakan of Malacca. They are descendants of Tamil traders who settled in Malacca 500 years ago.  What is unique among them is that they are Hindus but follow Malay culture and tradition and speak Malay following inter-marriage to Malay women.  They have a temple in their village and there is a museum.

But alas, at the time we arrived there, the museum was closed.  A sad sight because the village is sandwiched by development at all corners. Not sure how long the community would hold on to their heritage without some sort of recognition by the state government.

Angaloo Parameswari temple

Malacca's Bukit Cina cemetery
Our next stop was the historical Bukit Cina or Chinese Hill.

"According to the local tradition, in the mid-15th century, Hang Li Po was sent to be married to the sultan of Malacca, Sultan Mansor Shah, to seal relations between the two countries. The hill, Bukit Cina, a gift from the sultan, was established as their residence." (Wikipedia)

After the death of the princess, she was buried on the hill together with her entourage. Admiral Zheng He (the leader of the entourage from Ming Dynasty) is also believed to be resting here.  Following that, the local Chinese used the hill as a burial ground.  Today, is stands as a piece of history and tourist attraction.  It is also used as a recreational park by the locals for jogging and trekking up the hill.

"Bukit China became a Chinese cemetery in 1685 when Lee Wei King, the then “Kapitan China” of Malacca, bought the three hills from the Dutch and renamed them as “San Pao Shan” (Three Gems Hill or Three Protections Hill). He placed it under the trust of the Cheng Hoon Teng temple. Reputedly, it is the oldest remaining traditional Chinese burial ground in the world with 12,500 graves." (the STAR - 16 Aug 2013)

Malacca's Jonker Street

On one of the nights in Malacca, we went to the famous Jonker Street just to check out the scene and have dinner.  Jonker Street is very happening on weekends (Friday and Saturday nights),  It is

Malacca's very own Chinatown.  Some roads are closed for night traders. It is best if you just walked to the night market.  The whole place was lighted up with red lanterns. Many varieties of food can be found here as well as souvenir items.

Jonker Street - photo source : wonderfulmalaysia.com