Rainy day on Jonker Street!
Melaka, Malaysia is just under 2 hours away from the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur by car, yet feels a world away. In 2008, Melaka was granted the prestigious title of a Unesco World Heritage Site, and for good reason! We had been meaning to visit Melaka for the past 8 months, really ever since we moved out here, but things just kept popping up. My parents recently came to visit and it gave us all a perfect excuse to hop in the car and spend the day meandering around this beautiful town. What a joy and an unforgettable experience…complete with rainstorms the entire day- made for some fun memories, thats for sure.
Melaka (Melacca in English) is a medium sized town & has a very diverse history, chock full of culture & rich with passion & people. In fact, its home to the oldest functioning Mosque, Buddhist Temple, and Catholic Church in all of Malaysia- impressive right? To add to that, all are located within a couple blocks of one another. Love the inclusiveness & respect of this magical place.
The architecture in this town is tri-fold; the Dutch, the Portuguese, and the Peranakan all lay claim to buildings and streets scattered throughout this seaside “village”. Whats so amazing is that those are 3 very different cultures, yet they all meld together beautifully within the confines of Melaka. The topping on the cake are the hilariously adorned trishaws with their elaborate fake flowers, blaring op music, and elderly “local” drivers peddling the tourists through the quaint & windy roads. Quite the sight and sound, let me tell you!
Entrance to Jonker Street
When we arrived in Melaka, we were starving, due to the fact that the downpour halted traffic most of the way down. We parked right in the heart of downtown & promptly headed off for the famed Jonker Street, where the restaurants run a plenty. After turning away from a handful of lunch crowds, we ended up in a cute little establishment by the name of Eleven Bistro & restaurant. Funnily enough, this is also the most “happening” spot come 11pm, but at 2pm, it was quiet and dry, just what we needed. The cuisine was unusual, at least by anything that I had experienced before- a blend of portuguese and nonya (a blend of chinese & maylaysian) food. It was quite delicious- chicken, seafood, rice…..just what we needed to refuel for the afternoon.
We walked along the still quite streets of Chinatown to the first and most important temple- the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malaysia’s oldest traditional Chinese Buddhist Temple. What intricate and beautiful work! I love the preservation & care that the people of Melaka have taken in their oldest Temple.
From here we meandered along the streets of Chinatown to the famed Dutch Square (or Red Square, as the locals call it). Dutch Suware is a great reminder to the dutch heritage of Malaysia and all the building surrounding it showcase the vibrant Dutch architecture. Here is the brightly pinkish/red Christ Church, made entirely of pink laterite bricks brought in from Holland. Christ Church also is the oldest functioning Protestant Church in Malaysia. Above the square on a hill (bukit) is Bukit St. Paul, a beautiful example of architecture in the history of churches.
Stairs leading to St. Paul’s Church
Just a short walk away were the ruins of Porta De Santiago, A Famosa (small gate house). This beautiful structure is what is left of a fortress that the Portuguese constructed back in 1511 against the onslaught of both the Malacca Sultinate as well as the Dutch, who eventually drove the Portuguese out of Melaka.
We also stopped quickly in the rain to see the oldest functioning mosque- Masjid Kampung Hulu, St. Peters, the oldest functioning catholic church in Malaysia & Sultanate Palace– a museum which is a replica of the palace of Mansur Sha, famous sultan who ruled Melaka from 1456-1477. All were incredibly beautiful but no pics due to the onslaught of rain- sorry!
Enough of the walking in the rain….we all hopped on a couple of nearby trishaws for a quick ride to the river for a Melaka River Cruise (in the rain)! Trishaws are hilarious- of course they are ridiculously overpriced (still cheap though) and totally touristy….but oh so worth the laugh. The River cruise was packed and gave us a glimpse of the new and old Melaka merging together along the riverfront. Tons of old homes next to new buildings & beautiful hand painted artwork along the sides.
Well, at this point, I think its safe to say we had enough of the exploring this cute little city. We grabbed a quick beverage and picked up some delicious Naan & Tandoori Chicken from Pak Putra, the #1 Indian restaurant in Melaka for takeout. By the time we got home a couple hrs later, it was still delicious & the perfect way to end our day in Melaka, Malaysia.
All in all, we found that Melaka was a perfect day trip from the city life of KL. Its rich with culture and with personality! There is a ton of history to take in and delicious food to sample. Well worth the drive and something I hope to do again soon- maybe stay overnight for a little B&B action?! Who knows….
Until next time, safe & happy travels!
Kimbra
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