This sign was one of the first things we saw when we arrived in Melaka, Malaysia, from Singapore. It made us laugh every time we saw it--having lived in Texas for 4 years, it was pretty clear where Melaka got its inspiration (or perhaps Texas copied Melaka, since Melaka is older?)....
We stayed at the Rucksack Caratel, whose lobby was designed to look like a campground. There were tire swings, picnic tables, and "trailers" that doubled as rooms (ours was the one directly behind Colin).
Melaka is a fantastic city! It is the oldest city in Malaysia, and it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There was so much history and good food to keep us all interested and well fed. The riverfront was a nice place to stroll, day and night.
The main sights center around Dutch Square, which has a number of salmon-colored buildings. The old Stadthuys (City Hall) now houses a History & Ethnography Museum that was one of our first stops.
Inside, we learned all about the various periods of Melaka history, from its days as a sultanate through its rule by the Portuguese, Dutch, British, and then the Japanese occupation in WWII.
We visited Bukit St. Paul (St. Paul's Church & Hill), which is now in ruins but still pretty impressive. Just downhill of the church is also the last remaining pieces of A Famosa, which was built as a Portuguese fort in 1511.
We walked up and down Jonker Street, which had plenty of restaurants, cafés, and shops. We thought this statue was pretty funny!
The architecture in Melaka is really diverse, thanks to the different nationalities that have both ruled and lived there.
Melaka has a large population who are the descendants of immigrants who came from China in the early 19th to mid-20th centuries. Many of these Chinese immigrants married locals, and their culture became a mix of both Chinese and Malayan traditions. These descendants are known as the Peranakan Chinese, the Straits-born Chinese, or the Baba-Nyonya. We toured the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, which was located in a former Baba-Nyonya home. It was absolutely beautiful and gave us a really good insight into the lifestyle and traditions of this population. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed except for in the entrance, but you can see the strong Chinese influence in the architecture and furnishings.
As a tourist in Melaka, it's pretty much required to take a nighttime ride in a trishaw. The trishaws in Melaka are decorated like none other in Malaysia, and the drivers rock out by playing loud music as they pedal tourists around the main sights.
We visited the Melaka Sultanate Palace, which is a full-size replica of the original Sultan's Palace (which was built without any nails at all!) We have learned that Malaysian museums really love 1. Dioramas and 2. Displays with lots of text. Some of it was a bit repetitive, but it was still an interesting visit. We all voted the diorama of a meeting with the sultan as the best one in the museum.
We also went in the Flora de la Mar Maritime Museum, which was in a restored Portuguese ship.
Across the street was the Royal Malaysian Navy Museum, where the boys liked the big guns the best.
This laksa was our last in Malaysia and one of our most favorite. Mmmmmmmm.....I can taste it again just by looking at this picture.
On Friday and Saturday nights, Jonker Street shuts down to cars and turns into a Night Market. We wandered the street and munched our way from stall to stall, eating Thai mango and sticky rice, Chinese dumplings, Malaysian Char Kuey Teow.......Bob and I realized that this would be our last Asian street food opportunity, since from Melaka we were heading on to New Zealand. We have had some fantastic meals and experiences in Asian streets--they really are the center of economic and social activity in this part of the world.
For the past 6 months, we've sweated our way through some fantastic places in Asia. We've learned so much from the diverse histories, cultures, and people in this part of the world! There have been a few things we didn't like, but so many more things that we did. Asia has made us more adventurous travelers, it's challenged our preconceived ideas about previously unknown countries, and it's "checked off" some places we've always wanted to visit (but added even more for our future travels). Goodbye for now, Asia! And on to Australasia we go!
No comments:
Post a Comment