C & C globetrotting around the world…

From KL we went to Melacca for a few days. This historic town is conveniently nestled against the Strait of Malacca, one of the most important shipping routes in the world. Historically it linked traders from Europe and India to those in China and was used as a trading post for the merchants from these countries. They would come with the monsoon, trade and wait until the wind turned to go back home. Today, the strait is still the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Over 50,000 vessels pass through the strait per year, carrying about one-quarter of the world’s traded goods including oil, Chinese manufactures, and Indonesian coffee. The town of Melacca portrays well the multiculturalism of Malaysia and is also the cradle of the country. It was founded in the 14^th century by a Hindu prince from Sumatra, he became protected by the Chinese in 1405 before being dominated by the Portuguese in 1511 for 130 years. In 1641 the Dutch conquered it before finally ceding it to the British 1795, who kept it until Malaysia’s independence. This tumultuous history is very present in the city’s architecture and its people of mixed heritage.

We stayed at the “Apa Kaba Guesthouse”, which was recommended to us by Marg and Andy from Perth and where we got a very nice welcome. In the evening we went to the Night Market on Jonker Street in Chinatown. At the beginning of the street, there was a dragon to symbolize the start of the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese calendar. The night market was bigger than usual because the Chinese New Year week is still underway. At the end of the street there was a stage and we watched Chinese ladies do line dancing. It was like in China, except that the music was better. We walked around Chinatown for a while, admiring the beautiful red lanterns lining the streets. There was also a dragon dance and many colourful trishaws with music to take you around town.

On our second day, we set out on a walking tour with the owner of the guesthouse on his daily morning walk. He was very happy to show us the neighbourhood and let us discover its history. Our first stop was Hang Li Po’s Well, built in the 15^th century by the Sultan for his Chinese wife. It was also an important source of water for Melacca and the prime target for opposition forces wanting to take the city. We then climbed Bukit China (China Hill), the residence of Hang Li Po and her 500 maidens. Later it became the largest Chinese cemetery outside China. Chinese graveyards are often built on hills to maximize positive feng shui. From here we got a nice view of the city and came back down on the other side to St-Peter’s Church, an old Portuguese church.

We then walked to Kampong Morten, the Malay village in Melacca. We stopped at Villa Sentosa (“peaceful villa”), a live-in museum. We got a tour from the owner who was very dramatic and made us take pictures in every room of where the king and queen had sat. At the end, he asked for a donation. Christoph gave 10 ringgit ($3), but the old man said it was “10 ringit per person”. Talk about a donation!

In the afternoon we set out to the Portuguese settlement on our bikes. We knew we had arrived when we saw statues of Mary and Jesus in each house. These people are called “Kristang” (probably derived from “Christians”) and are descendants of the Portuguese that had settled here and mixed with the local women. It is believed that there are about 10,000 of them in Malaysia, 2,500 of whom live in Melacca. In the evening we watched the kids’ dancing show and Cecilia was even invited by one of the boys to join.

We also biked to Selat Melacca Mosque on Pulau Melacca (Melacca island, an artificial island). The Mosque is built on water and is very nice. To visit it, we had to dress up with clothes provided. That day was the birthday of Prophet Mohammed (Maulidor Rasul), but there were no special celebrations here.

On our third day, we did a “walking tour” from the Lonely Planet and again saw the different chapters in Melacca’s history influenced by the various conquerors. We started at the “Proclamation of Independence Memorial”, which is housed in a British villa and tells the history of Malaysia’s progression to independence. Right next to it is the Sultante Palace, wooden replica rebuilt from descriptions of the “Malay Annals” of the original 15^th-century palace. It was built entirely without nails and houses a very interesting cultural museum about the Sultanate and also displays the various groups of traders that marked Melacca’s history. Our next stop was Porta de Santiago, once the main gate and all that remains of the Portuguese fortress A’Famosa. It was originally built by Alfonso de Albuquerque in 1512, then was part of the fort used by the Dutch after their takeover in 1670. On the hill behind Porta de Santiago, is St-John’s Fort, used by the British to store gunpowder. The ruin of St-Paul’s church built in 1521 by the Portuguese is on the hill overlooking the famous Straits of Melaka.

We went down on the other side and reached the “Stadthuys”, the old city hall and governor’s residence built by the Dutch. We visited the museum inside, telling the history of Melaka from its beginning up to date. This massive red building is believed to be the oldest Dutch building in the East. We read that initially the building was painted white, but that with time the red laterite stones’ colour was coming through the whitewashed plastering and that red earth was being splashed up during the rainy season. The British decided to paint the building red and solve these maintenance problems. Right next to the Stadthuys is Christ Church, giving the town square a very red colour.

We then crossed the river and headed to the Baba Nonya Heritage Museum set in traditional Pernakan house, a typical 19th-century residence. “Pernakan” or “Baba Nonya” is the term used for the ethnic group of people who are descendants of the mix of Chinese and Malays back in the 16^th century. We also passed Hotel Puri and the Chee Mansion (a Chinese family shrine) facing it. The Eng Choon Association building, a guild hall with a small Taoist shrine, also had nice ornate doors. We walked by Hang Kasturi’s tomb, a hero in Melaka’s history, before reaching the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple. This is Chinatown’s most famous temple, dedicated to Goddess of Mercy Guanyin. It dates back to 1646 and is Malaysia’s oldest Chinese temple. It is a sacred site and all the building materials as well as the artisans were imported from China. Around it the streets are lined with shops selling red Chinese lanterns and paper money. We then arrived at Kampung Kling Mosque with its multi-tiered roof inspired from Hindu temples. Then we visited Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar Moorthi Temple, a Hindu temple from 1781 dedicated to Hindu god Vinayagar. To finish off the day, we went to the Chinese Festival of WangKang, a very special occasion.