I had visited the place once when I was still in Primary 6. Therefore, I was pretty excited to revisit the place as most of the impression on this city had disappeared from my memory.
The revisit was done on 25th August 2010 with my family members. It took around 2 hours car journey from capital city of the country to Malacca. It rained quite heavily when we reached there, so we spent time at one of the authentic delicacies shop named "San Shu Gong" while waiting for the rain to stop.
It is not that hard to spot this shop as the building structure is quite unique and located at the center of the town, just within short walking distance from the famous "Red House" in Malacca.
You can get various local delicacies for your own or as a gift to relatives and friends here which had been arranged very neatly in the shop. However, I felt that some of the workers in the shop are rather unfriendly which may leave bad impression to the visitors. I personally felt a little uncomfortable with some of their attitude which treated the customers just like their debtor!
The "Red House"
The "Red House" is a venue you can never miss when you visit to Malacca. Your trip is incomplete without visiting to this iconic tourism spot of the city.
The Stadthuys which is more well-known as "Red House" as the buildings were painted in red were built by the Dutch occupants in 1650 as the office of Dutch Governor and Deputy Governor. Beside it is the Christ Church which had been built in the year of 1753.
The buildings are now the home of Museum of History and Ethnography. Around the compound of the "Red House", you will notice a lot of heavily decorated trishaws lining up ready to fetch the tourists to the spot of their preference.
These flowery trishaws had become one of the tourists attraction for the city of Malacca as well.
St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church is located at the summit of the hill beside the Stadthuys building. Just follow the properly built stairways headed to the hill and it is not that hard to reach this historical church.
This church was built by a Portuguese captain named Duarte Coelho in 1521 AD as a chapel for Portuguese with the name “Nosa Senhora” – Our Lady of the Hill. When Malacca was taken over by the Dutch in 1641, this chapel became temporary praying place before their own church - The Christ Church (just beside the "Red House") was completely constructed.
Dutch then turned the place into burial place and graveyard. Thus, when you walked inside the building, you can see quite a number of tombstones with Dutch wording engraved on them leaning against the wall.
Standing in front of the church is a huge white St. Francis Xavier's statue who was the pioneer of Catholic missionary work in Southeast Asia during 16th century. His body was placed in this church temporarily before it was taken to Goa, India.
Besides the historical monuments, you can also see the beautiful scenery of the Malacca city as well as the coastline from the summit of the hill. It is really an amazing view!
Fort A'Famosa
Walking down the hill from the rear of St. Paul's Church is where the famous fort A'Famosa is located. This is another tourism spot you should never miss when you visit the historical city of Malacca.
This fortress was built by Alfonso de Albuquerque in 1512, to defend attacks from Sultan Mahmud of Malacca as well as Aceh and Johor empire.
Also known as Porta de Santiago, this fortress is the only Portuguese fortress out of 4 left. It was the most symbolic and well-known fortress that the Portuguese ever built to protect themselves from the attack of their enemies.
Maritime Museum
Walking along the streets in Malacca, you will certainly be amazed by a giant ship structure at a roadside. This is actually the Maritime Museum which showcases the maritime histories in Malacca. The structure is a replica of a Portuguese ship named "Flor De La Mar". Centuries ago the ship carried a vast amount of Malacca treasure on its way to Portugal and somehow it sank at the coast of Malacca.
I personally love this structure very much as it is so unique especially when it is located at the town area surrounded by buildings. It gave me the feel of the pirate ship like the one always seen in the movie just in front of my eyes! Amazing!
Jonker Street
Another tourism attraction spot of Malacca. Jonker Street is actually a long and straight street with old shops along the street. It is a place you can find various kind of unique antiques, statues, fashionable clothes, household products, colorful accessories and also various souvenirs.
This is a place you can spend hours of walk and shop around. If you are too tire of walking, you can stop by at the eateries here to enjoy the famous baba cendol or any other local delicacies of your choice
I read from the Internet that this street will be very happening at night time during the weekend, but I was not overnight there, so couldn't feel the atmosphere myself. Perhaps you could?
St. Francis Xavier's Church
Located at the town center as well, this historical Catholic church was built by a Catholic French priest, Rev. Farve in 1849. It's named so to commemorate St. Francis Xavier who is credited for his Catholic missionary work in Southeast Asia during the 16th century.
Malacca River
You can also see the fascinating Malacca River view when you visit to the city. It is just across the road from the "Red House". If you are not satisfy enough by just watching the overall scenery of the river, you can choose to take the river cruise which will bring you to see the scenery along the river more closely and specifically.
Others
There are plenty of museums around Malacca town center which worth a visit but you really need to spend days to visit them all. You could also see a lot of old vehicles being exhibit near the museum compound and the surrounding. You really need to spend more time to discover all of them!
All the places I mentioned above are nearby to each others at the town center and can be easily accessible within walking distance.
There are also local foods that I tried out during my visit to Malacca which I will reveal them in the coming post. As the conclusion, it was a nice experience visiting to a historical city with a lot of thing to see and feel. Although is a short trip, but I truly enjoy it a lot!
Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for making the efforts to make this trip a success. Oh ya, don't forget to bring along your cap or hat or umbrella whichever you prefer when your visit the place as most of the tourism spots are not sheltered and you will be directly exposed to the hot sun. So, be prepared before you get the sunburn!
