Malacca, Malaysia & Singapore

Malacca (also spelled Melaka) is a city on the southwest coast of Malaysia, and I had always heard of it in reference to the Malacca Straits. Once we started exploring and heading into museums, we found that it was first established in 1400 by Parameswara, a Sumatran prince. It remained the Malacca Sultanate until overthrown by the Portuguese in 1511. They built a fort to protect the highest point, and this is all that remains -

St. Paul’s Church was built on top of the hill in 1521, and visited by St. Frances Xavier numerous times, as he was propagating Christianity in the area.

It is the oldest church building in SE Asia.

The Dutch captured Malacca in 1641, because of wanting a foothold in the spice trade. The Dutch East India Company was prominent in shipping throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Stadthuys was built in the 1650’s as a town hall, and later became an administrative center.

Buildings were painted red in the 1820’s, and the area became known as Red Square (also, Dutch Square) -

The British took over control of Malacca in 1824, until Malaysia achieved its independence in 1957. We didn’t find a whole lot of British influence as we wandered around, other than they drive on the left! Speaking of transportation, a very interesting mode is the tri-shaw. Be sure to have your audio on for this video:

The speakers on front of the carriage would be blasting the music choice of the passengers. (and no, we didn’t ride in one)

As we wandered around town, we found numerous temples…

… which were predominantly Chinese Buddhist.

The ornate decorations along the top are made from pieces of clay pottery -

We did make a special trip outside the city to see the Melaka Straits Mosque at sunset -

I had to clamber quite a ways along a rocky shore to get this, not-so-great picture, after I had seen some beautiful ones online. Those must have been taken years ago before all the construction built up around here. So, if you’re headed to Malacca, and want to see the mosque bathed in beautiful sunset colors…don’t bother. [you’re welcome] :)

I loved all the tile roofs and greenery throughout the old town -

We specifically styed in Malacca over a weekend, so we could go to the Jonker Street Night Market. We expected lots of street food like in Penang, but we were disappointed.

It was more of a flea market, with some stalls selling sweets -

We did enjoy watching the river traffic…

… and the lights after dark -

Shifting gears — we’re going to head to Singapore for our last night in SE Asia. Here’s a reminder of what the Marina Bay Sands hotel looks like -

Well… I wanted to go to the top and have a cocktail! On the 57th floor, they have an infinity pool (for those who paid $500 and up for a room)…

… where you could watch the sun set, and lights come on over the city. Where we were sitting at the bar, we also had access to the other side of the building, to see the harbor…

… and the light show put on in the Gardens by the Bay -

I’ll close with this silent video, and say Bye for now… until our next big adventure!