Saturday, December 03, 2005

Melaka, the living museum

Alrighty, another obvious post. What can I say about Melaka? It's been a long time since I've set foot in Melaka really. I think it has been er, 7 years or so. The drive was a tad boring as the highway was too straight and the sights were, well, not totally fantastic. Before that, we stopped in Seremban to pack some 'siew pau'. Yum!

Upon entering Melaka, I was impressed with the cleanliness of it's surroundings. Apparently, the Chief Minister has done a lot to turn Melaka into what it is today - well-planned and well-maintained. The river bank has been turned into a riverside walk, similar to what you would find in France, according to Hannah. Complete with courtyards built with the original Dutch bricks and laterite stone, it relives the charm of Melaka. I thought it was wise of the planners to include descriptions of the designs and materials used to build several structures, as it educates the public on Melaka's history.

Of course, we visited the Stadthuys Building - the big red church now turned into a museum upstairs and a bazaar downstairs. The tour guide was informative and I commend him for being patient and 'long-winded' with his 'lectures'. Very insightful indeed. I gives many tourists (especially those who are Dutch, Portuguese, British and Japanese) a compacted insight into what happened to Melaka and the significance of all that has happened.

Jonker Street is a place that cannot be missed when you are in Melaka. So many goodies! I bought a shirt from Charles Cham's shop. Hannah bought one, too, with this on the front: "To lah or not to lah". Haha, ingenious. For those of you wondering, Charles Cham, he's a worldwide acclaimed artist. Hint: the Orang Utan House. Still don't get it? Look him up in Google. I don't remember his website. But those of you who knows me, you all know that I'm a big supporter of everything and everyone local.

Oh, we spent a few minutes snapping shots in front of what's left of A'Famosa and then headed back into Jonker Street to have chicken rice ball for dinner.

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