MALAYSIA – MELAKA – An Old Lady with a Backpack

DECEMBER 17 – 21, 2025

We took a bus from Singapore to Melaka, Malaysia. It has been said that if one can maneuver through the public transport in a foreign country, then there is nothing they cannot do. We received detailed instructions on how to get to the bus station, and even where to wait for the bus, but half of it was in Chinese and the instructions assumed we were taking the metro, not a taxi. It was all quite confusing until some local men at the bus station helped us. They said we looked lost.

NOTE: Do not be shy in asking for help or directions. Most people are more than willing to help.

We arrived in the relatively small city of Melaka. Compared to places like Jakarta (40 million) and Singapore (6.5 million), Melaka was a mere village at 600,000. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. It may be a small city, but it has a huge history!

Melaka is situated in a strategic naval location. It was, and still is, the Silk Highway of the Sea. They did business with China, Arabia, India, Persia, Philippines and many more states and countries long before colonization became the fad. In its heyday, there were 84 languages spoken within the various international traders. Things ran smoothly.

tin currency used by the sultanate pre-colonization

It was a bustling port. Four Harbour Masters were needed to represent the 2000 sailing vessels that could be accommodated in the harbour. Rice, spices, tin, rattan, pottery, silk, copper, porcelain, perfume, embroidered textiles, fish, gold and ivory were just some of the items traded.

The monsoons played a strategic role in the trading. Navigating the monsoons was a well guarded secret with the Arab-Persians who journeyed between India and China. South-west winds blew from April/May to October, which helped ships travelling to the east. North-east winds blew from November to March/April, which helped ships travelling to the west. Melaka lay in a unique location where it was protected by the typhoon winds by the mountains in the peninsula and Sumatra. The city became an unavoidable stop. It also had a well regulated trading system, a peaceful environment and equitable facilities. A 6% tax was levied against the value of goods in the ships. It boomed! No wonder colonialists wanted to take control.

The Portuguese decided they wanted to dominate the spice trade as well as establish a strong foothold in SE Asia. They conquered Melaka in 1511, abolished the Sultanate and appointed a Governor. They ruled for 130 years, but eventually things began to go sideways. Two sultanates, Aceh and Johor, tried to take control back from the Portuguese, but rather than work together against the common enemy, they took different approaches. This infighting resulted in Johor taking over Aceh’s regions.

Johor made a deal with the Dutch to overthrow the Portuguese. The Dutch ruled for 154 years. During the Napoleonic wars, the Dutch transferred authority of Melaka to the British to prevent a French takeover. The British gave it back after the threat was over. The Dutch ceded Melaka to the British in exchange for Sumatra in 1825. The region boomed, until WWII and the invasion by the Japanese. The Japanese took many Melaka city residents to Burma to build the Death Railway. After the war, Melaka was returned to the British until 1963, when Malaysia gained its independence.

That is the history, in a nut shell. Now the city today. The colonist eras left a mark on the culture. The DUTCH SQUARE is a plaza that served as the administrative centre for the Dutch. It is known for its red terracotta Dutch colonial buildings.

view of the Square from the Stadthuys building

CHRIST CHURCH is an 18th century Anglican Church.

STADTHUYS was built around 1650. It was formerly the town hall and governor’s residence, now housing the History & Ethnography Museum.

One of the displays inside showed a Chinese nautical map from the early 15th century. It had 50 seafaring routes, 530 geographical names spanning 30 countries and regions throughout the Asia-Africa coastline. Look closely to see the “trail” is actually Chinese writing giving details about the route.

The square was bustling with tri-shaw’s kitted out in cartoonish designs, enticing people to take a ride. They all had music blaring so loud we could clearly hear them a half block away. I pity the poor kid’s ears.

A little further from the square was the MARITIME MUSEUM. It was a replica of the Portuguese ship Flor de la Mar. Ironically, the original ship sank off the coast of Melaka while carrying loot plundered from the city on its way home. It was in this museum that I got most of the information stated above.

We walked past the TAMING SARI TOWER, a 24-story, 110-meter-tall gyro tower.

We walked through CORONATION PARK, named to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. It was filled with massive Rain Trees.

In the midst of the park, Pierre spotted an airplane. As often happens to us, some locals insisted on him (us) posing with them.

Further along we came to PORTA De SANTIAGO (A Famosa). It is is one of the oldest surviving European architectural remains in the whole of Asia. The fort, to which it once belonged, was built by the Portuguese in 1511. The Dutch took it over, during their reign, then handed it to the British in the early 19th century. The British decided to destroy the fort. Some bits a pieces of the original walls are still laying about; but this gate is the only real piece of the fort that remains intact.

Across from A Formosa is the PROCLAIMATION OF INDEPENDENCE MEMORIAL. It is a museum that documents the struggle, which lasted 446 years, for its declaration of independence on August 31, 1957. On display are various documents, photographs, souvenirs, newspaper clippings, pens, keris (traditional Malay dagger), and seals.

On St. Paul’s Hill, behind and to the west of A Formosa, are the ruins of ST. PAUL’S CHURCH. Built by the Portuguese, it was consecrated in 1521. The Dutch continued to use it as a place of worship for many years, until Christ Church was built at the bottom of the hill. The British used it as a powder magazine.

It holds many beautiful old tombstones that were found during excavation.

At the bottom and to the north of St. Paul’s Hill was the old, mostly overgrown, DUTCH CEMETERY. Despite the graveyard’s name, the majority of decedents interred are British.

Nearby is the SULTANATE PALACE MUSEUM. The building is a modern reconstruction of the Sultan’s palace. Based on historical data, and staying as true to form as the original, it is built of hardwood (for its structure), ‘belian’ wood (for its roof) and wooden pegs (instead of nails). It was a lovely piece of architecture that gave a glimpse of royal life.

We took several leisurely walks along the Melaka River. There were lots of wall murals

colourful buildings and cafes

and Chinese lanterns.

We were not going to take a RIVER CRUISE, but because I wanted to see the Up-Side-Down house, the only way to get in was with a package deal with a cruise. In the end, we were glad we went, as we saw lots of other things along the way. Like the underside of a bridge that was painted in rainbow colors.