Four feet in Malacca >> Travel: Malaysia 1

CL: But I can only spare a few days!
Annie: Somewhere near then.
CL: Make it nice place to walk around, with no large crowd and plenty of good food. Throw in some history and I'm game.
Annie: You're so demanding! Hmm, Peranakan with a dash of Portuguese, Dutch and English good enough?
CL: Oooh, let's pack.

Next thing I know, we were in a bus breezing across the Causeway from Singapore into Johore. A few hours later, we were in Malacca. We let our feet carried us and walked to the demands of our stomachs. Here's our take on Malacca from the pavement.

This trip took place in April 2002.

FYI: Another way to cross between Singapore and Malaysia by car or bus is via the Second Link.


(above left) Barking up the wrong tree? Fire-engine red grafitti on an aged tree wishes for fortune to sweep in. Near A 'Famosa, 16th century Portuguese fortress.

(above right) Round is in in Malacca. Many chicken rice stalls, like this one, sell rice balls. Each ball costs about RM0.20 and they are more moist, compared to chicken rice sold by the bowl. Next to the yellow chicken rice signboard is one advertising Dr Goh's western medical clinic. Flats across the road. Along a main road from the historical area towards Bukit Cina (Chinese Hill), which has the largest Chinese cemetery outside China, with tombs dating back to the Ming dynasty.


(above left) Memory cast in stone: This is one of several memorial stones resting in St Paul's Church. First built by the Portuguese, then used by the Dutch as a burial place for nobles. Go early in the morning to avoid the heat and the crowd on packaged tours. Wander around and meet some of the artists drawing and selling their works. Pause at some of the tombstones on the graves dotting the hill and you'll find that some had entire families buried together (but not at the same time), including young children. St Paul's Hill.

(above right) They line the road like sentinels, reminding recalcitrant car owners to pay for parking. This one has a nice backdrop - a shop selling colourful but fake flowers. Somewhere in what we call the Chinese part of town, near Bukit Cina.

(left) I think "enduring beauty" is an apt description of this relaxed, pleasant town. We decided not to visit any museum, so no, we didn't go in. If you visit and want to share the highlights, drop me a note! Near the Stadthuys, where the Dutch governors used to lived, way back in the 17th and 18th centuries.


More pics in next blog...