Melaka ... The historical city in Malaysia

I went to Melaka last year. I went there by bus from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. I took the bus from Puduraya bus station KL and it takes around 2 hours to reach Melaka. I arrived in Melaka a bit late ... 3 pm in the afternoon. From Melaka bus station, I took a bus to go to the city and it takes about 15 minutes to reach the heart of the city. At the time of my visit, there was a free bus service for tourists (they had Visit Malaysia Year 2007 event). You could take this bus to visit all the places of interest. I do not know if the free bus is still exist now.

Actually there are about 14 places that you can visit, Melaka Sultanate Palace(Cultural Museum),The Stadthuys, Christ Church, St. Paul Church, Porta De Santiago(A’ Famosa), Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, Hang Li Po’s Well, St. John’s Fort, Portuguese Square, Maritime Museum, Bukit Cina, Mini Malaysia,Melaka Zoo, Cheng Ho Cultural Museum. But because I run out of time, I decided only to walk around the heart of the city. I visited Stadthuys, Christ church, St. Francis Xavier church, and Porta De Santiago (A Famosa), and walked around the China Town.


A monument dedicated by the People of Malacca to Victoria Regina, the Queen, in 1904

Melaka is famous with its historical reputation. It was a maritime trading centre in the 16th century. Because of its strategic role, Melaka was colonized and ruled by the European, the Portuguese, Dutch and the British. Melaka obtained its freedom together with other state in Malaysia on August 31st, 1957.


The damage fortress

Porta de Santiago or known as A Famosa was a fortress built by the Portuguese admiral, Alfonso d’Albuquerque in 1511. It was badly damaged during the Dutch invasion in 1641. Then, it was reserved by Sir Stamford Raffles, a British, in 1808.

Stadthuys is one of Melaka's icons. Stadthuys was an official residence of Dutch govenors and their officers. It was built in 1650. Originally it was white, but then it was changed to salmon-red colour to match the Christ Church. The church is pretty close to Stadthuys.


Christ Chruch

Christ Church is a bright red building with Dutch style. It is an Anglican church. Interesting features include the church’s handmade pews, ceiling beams (constructed without joints), brass bible, tombstone and ‘The Last Supper’ in glazed tiles.

Church of St. Francis Xavier. It is a roman catholic church. In the past, St. Francis Xavier was buried here when he died in 1553. After that, his body was moved and buried in Goa, India. In front of the church you can find his statue and his disciple's statue.

After my visit to those places, I had my 'late' lunch at Chinatown. I had laksa and cendol ... not my favourite obviously as the laksa is a bit sour and the cendol is too sweet for me. What a combination, isn't it??
I enjoyed my trip at that time. Next time I definitely will come early in the morning, so I can visit all the places I mentioned above...