Malacca was our last stop in Malaysia before heading down to Singapore. We had a couple of days to go around this town that is, just like George-Town of Penang, culturally rich in so many ways. Like I've said it many times before, Malaysia is a melting pot for different religions, people and food, and you could describe Malacca the exact same way but it all comes in a much more compact package.
For instance, never have we ever felt this much like being in a small Dutch town (outside of Netherlands, that is) than here; the little Stadthuys (townhouse) on the Dutch square, the red church, windmill and the canal that flows through the town. You can feel the European touch everywhere. But that's not all, once you walk down the Jonker Street, all that quickly turns into Chinese settlements and before you even notice, you're standing in between a Hindu temple and a Malay mosque. All literally within a block! Talking about a convenient walking tour...
Additionally to the strolling through the historic downtown, some of our favourite things in Malacca included getting up to the St. Paul Hill to catch some great views down to the Strait of Malacca, having dinner by the canal, and bumping into some Dutch friends while at it...wait a minute, what?! This certainly goes to the category of random encounters; we were sitting by the canal having dinner, not really paying attention to the bypassers until out of nowhere Denis goes loudly "Hi Bastian!". It took us a second to process what are the odds of running into someone you know somewhere you didn't even know they were gonna be at. Long story short, our Dutch ambiance was now definitely on and we ended up having good laughs over a dinner together - and as a cherry on the top we had this little Satay fiesta - local style - all together on our last night. You never know what's around the corner, huh?
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| Chinese, European, Malay & Indian settlements make up for a typical cityscape in Malacca. |
We really enjoyed our time in Malacca and in all Malaysia. And in general, as much as we hate to leave nice places behind, we're always equally excited about getting to new ones. And this time we were not only heading down to this cool city, but we were heading down to this cool city where some friends & family were awaiting...plus, a new travel-chapter.
The Dutch Square
Strait of Malacca from St. Paul Hill
Jonker Walk & Historic Center (UNESCO World Heritage)
Typical Taxi-Ride
Night falls...
{All pictures © Voyages of Discovery}
TIPS & LINKS
General Information
Getting There:
By bus
Kuala Lumpur - Malacca (app. 2hrs, 7€)
- Tickets can be bought at the bus terminal in KL (which by the way is brand new and really is like an airport)
Malacca - Singapore (app. 3-3.5hrs, 10€)
- Very smooth boarder crossing to SP.
Tip: The busses in Malaysia are new and comfortable, and they're right on time, so don't be late!
Bars & Restaurants
- Fun place to experience Satay in local way, very affordable too!
On TripAdvisor here.
Shopping
- We did some of our best shopping in Malaysia, and noticed that prices for electronics, for instance, were cheaper than elsewhere (comparing prices to those in Europe, Singapore and Japan). And although at first we thought that Malacca is more like a small historic city, it did have quite a few big & modern shopping malls. We actually ended up buying a phone there - and got a good deal on it! ;)
Accommodation
- Great hotel in the heart of the town (5 minutes walk from the historic center), next to some good shopping, seriously good breakfast, nice gym & pool etc.
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