Thursday, December 23, 2010

Exploring Melacca

This is not one of my campervan excursion, I was there for a family reunion retreat at Holiday Inn. I took the opportunity to check out the town as a potential campervan destination. Melacca is a place that really need to be explored on foot by taking your time to walk through the narrow streets and all the nooks and crannies. The town is roughly divided by the Melacca river into eastern and western parts, on the eastern side is where all the famous landmarks like Stadhuys, Dutch Square, ruins of St Paul and Porta De Santiago. Instead of going to the "touristy" locations, I decided to walk around at the western side of town.

One of the beautifully preserved house built in the style of the Straits Chinese at Jonker Street

This mosque is a unique blend of Chinese, Hindu and Arabic architecture elements which reflects the cosmopolitan nature of Malacca past. The mosque is fully functioning place of worship today.

A Chinese temple that incorporates certain Malay-Hindu architecture element. Although it is a Chinese temple, it is distinctly different from those in China itself.

One of the tall building with Dutch flavour.

A metal workshop where you can have all sorts of metal utensils made to order. This is not a demonstration shop for tourist, it is living business, the metal workers here are truly master of their trade. They can fabricate almost anything out of sheet metal.

Traditional Chinese sign makers. No Chinese lawyers office or doctor's clinic in Malaysia would be complete without them.
A narrow vista that lead to the river bank. This picture is taken in the middle of the passage, the entrance of the passage is much narrower than here, barely have enough room for one person to pass through.

The vista lead to here. The Malacca river used to be a dirty and stinking sewer. Today it is an attractive waterway.

The tomb of controversial Malaccan warrior Hang Jebat. The tomb is in between shop houses along a quiet narrow back street, among the dwelling of the ordinary people.
;)

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