A three-hour plus drive brings you from Singapore to the Malaysian tourist town of Malacca. Rich in history, and known today for its meandering river, popular nightspots, and bustling Chinatown, it is definitely worth a visit.
I rarely post about restaurants, but Peranakan Mansion was a memorable stop. Specializing in the cuisine of the Peranakan culture, a reference to the blend of Chinese immigrants with the indigenous people, the food was unique and delicious. Ayam Buah Keluak was a revelation. The buah keluak nut softens when cooked and can be scooped from the shell with a spoon. The flavor is somewhere between truffle and black olive.
Brightly lit tri-shaws illuminate the streets at night, loudly playing music from the country of the tourists who hire the ride.
The Malacca River at night.
The King's Well, allegedly built by a sultan in the 1400's for the exclusive use of his wife, was later the source of some deadly acts of sabotage. Local warriors poisoned the well, then used by the Portuguese, to kill many of the occupiers. The Dutch later poisoned local wells, and the locals retaliated. The Dutch eventually surrounded the well with a fortified wall, but it fell into disrepair when the British occupied the city.
This 17th century Chinese cemetery, the largest outside of China, is testament to the significant Chinese community that continues to thrive.
The remnants of what is known as the Portuguese Gate, "Porta de Santiago", built in 1511. When the Dutch recalled their troops to Europe to battle Napoleon, the British destroyed the wall to render it useless in the event the Dutch returned.
The Sultanate Palace has been carefully reconstructed.
The memorial to Malaysian Independence in 1956 is housed in what was formerly the Malacca Club, for use by British military and diplomats.
The Stadhuys 9 ('city hall') was constructed in 1650 as offices for the Dutch governor and deputy governor, and housed many administrative functions. It is now home to the History and Ethnography Museum and is purportedly the oldest Dutch building in the Orient.
The interior of Christ Church, erected in the 18th century as a Dutch Reformed church, is the oldest operating Protestant Church in Malaysia.
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