Malacca doesn’t seem to feature too highly in the tourist brochures back in Australia but it is a place worthy of a visit and a stay. We usually see it promoted as a day trip from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, the former needing a full day and half a night most of which is bus travel.
We caught a bus direct from the KL Low Cost Air Terminal that Air Asia uses. The trip was only $A15 return, took 90 minutes and was on a wonderful comfortable bus. There is not much to see along the way except endless oil palm plantations and traffic on the dual carriageway expressway but it certainly beats flying. The trip from Singapore ranges from $20 to $35 depending on the bus type and takes 3 hours. The security issues and waiting time at airports is now making bus travel very attractive.
We stayed at the Hallmark Inn, renovated and rebadged from the old Regal Hotel. At $40 a night, it was good value, having spacious rooms, good aircon, WiFi in rooms and a good bathroom. Breakfast was pretty ordinary stuff though and after weeks of eggs and baguettes in Vietnam, the chance to have something more was appealing. Unfortunately, most food was so bad that we made do with toast.
The secret to Malacca is its river. For centuries, the river has been the reason for the existence of the city, providing the hub of a thriving trading port from the 12th century onwards. Unfortunately for Malacca, the river mouth silted up in the late 19th Century and Malacca’s importance as a trading port fell away, it being unable to compete with nearby Penang and Singapore. Happily, much of the old city remains intact and the entire centre of the city is an historical precinct, with strict building codes governing what can and can’t be done. The river has been transformed from the smelly, polluted and unhealthy sewer that describes so many Asian city rivers to a relatively clean thoroughfare cutting through the city. Each side of the river is now bordered by stone and wooden walkways and one of the great delights is to stroll along these just taking in the charm of the old city. For us, the river provided the perfect route to access the central city easily. We had about a 2km walk following the river, with a sufficient number of cafes and restaurants along the way in case the exertion got the better of us.
The architectures in evidence reflect the Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, British, Chinese, Indian and Malay influences of Malacca’s past. For Australians, unused to buildings much over 100 years old, the old city is a treasure trove of relics. There seems to be a museum for everything and all are either ridiculously cheap or free. The Malays seem to be expert at museum displays, the quality of the dioramas being particularly exceptional. We spent far more time than we normally do in museums and especially enjoyed the Stradthuys, the official residence of the Dutch Governors built in 1650. The displays covered all the early years, from the days of the Arab Sultanate to the coming of the British. Even without the displays, the grandeur of the building is reason enough to visit. Throughout Malacca, evidence of the old fortifications can still be seen, the best example being A’Formosa, the main gate. This was built by the Portuguese in 1511 and was left intact when the British destroyed much of the wall in the 19th Century.
We also really loved the maritime Museum, delightfully set in a building designed as a replica of “Flor de la Mar”, a Portuguese trading vessel. The setting and quality of the displays makes a visit to this attraction 70 cents well spent.
Malacca seems to be having some issues with tourism and what is operating. A giant ferris wheel is still featured in most brochures, yet went out of business in 2009 and was dismantled. A 110m high tower with revolving viewing platform does operate and gives great views of the City and Straits of Malacca. We took a “Duck Tour” that drives along some of the streets then into the water. Unfortunately, it drives through the most boring part of the City and then avoids all the interesting parts of the water. Both of these activities are quite expensive by Malaysian standards. A monorail system has been built alongside the river, running for a mere 1.6km at present. This is meant as a serious solution to some transport issues in the city itself but so far, it has been plagued by operational faults and has hardly ever run. It seems to me that the answer lies in the river. The only transport on the river is a large fleet of river cruise boats that take tourists on a commentary tour. They have a few jetties set up along the river to get on and off but the cost prohibits their use as general transport. It’s cheaper to use taxis. If Malacca borrowed a few ideas from Bangkok and the “Klongs”, they could have a super transport system based on their wonderful river.
A big word of warning for anyone visiting Malacca. Walking the streets can be very dangerous. Despite the wonderful public works that have been completed around the river, everywhere else is terrible underfoot. The streets are generally narrow, so no side walks exist, of if they do, they are used for commercial purposes. The drains are open and deep. Some are covered with iron grills, but many are missing and one must keep a watchful eye downwards at all times. Even when there is a footpath, it can run out without warning, even half way across a bridge, leaving you with no option but to walk on the road. We got used to this in Vietnam but the new visitor to Malaysia could be in for a shock.
With it’s cultural mix, Malacca has a huge reputation as a place of great food. Restaurants abound, mostly very cheap and very good. The signature dishes seem to be mostly Nyonya, the Straits combination of Chinese and Malay. We tried the Chicken Rice Ball at A’Formosa Restaurant in Jonker Walk but weren’t quite sure what the fuss was about. OK but not startling. The Satay Celup, on the other hand, is fantastic. This concept is like a satay fondue. The diners purchase all manner of eats on skewers at 60 cents each, then self-cook them in a pot of boiling satay mix at the table. We had prawn, tofu, pork, mushroom, bok choy, chicken and lots of things we couldn’t identify. Oyster omelettes are very popular and cheap, as is the famous carrot cake (not a sweet at all but a turnip-like yam). Of course, everything needs to washed down with liberal amounts of Tiger Beer. One trend we noticed was that there seems to be a number of restaurants around that have a huge reputation for a particular dish. People will line up for ages outside, waiting for a seat in overcrowded conditions, while right next door another restaurant can offer the same dish yet be empty. This is the power of being seen at “the right place” and is a very powerful force in Malacca. We refuse to play the game.
I’d recommend Malacca as a destination. With the cheap Air Asia flights to KL from Perth, a very cheap 4 or 5 day package can be put together and a fantastic time had. We saw no more than 20 western faces in our time here but tourist numbers were quite healthy, so the rest of the World seems to know about the place.
We head home tomorrow, to meet our new grandchildren. We take with us a huge collection of baby clothes from Malacca.