Malaysia Part Three: Melaka

Taking a nap!

My last trip in Malaysia was to a pretty  town called Melaka about an hour and a half outside of Kuala Lumpur.  Melaka was a Malay fishing village which was heavily influenced by Chinese traders, then colonized by the Portuguese and the Dutch.  It was really pretty, but kind of strange in a way – it reminded me way more of a European city than an Asian one.

Walking around Melaka

Again, it was super easy and cheap to get around!  There are buses going from Bersepadu Selatan Station in KL to Melaka about every half hour.  The ride was really comfortable, and it was nice to see a bit of Malaysia outside of KL.  The frequency of the buses made planning the trip really relaxing – I was able to wander around the town until I felt tired, and know I could leave whenever I wanted.

Dutch Square

I got dropped off in the Dutch Square, which is the center of the tourist section.  The square (not very surprisingly) has a bunch of Dutch style buildings with an open air market in the middle.

Colonial Building

There definitely is a lot to do in Melaka – I don’t think I’ve seen so many museums concentrated in such a small place before.  For me, because it was such a pretty and unusual town – I just enjoyed walking around.

Hill to St. Paul’s

My favorite site was probably St. Paul’s church.  The church is on top of a big, steep hill and is largely in ruins.  There’s a great view of the town and the ocean from church.

Botanical Gardens

I also really enjoyed the king’s palace (which is said to have been built entirely without nails!) and the botanical gardens surrounding it.

Chinatown

Aside from the interesting historical attractions – there was a great artsy shopping area in Chinatown around Jonker street.  There were some great independent clothing stores (at really reasonable prices) and restaurants.

Walking around Melaka

I loved getting to spend some time in Melaka.  As a city, it’s probably the  most similar to the travel that I had done before I moved to Asia, but very different from any traveling I’ve done int he past few months.

In St. Paul’s Church

I think the thing that impressed me the most about Malaysia is how diverse the country is.  In a short trip, I was able to experience  places with really different cultural influences – my hotel was in Little India, KL in general is predominately Muslim, I visited Hindu caves, and finished off my trip in a town that looked like it had been transplanted from the Netherlands.  And, I never traveled more than an hour and a half!  I think it is so amazing that all these different cultures can co-exist so cohesively.

Relaxing Day!

I’d love to get back to Malaysia again, so I can experience even more!

Tags: Malaysia, Melacca, Melaka, Shopping, Sotherbys, St. Paul's Church, Teaching Abroad