Friday, August 22, 2008

Day 1 in Malacca - part 2~~~

Saturday evening...

Before dinner, me and baby went around visiting places on foot because the traffic is quite terrible on weekends.

As you walk around Malacca, you will notice there are lot unique trishaw (beca) on the road. Many tourists wil take the beca ride tour to travel from 1 places to another. Well, taking a beca ride for me is quite expensive (Rm30-40 for 1 hour ride) when we can walk to places we wanna visit. For me, a tour on foot is the best way to get up close to appreciate the magnificent facades.


colourful beca...

As mentioned before, there is a new Melaka Sky Tower where tourists can enjoy the panoramic view the of Melaka City from a height of 110 meters. It takes 1 minute to go up and will be given 5 minutes to enjoy and take photographs of the view of Melaka and 1 minute to get down.


going up...


traveling vertically, and rotating at the same time...

Next stop... Museum Samudera.

This Maritime Museum is constructed after 'Flora De La Mar', the Portuguese ship that sank off the Coast of Malacca on its way to Portugal. Visitors can get closer look at Melaka from the famed Malay Sultanate of the 14th century to the Portuguese era, the Dutch era and the British era.

To save time, we never enter the place. Just took a few photo shots across the road..


Museum Samudera...

I noticed there's a new landmark - Melaka water mill. You can easily spot this place as it is in the heart of Bandar Hilir near Quay Side Restaurant and accross it (the river) are the OCBC Bank. This watermill is named the ‘Melaka Sultanate Water Mill.’


melaka water mill...

Then, we headed to the Malacca Dutch Square ('the red square') which consist of Stadthuys, Christ Church and Clock Tower. The Stadthuys is one of the oldest Dutch buildings in the east. It has now converted into the Malacca Historical Museum where exhibits of the past glory can be seen.


Stadthuys (right), Christ Church (middle) & Clock Tower (left)...

The Dutch Square has even become a popular photo shoot for newlyweds looking for a perfect backdrop for their wedding portrait. For Chinese Malaysians, having a wedding photo with the striking red buildings in the background seems particularly a favourite, since in the Chinese culture, red symbolises luck. But now, even Malays love it too...


wedding photo shoot...

Looking up to the summit of the hill, as you walk along the steps that lead up to the top of St. Paul's Hill from the Stadthuys, you could easily spot the sights of the ruins St. Paul's church. Inside here, you wil see lots of Dutch tombstones. Quite scary~~~

steps lead up to the top of St. Paul's Hill...


statue of St. Francis Xavier...


St. Paul's church...

Last stop... Porta de Santiago - A' Formosa Fortress.

Built by the Portuguese in 1511 as a fortress it sustained severe structural damage during the Dutch invasion, however visitors has the chance to see the entrance to what was once an imposing structure that defended the city from attack.

Not much differences from the last time i visited this place. Just now, there are stalls inside the fort selling souveniers, art & craft to attract tourists.


Porta de Santiago...

To be continue...

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