Hi everyone,
On Sunday Admiral Marina put on a High Tea for Sail Malaysia participants. No loud music! Lots of yummy food! Very civilised.
 |
| Sail Malaysia Group Photo |
Yesterday we joined other Sail Malaysia participants on a coach tour of historic Melaka. The city has a rich history including settlement/occupation by the Portuguese, Dutch, British and Japanese. Prior to all that the port was visited by a number of Chinese fleets. The city is listed by UNESCO, which will hopefully slow down the encroachment of shopping malls on the historic areas.
 |
| Arrival at Melaka |
We walked around the old part of the city which features many old Dutch buildings and a few from Portuguese times. Some of the streets have interesting Dutch names, such as Jonkers Street/Walk and Herren Strasse. These streets are now quite touristy, but have many interesting shops.
There are a number of temples, mosques and churches, some dating back to the 16th century.
 |
| Temple |
 |
| Colourful shops |
 |
| Central Melaka |
The city was founded at the mouth of a river. Sadly the river is silted up and yachts can't enter. The shallow river and shallow approaches were what eventually moved traffic to Singapore. The river through the town is still walled by the original Portuguese stonework. The Portuguese fort was torn down but parts of its foundations are being uncovered as new developments take place.
A replica Portuguese caravel is a central feature along the river side. Interesting shape. Must have needed a lot of ballasting!
Another feature of Melaka is the "trishaw" tricycles. They are done up with very colourful decoration and carry powerful boomboxes which pump out the music.
 |
| Trishaw |
 |
| Portuguese church |
All in all Melaka is well worth a visit. It is touristy, but there are many interesting historic places to see.
No comments:
Post a Comment