Melaka trip

Melaka touches me with its mixture of culture where you can find traces of countries from the east (China and Japan) and west (Portugal, Spain and England). When I had a chance to travel to Melaka on 2 nd of August 2012 for a period of just 1 day. I realized if I want to experience this place to the fullest, I had to make a good travel plan.

The first place that you will when you enter to Melaka

Since my plan is to make good use of my time, I decided to explore Melaka by foot for one whole day, but not just going chaotically from one place to another. So I made a detailed itinerary that guided me through the best of Melaka! The result is I visited the places one by one and managed to cover almost all of them in just one day, from 9.10am to 10pm! It was a crazy day that filled my head with unforgettable and important details and information, but it was worth it!

                                Flora de la Mar Maritime Muséum

Most of the famous attractions are situated around Jonker Street. So I took a slow scroll to get there. On the way, I visited my first destination – Flora de la Mar Maritime Museum. This impressive museum is a restored Portuguese ship. I bought a ticket of RM5 and started to count stairs. Quite a bit of stairs to negotiate so be prepared for that. I felt as though I was on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. This is the museum that will tell you everything about the trading history of Melaka. It made for an educational visit. I could easily spent 1-2 hours there, but I had other attactions to discover.

St. Paul’s Church

St. Paul’s Hill was an important place on my plan because both the Portuguese and Dutch left their mark there. Stairs are a challenge and entrance is free. St. Paul’s Church is located on top of the hills that is partly preserved due to the war destruction. The Portugese tombstone inscription gives an insight to the history but it would be good if there is a guide to tell the story. There are great views of the city from the top and some interesting history billboard found on the way up and near the base of the hill. All in all I am happy because I managed to visit the highest travel point in Melaka.

Christ Church and Queen Victoria’s Fountain on Dutch Square (red square)

On the way to Queen Victoria’s Fountain I took a lot of photos at the Red Square, also known as Dutch Square. It dated from the 17th century and reflects the history of Melaka from Dutch colonization till today. This place amazed me with its tourist density! The name says it all – yes, it’s red and always full of market stalls to check out and an amazing place to find out history of Melaka. Of course you can take photos ad-infinitum like I did – there are spectacular sights, colors, buildings, people, market stalls and those colorful trishaws.

You can’t miss the Queen Victoria’s fountain as it’s situated in the middle of Dutch Square. It has been very well preserved and provides a good photo opportunity. The Britain commemorative tribute is also impressive. I have a childish tradition: every time I see a fountain I must make a wish and drop a coin in the water. This time wasn’t an exception. I made a wish and hope it will come true!

Food I have tried in Melaka

My tour group mates... :) 

Talking about food, Melaka has some of the best in Malaysia. The editor of this website has done a good job introducing the top food you must try in Melaka. My 1-day travel could only touch on a few but I am sure I’ll be back again just for the food!!

Nasi Lemak Ayam is traditional food of Malaysia

Nasi Lemak Ayam is Malaysia's traditional food that has not been changed so much from the past. So when I was eating it I truly felt myself in mid of XVII century. Nasi Lemak Ayam is basically made of steamed rice with fried egg on top of it and fried chicken. As a side addings they put cucumber, nuts and anchovy. In combination of all these ingredients the taste was unforgettable.

Cendol is tasty with fine shaved ice, coconut milk and Gula Malacca

My head was spinning after I was bombarded with so much information so I decided to take a break in Jonker 88 for the famous cendol dessert.

Again a very long queue was between me and my dessert! This was quite an experience for me! I stayed in line and waited for my turn to order Cendol. Then I carried the plastic tray with my dessert and walked through the crowded coffee shop trying to find an empty table. Oh, that was a delicious Cendol! Not too sweet, but rich and tasty with fine shaved ice, coconut milk and Gula Malacca.

The decor of this restaurant is attractive with a lot to view on walls and surroundings. The indoor seats were fully occupied by people having their meals, so some guys ordered and sat at the park beside to enjoy it. After that they just went back to return the bowls. It shows how good the food is!

Last destination before living the city.

If you are a traveller and have only one day in a place, you got to pick the best to explore. The fruitful day I had in Melaka was my first such experience and it inspired me to go further! Right now I am working on my next city to explore in only one day, and truly to say I am very excited!

Melaka impressed me with everything! I managed to discover its past, its culture, its provenience and origins. I had a chance to speak with locals when I queued up for lunch, I had the pleasure to discuss with guides and asked them everything I didn’t know, I had the honor to debate with other tourists and, finally, I had the opportunity to travel to Melaka! Don’t hesitate and visit this wonderful city, it is worth your every second and cent!