TOURISM MALAYSIA-MELAKA

Melaka, Malaysia is best known for its well preserved culture and heritage. This is why

Melaka earned its place in the UNESCO world heritage sites. Melaka or Malacca is

Malaysia's oldest historical city and one of the most popular tourists' spots in the world

today.

The town of Melaka is small and compact. You can visit all of its interesting sites just by

walking down the narrow streets lined with specialty shops and century-aged houses.

With combined effort from the Melaka Tourist Information Center and American Express

Foundation, they developed the Melaka Heritage Trail map. Melaka Heritage Trail will

take tourists to a walk back in time.

When visiting Melaka, stop by at the Melaka Tourist Information Center first, to pick up

your map and for best tips on how to maximize your visit to this ancient town. The

center is located right at the heart of old Malacca. There are 10 major stops and spots

along the trail. So, here it is, enjoy!

Your first stop is to the site where Melaka history started and took shape, the Malacca

River. This river was once a busy, major port playing an important role in the spice trade

but now it is only used for tourism purposes. Melaka River Cruises are also offered in

this area. At the eastern bank of this river, you can find 15th century Hindu Prince

Parameswara's palace.

Explore the world of Baba Nyonya heritage or Peranakan culture with your next stop.

This culture began with inter-racial marriages between the Chinese settlers and native

Malay women in Melaka. The Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock is the "rich people" lane

where houses are designed exquisitely with blends of Dutch and Chinese influences.

You can also find Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum in this side of the street where guided

tours are held upon request. Check out the miniature shoes, designed, in display. They

were used by females of Baba Nyonyans.

A short walk and you will find yourself face to face with Malaysian's oldest Buddhist

temple that is fully functional despite its age, the Cheng Hoon Teng or Green Cloud

temple. Religiously activities are held here everyday. Further along is the oldest mosque

in Malaysia, the Kampong Kling Mosque that was built in 1748. Kampong Kling Mosque

still remains as the central of the Malay community.

Sri Poyyatha Vinayagar temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Malaysia and one of the

firsts. This temple is dedicated to Vinayagar, who is known to remove obstacles. Now,

when you see the famous bright red building, you will know you are still right on track.

This old protestant church is called Christ Church and it is situated in Dutch Square. It is

said that there are tombstones underneath the church. One should not miss the clock

tower that was built in 1886.

Going around, you will see the St. Paul's Historical Complex which houses three of

Melaka's oldest buildings. At the foot of St. Paul's Hill, you will find the former residence

of Dutch governor built in 1650. This building is hard to miss since it was painted red.

Right up the top of the hill is the St. Paul's Church where you can also see the

magnificent view of Malacca Strait. On the other side is the surviving gate of A Famosa

called Porta de Santiago which was built in 1512.

Stumble upon Malacca Sultanate palace on your way back. This is a fairly new building

if compared to those in site since it is a replica of the original palace. It is now home to

Malacca Cultural Museum. Your last stop will be the Malacca Club or the Proclamation

of Independence memorial. This trail will lead you back to Melaka Tourist Information

Center, ending your journey through this fantastic and rich culture of Melaka. After

visiting the important sites, feel free to roam around for some more.

Beaches in Melaka

Beaches in Melaka not only lay a legendary history, but also a place where fishermen’s

income is. Pulau Besar is said to be a mysterious island as there’s a saying that says

the island is formed after a pregnant woman who jumped into the sea after the death of

her husband. As for Pantai Kundur, it seems to be a popular spot for tourists and also

locals for swimming and picnics as well as an important spot for night-fishing.

  Melaka Tropical Fruit Farm, Sungai Udang, Melaka .

 Melaka Tropical Fruit Farm is a must to visitors who want to be close to Nature than the

busy city life. Located in Sungai Udang about 20 km from the Historical City of Melaka is

the Tropical Fruit Farm. The farm provides visitors an opportunity to experience nature

up-close including a chance to learn more about plants, trees and a variety of animals.

There are sky fruits trees, the sour Belimbing trees with yellowish fruits, grapes, lotus

and so on are among the trees you find at the farm.

The lotus pond is a must visit! You will be blown away by blossomed the pink and white

lotus. In fact it is one of the few places in Melaka where you get up-close to the beautiful

lotus flowers. 

As for the animals, you find pair of camels, a kind of caribou from Indonesia, huge Nilgai

Deer from India and Pakistan where the males have horns, ostriches, smaller sambar

deer and ponies.

Bars-Melaka

There are not many bars as compare to the cafes in Melaka. But you still can find bars

that play good music and serves good variety of liquor as well. As for the cafes, there’s

an array of choices to select from; peranakan cuisine, Chinese food, western pick,

desserts and others. Being serves in a different environment, it’s going to be an eye-

opener to the tourists.

Culture-Melaka

Crowned as the historical sites in Malaysia, heritage buildings are what you always

bump into in this city. Do you know that Melaka is also one of the places that have the

most museums? Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, Cultural Museum and Maritime

Museum are places that you must go. From there you can see the changes in Melaka

before and after the settlement of Portugese in Melaka. This is when the intermarriages

of garrison men and local women became a hit.

HOTELS-MELAKA

The accommodations here range from less than RM100 to over RM400 depending on

the hotel rates. Backpackers’ accommodation is also available here. The prices are 30

percent lesser during weekdays. The hotels area is located mainly in Jalan Bendahara

while the budget ones are in Jalan Parameswara and Taman Melaka Raya. The hotels

here will surely bring you back to the old days. If you prefer resorts than hotels, we have

it all here.

RM25m marina in Malacca

MALACCA: The state’s RM25m marina is expected to attract yachts and other sailboats

from around the world.

At present, the yachts dock at Langkawi and Port Klang, However, many of them,

including those from Singapore, are waiting to sail to Malacca.

The state has a variety of attractions for sailors including shopping, food, culture,

entertainment and historical tours. The marina, located on a 2ha site at the mouth of

Malacca River, would be operational by June, with expansion work to be carried out

later, he said.

Efforts to promote the marina would be carried out by Malacca Sail Boat Club and local

marine expert Boat Explorer.

Local Delights-Melaka

Famous for its satay celup and chicken rice ball that most locals would crave for, it’s

really worth a try if you happened to go there for a holiday. There are a few shops

selling these specialties so make sure you go to the right shop selling the most

traditional ones. Besides that Masjid Tanah Cendol is also worth the try. If you have not

tried cendol before, cendol is a dessert where thin grub-like green flour is added with

redbean and topped with shaved ice and coconut milk.

Tour guides in Malacca can also fire up the imagination of tourists about these old and

historical sites. The next time one visits Malacca, should not miss out all these treasure

sparks!