“If I was already
in Malaysia, there was no way I was going to miss out on Malacca,
which is a world heritage site – though it doesn’t seem to bother
the city administrators that the downtown area is one big parade of
kitsch. Among other things they built a water mill, just because they
thought it would please the tourists. The problem is, we’re talking
about a protected heritage site, where there was never a water mill
before. Similarly, at the entrance to the city’s Chinatown, I came
across an absurdly large snake sculpture which had recently been
erected. Even more kitschy are the tuk-tuk taxis, whose owners deck
them out as flamboyantly as possible with Christmas decorations,
wreaths of plastic flowers, and twinkling lights. Malacca didn’t get
a place on the UNESCO World Heritage list on its own, but together
with George Town. The oldest British colonial settlement is
remarkably well preserved, with houses, churches, public buildings, and hotels. There are not many places with a multicultural character
as diverse as this: There are mosques, Chinese pagodas, Buddhist and
Hindu temples, and Christian churches all in close proximity, and the
population is also remarkably diverse.”
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“I stayed in the historic heart of Chinatown, just a stone’s throw from all the interesting stuff. There were small galleries and museums at every turn, as well as cafés, temples of every religion, and traces of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial heritage – a pretty enthralling mixture! The small houses in colonial style with Chinese and Malay inscriptions look a bit absurd at first, but somehow it all contributes to a fun, exciting, thrilling whole. My absolute favorite was the promenade along the side of the river which bisects the city. This was a really wonderful experience, especially since in the 30˚C+ weather, people generally prefer boat trips, and most of the few other people on the promenade were locals.
Of course, I had to see all the obligatory places: Jonker and Heeren streets, the Stadthuys, Christ Church and the clock tower, the ruins of the church of Saint Paul, the La Famosa gate which is all that remains of a Portuguese fort, and of course all the temples I mentioned before. But after all that, it’s good to just lose yourself in the maze of small streets, and soak up the atmosphere. Well worth it!” (2018)
