Malacca Day Trip

On our second full day in Malaysia, Pinky and I signed up for a one-day trip from Kuala Lumpur to visit the historic old city of Malacca. We've both been to KL several times, and while we are fond of the city, we've seen most of the sights and were looking forward to exploring other parts of the country on our short trip.l

We met our guide and tour bus in front of Central Market, and about two hours later, we arrived in the sleepy town to begin our tour with a river cruise.

Once a critical trade artery, the Malacca River today reminds me a lot of the San Antonio Riverwalk or Oklahoma City's Bricktown. The slow-paced 45-minute river cruise took us on a scenic loop around the old town.

Malacca is a city in southern Malaysia with a long and storied history. Long an important port city sitting on the Strait of Malacca and a crossroads of international trade, Malacca has been shaped by centuries of cultural exchange, colonial ambition, and maritime commerce. From Malay sultans and Chinese merchants to Portuguese conquerors, Dutch administrators, and British colonial officials, each wave of influence has left its mark on the city.

The entire City of Malacca is, along with Georgetown, Penang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the jumble of buildings from different eras and all in different architectural styles makes it a super unique and culturally rich place to visit.

As the boat cruised lazily along, we sailed past rows of colorful shophouses lining the riverfront. Our guide explained to us how UNESCO provides the owners of the buildings with a stipend each year on the condition that if they accept it, they must preserve the building in its original condition. People have gotten in trouble and been fined in the past for accepting the check and then rebuilding and modernizing their house or shop, ruining its historical value.

Most of the buildings along the river have been turned into bars, cafes, guesthouses, boutique hotels, and shops. Malacca is one of Malaysia's most popular tourist destinations and is very popular with international travelers as well as with people coming in from KL or Singapore (about 2 hours away by car, bus, or train) to get away from the rush and bustle of the city on the weekend.

After the boat ride, we set out on foot through the quiet streets of the old city with our guide teaching us about points of interest along the way.

The Church of St. Francis Xavier is the largest church in Malacca. The Roman Catholic church is named for the "Apostle of the East". St. Francis Xavier, the namesake of the late Pope Francis, was a 16th century Spanish priest and missionary, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and diplomatic representative of the Portuguese Empire. He traveled extensively across India, Japan, Macau, and Southeast Asia, and used Malacca as a base for his missionary journeys.

The church is notable for its distinctive tilt, caused during the Second World War when a Japanese bomb disturbed the ground beneath its foundation.

The most iconic spot in all of Malacca, however, is the Red Square (also called the Dutch Square), a historic plaza that contains the Stadthuys (the old Dutch city hall and administrative building), Victoria Fountain, and Christ Church.

Christ Church, like the Stadthuys and the other buildings framing the square, are all painted in Malacca's iconic pink-red. The buildings date back to the 16th century but were painted red from their original white in 1911 by the British. Supposedly, it was easier to keep red pain looking clean.

Gereja Kristus, or Christ Church, is the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia, and dates back to 1753 when it was originally built after the Dutch conquest of Malacca from the Portuguese. Originally a Dutch Reform church called Bovenkerk (High Church), it was reconsecrated in the Church of England in 1838 when Malacca was handed over to the British East India Company and administration was taken over by the British Straits Settlements about two decades later.

It was a sweltering hot day. It's the hottest part of the year in Southeast Asia, and Malacca is several hundred miles further south than even Bangkok. Sweating and already tired, our tour group trudged up St. Paul's Hill where a marble statue of St. Francis Xavier looks across the city.

St. Francis Xavier died of a fever en route to China in 1552, and his body was temporarily buried for nine months at St. Paul's Church in Malacca before being transported to his final resting place in Goa, India.

The statue was commissioned, transported from Rome, and unveiled in Malacca on the 22nd of March 1953, exactly 400 years to the day since the arrival of his body at the church.

The statue is noticeably missing its right hand. This in itself wouldn't seem remarkable; the statue was damaged when a tree fell on it during a storm shortly after its unveiling.

What makes it noteworthy (perhaps even miraculous) is how it echoes how the real saint’s right hand is also missing.

After his body was brought to Goa and enshrined at the Basilica of Bom Jesus, the saint's right hand, which he used to baptize thousands across Asia, was removed in 1614 as a holy relic. It was sent to Rome, where it remains today in the Jesuit mother church, the Church of the Gesù.

Wild coincidence or divine intervention? I like to think the latter, but whatever the cause, it makes for a good story.

Malacca's importance doesn't just lie in its historic past, however. It also holds a very important place in Malaysia's modern history.

After returning from negotiations in London in 1956, Prince Tunku Abdul Rahman who would become the only Chief Minister of the short-lived Federation of Malaya and the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, announced that the United Kingdom had agreed to terms and had guaranteed Malaysian independence. It was announced for the very first time before a huge crowd in Malacca.

Following the announcement, he immediately drove to Kuala Lumpur to announce independence in what is now called Merdeka (meaning "Independence") Square. The car that was used to drive between Malacca and Kuala Lumpur still sits on display out in front of the Independence Memorial.

Apparently, the car is kept in running condition with routine checks by mechanics, although it is never driven due to its age and obsolete parts.

Finally, it was time for lunch. We drove to Jonker Street, an old town neighborhood filled with souvenir shops, cafes, hotels, and restaurants. After eating a Nyonya lunch, we had some time to freely explore the area.

While most of our group decided to go for an airconditioned massage, Pinky and I opted to walk around and explore a bit despite the heat. We ended up outside of Heesan Kopi, an old-school cafe built inside a traditional Chinese-style building.

I ordered the shop's signature "Gula Latte Melaka", a sort of affogato made with strong, sweet Malaysian iced coffee and coconut ice cream. It was a nice way to cool off from the scorching tropical heat, and we ended up spending a lot of time resting in the coffee shop.

We had one last stop to visit before climbing back into the minibus and heading back to Kuala Lumpur.

Sin Hiap Hin is the oldest bar in Malacca and has changed little in its 100+ year history. A tiny and unassuming shophouse with a no-nonsense interior, the bar is run by Lee Lian Suan, the septuagenarian third-generation owner who has been serving up drinks to visitors for over 40 years.

Lee serves an eclectic menu: imported classic whiskies, exotic gins, Chinese herbal drinks, and local rice wines... as well a well-stocked cooler of cold beer. She's quite a character as well, and a sort of local legend. She doesn't actually drink herself, but she loves meeting people and opens her bar every day at 9:00 in the morning to begin welcoming travelers from all around the world.

We arrived back in KL in the early evening, tired after a jam-packed day of exploration and adventure. It had been a lot of fun. I usually like trying to travel around on my own, but sometimes if you are short on time, a group tour really is the best way to go. We ended up getting to see and do way more than we would have if we had tried to go to Malacca on our own.