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When we were living in Shanghai teaching English in 2013-2014 we had a ten-day break for Chinese New Year.
So we decided to take a trip down to Malaysia and Singapore. We had planned to go to a Malaysian island called Tioman, but were thwarted by monsoon rains in the east of the country. Instead we booked bus tickets to a place we knew nothing about, Melaka, Malaysia.
Melaka is a city about half way between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Our map showed it was on the coast of the Straits of Malacca, so we hoped we might still get some beach time and snorkeling in. Turns out the Straits of Malacca is one of the most important and busiest shipping lanes in the world, so the beaches aren’t great. However, this impromptu detour ended up being our favorite place on the trip!
Here’s why:
Indian food served on banana leaves. Need I say more?
Beautiful, diverse architecture around the city, like this mosque.
The cat art outside of this cat themed cafe. No cat calls please.
The chilled out guest house where we stayed, just a few minutes walk from the center of town.
This historical church in the center of town that has been holding services for over 300 years.
Beautiful exhibits at the Kompleks Muzium Rakyat about body art and piercings from cultures around the world.
A Melaka Fort guard who appreciates having a well kempt hairdo.
The museum didn’t actually have any dinosaur related displays inside, but there was an amazing exhibit with real meteorites you could touch!
These used to fly around IN SPACE.
There were very enthusiastic Islamic Museum goers.
We stumbled upon the skeleton of a church atop a hill, which turned out to be the oldest church in South East Asia. There were Dutch graves there dating back to the 1600s. None of the deceased seemed to have lived past 30 years old.
The city has a rich history dating back over 750 years. The Straits of Malacca served as a major trade route, bringing goods and people through from around the world. Piracy continues to be a problem in the Malacca Straits, even today.
Throughout Melaka’s history it was settled and colonized by Portuguese, Dutch, English, Japanese, Indian and Chinese people, each culture leaving it’s own influence on the city. As you can imagine, it is still very diverse there today.
The quaint city center boasts a bell tower, Catholic church, and bubbling fountains. How cute is that matching family on the left?!
I convinced Stevo that we should try durian cream puffs. This naive smile didn’t last for long…If you’ve never tried durian, it’s kind of like eating soft candy in a port-o-potty. Tasty but stinky!
Melaka abounded with beautiful flora. I’ll spare you the 18 bajillion flower pics I took and just show you this one.
The local people were extremely friendly. Just about everyone smiled and said hi to each other on the street.
There was a lovely river to stroll along lined with cute houses, shops and cafes.
We just had to watch out for these LIZARD MONSTERS. Do you see it?
Even the wall art had hopeful messages for the future.
We saw people standing up for what they believe in, even if they were largely ignored.
Seriously guys, LIZARD MONSTERS.
The most ornately decorated cyclos we’ve ever seen.
Even cooler at night.
On an evening walk we found this year-round fair. Of course we had to ride the Giant Wheel 🙂
Hawkers stalls along the calm river made for a nice place to relax out of the heat.
The city had lots of artistic details, like tiled sidewalks, street art, and uniquely shaped flower beds.
Like these.
I don’t know what this tilted sign says, I just think Stevo looks cute.
China Town boasted it’s usual fun quirks, including this famous Melakan strong man tribute.
I’m a sucker for big, old trees, and Melaka had plenty to admire.
Jonker Street in China Town.
Though historical Jonker Street is now pretty touristic, there is a lot of beautiful architecture in the neighborhoods surrounding it.
Many cultures have influenced the city over the years. Architecture is one of the ways they have left their marks.
Work it, girl.
If you like laid back towns with chill vibes, history, architecture, quirky cat cafes, Indian, Malaysian, Chinese, and street food, friendly people, beautiful landscaping, and walk-able cities, you will love Melaka!
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you got him to eat durian anything! Poor guy! Outside of the stinky fruit, your trip looked like a great time. I love the stalls along the canal. Makes for great pictures and definitely a good place to relax and people watch!
I was in KL a few months ago and wished I could have gone to Melaka but just didn’t have enough time. It looks like an awesome place to visit though! Also is that Teh Tarik in the top picture with your food? That tea was amazing.
I’ve only heard good things coming from people that visited the area. Huge lizards!
What a funky cool place. I’m headed to Malaysia in a few months – maybe I’ll consider a visit, looks like a great place to spend a few days. But I’ll skip the durian puffs – no thanks!
Thanks for the feature – I love when unexpected detours lead you to what then becomes one of your favorite places in the world! Pity about the beaches, though it really does look like there’s so much else going on. The exhibits at the Kompleks Muzium Rakyat about body art and piercings look fascinating – I would love to experience that kind of culture first hand 🙂
What an interesting place! We didn’t get to Melaka when we were in Malaysia but we’re sad we missed out! It looks like such an amazing place to explore and so much history! You’re right – the food served on a banana leaf pretty much explains why Melaka is so great! That and the lizard monster, can’t go wrong when lizard monsters are involved!
Loved that you booked bus tickets to a place you knew nothing about! That’s adventurous! Looks like you came across some neat… and interesting… finds and foods! That lizard monster would scare the crap out of me!
Oh my God I’m totally the same with taking flower photos!! Guys always make fun of me for it but they’re just so beautiful!!
Ah you bring me memories of my trip sine I live in Singapore so it is an easy weekend road trip (in fact the only road trip you can do from SG). I went because it is a unesco site and it is a quaint nice little place
Indian food served on banana peels? You’re right, you need not say more. Just that alone would be worth the trip in my book. 🙂
We spent 12 days in Melaka and LOVED every single moment of our time there! To us, it was one of those places where photos and words can not fully describe the charm and feel of the area. We loved hanging out on the river walk, exploring the Jonker area, and driving around the city. It was definitely one of our favorite places in Malaysia that we went during our two month road-trip!
YES! Such a charming place, plenty to explore, but with a small town, friendly vibe. You road tripped around Malaysia? I have to hear more about that! Did you guys travel on motorbikes or by car?