"Historical" Melaka

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I was told Melaka was the Hoi An of Malaysia - a recent inductee into the UNESCO World Heritage cache of tourist attractions. Melaka was one of the original Dutch and Portuguese trading ports on the Straits of Melaka. Because of its diverse heritage, I read that it was a food Mecca, like Penang and that the architecture was distinct because of these varied influences. We planned on spending four nights in Melaka while waiting for our India visas to process. Instead, we spent three nights in Singapore and limited ourselves to only two nights in Melaka. I think it was sufficient.

We certainly saw none of the promised cultural integration when we arrived at the unnecessarily large bus station complete with a big McDonald’s. The station was only about 3km outside of town and was touted in Singapore as a very new, modern, and fancy terminal (albeit from a woman selling us our bus tickets who admitted she had never been there, but showed us a picture on the internet). Our drive on the bus was only scheduled to be about 4 hours, but it took us an amazing amount of time to get through traffic pouring into the immigration stop in Singapore. The cars heading north who needed to clear immigration were so backed up, they intruded into the bus lane. What took about 20 minutes for the bus stop on the Malaysia side, and then the Singapore side on the way south took well over 1.5 hours on the way north, but it was plenty of time to watch the bus’s showing of Transporter 3. How the movie was not nominated for an Oscar, I just don’t know.

So, after spending most of the day just trying to get to Melaka, we were lost in the scuttle of the bus station. We thought we would buy our ticket to KL when we arrived so that we would not have to search for a bus ticket agency during our stay. Finally, we boarded the city bus to the town center. It was a Saturday night and Melaka is certainly a weekend destination for vacationing Malays and Singaporeans. The traffic on the one main road into the town center was backed up like it was Time Square on New Years. What is in the Town Square area that is so special? After checking into our hotel room we high tailed it away from the Town Center to find an Indian Hawker Center advertised in the Lonely Planet guide. We arrived to see a small collection of food stalls, but they were all Chinese. Then, Eric saw on the map that a few more blocks north was a food court. We think the food court was demolished. On one side of the street was an empty lot and on the other was a Mercedes dealership. We were learning that Lonely Planet needed to pay a visit to Melaka to update the book. Instead, we stopped at an Indian restaurant for some delicious roti, dosai masala, and sweet tea. It was amazing; and cheap. I think we paid about $3 for the meal.

Finally, we were ready to explore the Town Square area. As we neared, the road narrowed and the architecture changed to two story traditional Chinese shop houses, all painted in an apparently “Dutch Red” - deep red with white trim. Some were restaurants; others were shops; almost all were closed, including a guest house. Then, why so much traffic? We entered Town Square which did not seem traditional or historical at all. The old Dutch or Portuguese buildings and churches were renovated so much that they seemed new and out of place. We walked past some of the fanciest trishaws (three wheeled bicycles for tourists to be driven at a snail’s pace around town) we had seen, and the obligatory man with a giant snake for photos. We continued and found ourselves unable to figure out where we were on the map. Everything we passed after the Catholic church seemed so new it was not on the map. There was a seafood restaurant on the dock with some other restaurants, shops, and a fish spa (fish spas and giant photogenic snakes seem to be a requirement for all Malay towns). In the distance was a large Ferris wheel, which seems to be the new attraction that every city now has since the Singapore Flyer and the London Eye. Well, a Ferris wheel and a skytower, similar to KL. Tiny, “historical” Melaka had both the wheel and the tower. So, to run down the list: fish spa, giant snake, Ferris wheel, and skytower. You are not a true tourist town until you have all four. Melaka’s skytower had a large glass enclosure that raised from the ground to the top to give a view of the town, distinguishing it from KL. At the end of the dock was a large Portuguese style merchant ship ship for children to play on. We checked out the “craft center,” a two story market with souvenirs for sale. At this point, we have seen an amazing amount of markets and souvenir stalls. It is amazing that the “local” crafts from Hue to Luang Prabang to Melaka are all the same. It is all the same crap manufactured in China. It gets very difficult to find anything local or authentic anymore. Okay, so we can add Chinese crap for sale. That’s fish spa, giant snake, Ferris wheel, skytower, and Chinese crap for sale. We left the craft center and walked back towards Town Square. We were greeted with a small Dutch windmill that also did not look very old. It appeared to me that they were trying to cram more touristy type destinations into a small area than could really be sustained, particularly with guest houses busy and the roads snarled with traffic. The UNESCO World Heritage Designation, in my opinion, might spell disaster for the city as it becomes too overrun with tourists clamoring to climb the skytower or spin on the wheel. At this point, I could not see what the draw was. It was all too manufactured for me.

Chinatown and Jonker Walk

Despite the lack of traditional and historical charms, the town was packed with tourists, virtually none of them western. For some reason it reminded me of a Provincetown, Massachusetts - a nice weekend trip from Boston with shops and tourist attractions. On our left heading back into Town Square was a river and on the other side was Chinatown. There were some hotels and restaurants suggested in the book in that direction, so we checked it out. As we crossed the bridge we were amazed at the sight on the other side. It was the start of Jonker Walk, which was closed to automobile traffic every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the longest street market we have seen. This was not really mentioned in the Lonely Planet (a single sentence in the middle of the suggested walking tour itinerary read that the street was closed to traffic on the weekends for shopping). This should have been highlighted as THE reason to go to Melaka. The market included the usual t-shirts, sunglasses, hand bags, and other souvenirs. It also, however, seemed to be more focused on the local tourists than the long distance ones - lighters, potato and vegetable peelers, electronics, calculators, tissue box covers, hair elastics, costume jewelry, bootleg DVDs, and anything else your heart desired. There were antique shops lining the road and shops specializing in the local wooden shows or “Melaca Clogs” (Dutch influence?). Towards the end of the street where three roads merged into one intersection was a large stage set up for karaoke. Red plastic chairs were set up all over the street for spectators. I felt so bad as we watched the performance and at the end no one clapped. It was a tough crowd to please. It was actually pleasurable to walk through this market because we were not harassed as much as the more western tourist focused markets.

One good note, Chinatown, surrounding Jonker Walk was lit up red at night. Every store front had several red spot lights illuminating their façade. It was my favorite part of the city! But, I wondered who was getting the electric bill - the owner of the building or the city.

I have wanted to collect jewelry along this journey. We made our necklaces in New Zealand and I bought my little wooden bracelet from Sophie in Luang Prabang. I also bought some handmade jewelry with Kelly in Thailand that she took home with her for safe keeping. Most of the jewelry I have seen, though, is just not unique enough to warrant purchase (same Chinese manufactured crap). On Jonker Walk, I saw some jewelry I liked that I had not seen anywhere else. I thought it might be locally made, but instead was told it was from Taiwan. Regardless, it was unique in comparison to most of what I have seen to date. I decided the next day that I wanted the brown glass flowered necklace that I saw our first night. The following day, in the light of day, we saw about twenty stores with this type of jewelry (so much for the novelty), but I could not find the design I was looking for. I finally found it in purple and asked if they had it in brown, but no luck. Sold out. Of course. I finally found something I wanted to buy and it sold out. At least I have decent taste.

The Chinatown area was also home to numerous temples, art galleries, and museums. We strolled into one gorgeous Chinese temple for Taoist, Confucius, and Buddhist worshippers. People were purchasing incense sticks, lighting them, and shaking them between their hands while nodding their head in prayer. It was the first temple I have noticed that was dedicated to three religions simultaneously. We saw a man making batik artwork. Batik is produced by drawing a design on fabric with wax and then dying the material. His was a little different of a technique, but I always enjoy watching an artist create work in front of me (that what I know it is not from China!). Melaca was starting to redeem itself a bit, but there was just busloads of tourists traipsing through this area being dragged quickly from one temple to another and from one souvenir shop to another. It was like Luang Prabang on steroids.

Reflexology, Take 2

Our second night at the market we make another go at reflexology in Chinatown. We saw a better deal than in KL for a one hour foot reflexology, foot soak, and shoulder and head rub. I was not expecting an amazing diagnosis, and Eric already seemed to forget his fear of dying from the last prognosis, but our feet ached from so many days of straight walking. That was enough to make us feel as though we were in desperate need of food rub. The communal room was fairly dark with several wicker reclining chairs lined against one wall. There was a gentleman at the end, in the corner, but that was it, so it was quiet. Seeing the English speakers arrived a woman changed the TV station from some sort of Malay soap opera to something more appropriate - Animal Planet. As my feet were pummeled with a great deal of pressure and pain, I watched the competing plight of a mother and new seal pup in the Arctic fight against a polar bear mum and her three cubs. Several times I thought the seal pup was a goner with the momma polar bear in full fight mode hunting him down, but he was always saved. The youngest polar bear cub, the littlest of the three brothers, was not so lucky. He did not make it through the first year. The irony was not lost on me that I was enjoying the breeze of a fan in a massage parlor while avoiding the sticky heat of a humid night in Malaysia, while watching animals fight for survival in the arctic snow and ice. After the foot massage I sat up for the head and shoulder. I have never been a fan of head massages. I just don’t like the way the hands feel rubbing my scalp and my hair. With this massage the head was not the worst part. She stroked individual veins or tendons or something in the back of my neck with such strong pressure tears started to well in my eyes. I don’t know if this was pressure points or some medieval torture device to see how much pain could be inflicted on an American before they screamed mercy. In the end, though, I felt wonderful and my feet were healed. Eric said it was the best foot massage he ever had, but also said he thought he was going to cry a few times. We asked the woman at the counter if there was anything wrong with us, to compare it to the last reflexology treatment. I don’t think she understood our question. She told us if we had any pain tonight it would be gone in the morning. And, we could do a full body reflexology. Always looking for another sale.

Devil Curry and “U.S.A. # 1”

One morning we took the bus to the Portuguese Medan, or square. Although the Lonely Planet described the square as “unremarkable,” we sought Restoran d’ Lisbon, which was famed for its devil curry. We were unsure what devil curry was, but we were sure it would be a spicy hell broth, right up our alley. We boarded the same bus we took to get to the town centre, which we thought maybe was the only city bus and did a loop around the town. We told the driver where we wanted to go, and like elsewhere in Malaysia the driver will stop where you want to disembark, and yell out the location so you know it is your stop. It is quite convenient for tourists, and probably part of their desire for more tourists through the “Malaysia, Truly Asia” advertising. The driver pulled off the main road and through a neighborhood of small one story houses that for some reason reminded me of some of the outskirts of Miami, the neighborhoods with more Cuban influences. This area is inhabited by the Eurasian community, the European and Malay mixed people who are descendants from intermarriages over 400 years ago. As the road narrowed, the driver pulled through the intersection just a bit, backed up the bus on the street perpendicular to the road we were on. He stopped the bus in the middle of this neighborhood and yelled, “Portuguese Medan.” So we got off the bus. He pointed in the direction of the road he backed away from and we walked in that direction.

This was the sorriest historical site ever. I am convinced. Unremarkable was an understatement. One the left was a large, newer looking hotel that also appeared to be abandoned. It faced the water, so you would think it would be hopping considering it was peak season (it seems to always be peak season wherever we are, as it is explained to us why the price is higher). On the right were several restaurants with a sign welcoming us to the Portuguese Settlement. One of them was Restoran d’ Lisbon, which was closed. There was a large arch near the restaurants that showed pictures of amazing festivals with parades and fireworks. None of that was going on while we were there on a quiet Sunday morning. The parking lot was deserted. As were the restaurants.

I figured it would be too early to eat the intended Devil Curry, but thought we would find a café on the square to bide our time. In my mind, I think I was expecting a typical European styled square, which always has a café. This square was really just the restaurants and the parking lot. In front of the Settlement and adjacent to the hotel was a small carnival of rides. All of the rides were decorated with various US “stars” - and I use that term lightly. There was a painted portrait of three Backstreet Boys or the guys from N’Sync, whichever did not have Justin Timberlake. There were crude versions of Brittney and Angelina. One ride had a painting of, possibly, Kelly Clarkson reading “U.S.A. No. 1” - talk about Portuguese history. Along the fairly new brick promenade were ten food stalls that I am sure are quite fun on a Friday or Saturday night as folks enjoy the breeze from the water. In the morning only two were open selling breakfast items. We became squatters for an hour and sat at a table not near any open restaurant and read for awhile waiting for the restaurant to open. We also talked about how we would get back to town considering there was no real bus stop where we were dropped off and no taxis as far as the eye could see.

Once noon hit, we made our way to the restaurant. We both agreed shortly after the food arrived that if we could competently make it back to town the trip would be worth it. The food was pretty good. We ordered the chicken Devil Curry and asked if it was spicy. The owner told us that most people don’t like it too spicy. Regardless, it was good and simple - chunks of tender chicken in a fiery red sauce. We ordered fried chili noodles and some veggies with, what else, chili. The food was pretty good, although one of the more expensive meals of late, around $12. As much as the food was good, and arguably worth the trip, I did not see any Portuguese influence. I have not been to Portugal, but I have eaten in Portuguese restaurants in Newark, N.J. This was not the same. The only thing that marred the experience was the hideous Christian country music playing loudly in the background, but I could not blame them for that. It was a Sunday and it must have been the Portuguese Christian influence.

As our meal ended we almost asked the couple sitting next to us if they were heading back to town to see if they would give us a ride. We really did not know how to get back. We asked two women where the bus stop was and the shrugged pointing to the main road. We started walking back up the street to the main road. When we arrived at the main road we saw something akin to a bus stop across the street but were not sure which side of the road to stand on. Normally you would stand on the opposite side of the street from the direction you got off on, but we convinced the bus made a loop because it was the same bus we took from the bus station and the bus we took to the Medan was also going to the bus station and had the same number - 17. After asking a few more people we returned to the opposite side of the road heading, supposedly, in the direction of town. Eventually “bus 17” showed up. We asked if it went to Town Square and were told “no problem.” The bus did not look like the bus 17 we had taken previously and was a bit more expensive, but who knew what our other options were so we boarded. The bus started to head towards town but took a completely different route from the one we took in the morning. We completely bypassed Town Square and as it started to seem we were on a road out of the town completely the bus made a right towards Chinatown. Eventually, we just got off near Chinatown and walked. No problem. It was a perfect example of the two types of buses in Malaysia - the official, government bus, like Rapid KL, Rapid Penang, and Rapid Melaka. This was a private bus. Our first was coming back from the Batu Caves in KL. These buses usually have touts yelling from the door. This one did not, but seemed totally sketchy anyway. It got us back in the direction we needed to go, and that’s really all you need from a bus company anyway. So, our trip to the Portuguese Medan was, in fact, a success.

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Photos

Chinese Temple
For Buddhists, Taoists, and Confucianists.

Chinese Lettering
Just beautiful

Dutch Influences
But, this was the only Dutch influence I saw, and I am pretty sure it was fairly new - for the tourists.

World Heritage Site
They do a good job of lighting up Chinatown. It was pretty breathtaking at night. I wonder what their electric bills are like?

Karoke
The saddest thing is that no one claps for the preformers out on the street. Pretty harsh judges. They put Simon Cowell to shame.

Portguese Square
The sorriest tourist site we have seen to date.

Little Ferris Wheel
At the Portguese Square, not the big Melaka Flyer

USA No 1
There was also a portrait of N'Sync or the Backstreet Boys - I always get them confused.

Spicy Lunch
At Restoran d' Lisbon.

Comments

[Donna and Neil]

Rice balls...potato balls?!
We remember the chicken rice balls dish well, it was one of the dishes we were excited to try in Melaka but we were disappointed as the rice balls tasted more like soggy potato balls (yuk!). The devil curry sounds much better!