Malaka (Malacca) City, Malaysia

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Saturday 25 February 2012. This morning we were off quite early to take the motorway down to Melaka (or Malacca if you spell it the English way). The City of Melaka is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located on the Straits of Melaka. It has been occupied and controlled by the Portugese, Dutch and the British, among others, throughout its interesting history. All these have left their mark on the city.

We arrived and found our way to China Town fairly easily. We cruised around for a bit wondering where we could park when we stumbled on a car park at the top of Jonker Street for just 3 RM (60p) for the whole day. Our next stroke of luck was to bump into an Ozzie couple who told us how to get to the Dutch Quarter and also where we could find the Tourist Information Office. This saved us a lot of aimless wandering.

We headed straight to the Tourist Office in the Dutch Quarter. This took us down the famous Jonker Street which was looking amazing as it was still adorned with all the Chinese New Year decorations. Jonker Street literally translated as "Second Class Gentlemen" in Dutch was, historically, the residence of servants servicing the houses of the affluent families in Heeren Street. Today it is a great place to bargain for antiques, shop for momentos and craft items and also to have a Chinese meal.

At the end of Jonker Street we crossed the Melaka River and entered the Dutch Quarter. We made straight for the tourist office and obtained a map of the Old Town. This included details of the Melaka Dutch Heritage Trail which we followed on foot from beginning to end. The trail included The Old Fort, The ruins of St Paul's Church, The Dutch Cemetery, Dutch Square, Christ Church, and the Museum of Architecture, among others. After a break for a Jaz Beer (local) we continued to meander through the streets and along the river bank in the sunshine. '

It was now time for lunch, and we had been advised by our neighbour Maria from back home that we should try the Nyonya Cuisine, which is specific to Melaka. We found a place at the top of Jonker Street and had a bucket of beers and Nyonya Laksa. This was a delicious soup with noodles, prawns and lots of unidentifiable goodies. Still it was lovely.

After lunch we took a cruise along the River Melaka before returning to the hotel. We ate again at our local Chinese Restoran. We both agreed that this was our best day yet.

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