Last November I went to Malacca or Melaka in local, the UNESCO world heritage city with appeal in over 608 years after Parameswara found the old Malay entrepot. Together with my family we drive 2-hour or 144km from Kuala Lumpur and upon arrived we check-in at Renaissance Hotel, Jalan Bendahara and then straight we went to Bandar Hilir-main area attraction with mostly statue, food and history in town.
First stop: Taming Sari Tower located in Jalan Merdeka a 360 degrees view of Bandar Hilir built 110m high, the name and design of this tower inspired by the Taming Sari dagger, the legendary weapon owned by Malay warrior, Hang Tuah. It’s simply slowly spin and climbed while the passenger enjoying the view. Ticket is RM20 but if showing mycard only has to pay half from the fee. In front the ticket booth is Melaka tourism centre, so any info and maps can be obtain from there. Walking nearby is shopping complex Mahkota Parade and Dataran Pahlawan Megamall. From Pahlawan Square just walking the course of the road we spotted old transportation showroom like KTM locomotive, BOMBA fire-drift, replica of kereta lembu and airplane.
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| Tower and the view from cabin |
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Parking in Melaka is disturbingly annoying ‘cause One: on Sunday you still have to pay for park. Two: still practice coupon ticket because they don’t have a parking machine and for the coupon booklet you have to scratch the parking date/time on the purchased booklet but if you scratched it wrong you still get summon in that case happen to us, so that’s mean even you paid for parking fees but still you get summon-not for did not paid for parking but for wrongly scratch the booklet coupon!
2mins walk to Jalan Istana is Porta De Santiago or A’Famosa the prominent landmark in Melaka, built in 1511 by the Portugese admiral Alfonso d’Albuqerque. This fortress was badly damaged during the Dutch invasion but be saved what remains from the damages by British official.
Inside the A’famosa is only empty fort with several artist displayed their paint and sketched paint. Then we climbed the stairs to St.Paul’s Church who once been called Nosa Senhora Chapel by Portuguese, then St. Paul's Church by the Dutch, and ended the service on the hand of British, who make the church a store for gunpowder, the old structure on the top of St. Paul Hill witnessed the rise and fall of many rulers of Melaka.
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| St. Paul's Church |
At the foot of A’famosa is Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum, a wooden replica of 15th century Sultan Mansur Shah's palace which architecture with no single nail was used to build the building! That one of awesome facts I learned on that day. The museum was built based on descriptions provided in the Malay Annals.
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| Melaka Sultanate Palace Museum |
Always cycling in this area is the famously Melaka Beca or trishaw so colorful decorated. Per lapse price is RM40 negotiable depends on how you bargain the price. The one i rode not only filled with blooming flowers but also play a hindustan music-a fancy beca and yet the uncle is more fancy than his beca itself because through the ride the uncle give a tour speech- speaking in english with local accent and adjusting his word for everything we say and anything he saw while cycling beca and that's so hilarious, we laughing until the tears came out lol. I guess that his charm after 22years cycling in business.
