Malaysia Part 7 – Memories of Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia

When researching Malaysia, Melaka emerged as one of the most interesting places in the country as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site, so we included a one night stay there. I don’t regret going there. However I do regret not spending more time there. Whereas Kuala Lumpur was the city face of our Malaysian holiday and Penang was the coastal face, Melaka was the historical face.

We got to Melaka after a two-hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur. The air-conditioned bus was almost empty and very comfortable but we ran out of petrol on our way there, probably as our young bus driver was a bit distracted by his female companion. We had to wait for another bus to come and pick us up which made the journey a bit longer.

After leaving our luggage at the hotel we went out to experience Melaka. The hotel, Syaz Meridien, was centrally located so most of the tourist attractions were within walking distance. I found Melaka to be very quaint and picturesque – a touristy seaside town with a strong Portugese and Dutch influence. South Africans will be interested to know that Jan van Riebeeck’s wife is buried here. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).