Only a couple of hours away from KL's city center, Malacca may have a small-town feel, but many are pleased to find that many establishments along its narrow streets are well-equipped to receive tourists, from restaurants and cafés, to souvenir shops, to museums. At the same time, it's not as noisy as the city, and can be just as fun.
Surrounded by Beauty
Aside from the rather tiny streets, what will most strike you of Malacca would be the quaint, beautiful architecture of the rows of small houses. While they do sit very close to each other, they confidently proclaim their individuality, with distinctive designs and elegant façades. Much of these houses are residential, but some streets will find them transformed into quaint cafés or gift shops. Some of Malacca's five museums can also be found within these quaint abodes.
Although the Malaysian arabesques that dominate most of the country are still evident in Malacca, a rather unique feature of these small houses are they are usually lined with tiles – an influence of past Portuguese colonizers. The influence of the Dutch and the British can also be seen in the architecture, such as the red houses that were built during the British occupation. Chinese Malaysians also contributed to the interior design of most of the houses.
High Tea, the British Way
The best way to enjoy the architecture and house designs is by visiting a café for some high tea. You are not only treated to a gorgeous ambience, but you get to experience uniquely delicious food as well. A specialty of Malacca is ketupat, which is usually served during Ramadan. Ketupat is a rice cake boiled in banana leaf, but with a flavor you will not expect from ordinary rice.
The cuisine in Malacca reflects its rich Malay-Chinese-Indian-Portuguese-Dutch-British heritage. Malacca is a haven for lovers of spicy food.
Shopping in Malacca
It's a common assumption that goods in Malacca are cheaper than in Kuala Lumpur; actually, they're more or less the same, sometimes even more expensive, owing to "tourist prices." Before going to Malacca, it might be advisable to quickly walk around Kuala Lumpur shopping centers, to get an idea of what might be unique to Malacca, or to gauge if the price of an item is good or not. Merely walking around Malacca's streets, even without making a purchase, is actually its own reward.
One store unique to Malacca for sure is Orangutan House, which showcases the art works and specially designed t-shirts of famous Malaysian artist Charles Cham. Orangutan House actually began as Cham's studio/gallery and became the first artist studio in Malacca. Now with three branches within the town, Orangutan House has become its own historical landmark.
Malacca's slogan is "Visiting Malacca Is Visiting Malaysia." In many ways, far removed from its cosmopolitan counterparts, Malacca gives a wonderful glimpse of Asia that is indeed difficult to match.
Joelle Jacinto - I once applied for a job and the boss interviewing me asked, "So when did you start writing?" I fumbled with my reply, really ...
