Malacca

Malacca, or as the Malaysians spell it, Melaka, is now a city on the Straits of Malacca.  On our last visit here, in 1974, Malacca was a quiet town, very historic, and very picturesque.   But it is now a large city, bustling with tourists, and the centre of Malaysian history.    There are numerous museums, and plenty of students who come here as part of their history studies.   

When we arrived, we felt very confused, due to being disoriented, as nothing was as we remembered it.   So we decided to take a rickshaw ride around town.   The rickshaws were decorated in a colourful manner, although I did not know until I looked at this photograph that Scott and I had a large imitation spider on top of the canopy.   I had noticed the barbie dolls.   The rickshaw rider very kindly explained all the changes that had taken place during the last forty years.   We enjoyed our ride.

The port river, which can take very large ships.    Cruise ships from around the world now call into Malacca.

Malacca has always been a very important port, an international one, and the town has seen a host of rulers, and countries fighting over the ownership. 

It all started around 1400 with the founder (Parameswara) of Malacca, who was riding along with his dog, and rested under a Melaka tree.   The dog was frightened away by a mouse.    Parameswara was impressed with this, the small and weak standing up to a large and stronger force,  and decided this was an ideal place to settle and built an international port.    He called the port Melaka, as the event (mouse and dog), took place under a Melaka tree.    The Melaka tree is seen in the photograph below.   I do not think this is the original tree, but it marks the spot.  

   

The Chinese arrived next, in 1456, as they could see that Malacca was a very important strategic location. 

 Then the Portuguese arrived in 1511, and took over the port town.    They built fortifications, and walls, and a very large church, all constructed with volcanic rock, which they must have shipped from elsewhere, probably Indonesia.  St Francis Xavier, was credited with Catholic Missionary work in SE Asia, during the 16th Century.   He spent several months in Malacca.    Sadly the Portuguese killed off, or enslaved the local Malays, although they were happy to leave the Chinese residents alone.

Much of the Portuguese fortifications were destroyed by the next rulers, the Dutch, who successfully defeated the Portuguese during a battle in 1641.   

Now are we in the Netherlands, or in Malaysia?   No, we must be in Malaysia, as there are palm trees in the foreground.   A little incongruous, I know.

 After the Dutch destroyed most of the Portuguese buildings and fortifications, they established their own community, as can be seen by the red brick buildings with Dutch gables.  

The Dutch also changed the Catholic churches into Protestant churches, and built a few more, as well.

 Then in 1824, the Dutch came to an agreement with the British.    The British would have Malaya, and the Dutch would have Indonesia.   The local Malay and Indonesian rulers were often made offers they could not refuse.   But lets not go into the murkier side of past history, where British and other European citizens were not the honorable people, that we would like them to be.

 Of course the Japanese were in control of Malaya, for a few years from 1942 to 1945.    Then finally Malaya gained Federal Accession in 1948, and Malays were in control again, as a democratic country, and became Malaysia.

The town has grown considerably, and the city seems to stretch for kilometres, and there was plenty of traffic too.   It took us 40 minutes to get out of the centre of Malacca.     The skyline has an assortment of tall buildings, mostly hotels.    But the greatest change for us was the foreshore, which has been reclaimed, so the sea is further out than when we were here in 1974.    

And the guest house we stayed in, in 1973, and owned by government of the day, and very colonial in style, is no longer there.    Neither is the padang, or large green space, in front of it, there either.    This area is now a huge shopping complex and hotel.   A little bit of history lost there, in the name of progression.

 And in 1974, this gun looked out to sea.   No longer, as it looks over a park, and a road, which have been built on the reclaimed land.  

And Margaret, when you read this, it will take you back to our trip in 1973.    How can you forget, coming down from the fort in the rickshaw, in the torrential rain.   A very memorable holiday.