Slow days at the Straits of Malacca

Malacca provides a hodgepodge of different experiences. There is its old world charm, with buildings ranging from Portuguese, Dutch and British, to Chinese and Malay and keep you busy for a day or two. Then there are the massive hotel blocks of the large international chains, which look slightly out of place and a bit overbuild as well. And then there is the infamous Malacca Gateway, a USD 7.2bn project which includes the largest man made island in South East Asia and despite its completion date being in 2019 doesn’t look even close to being finished.

Walking across the island to visit the Malacca Straits Mosque feels very much like a post-apocalyptical movie, the stores are closed, the houses are empty and except for a few security guards there is no one there. One might consider the last points as negatives when contemplating a visit, however, we really enjoy being here. The people are really friendly, it is not overcrowded and the local food courts serve delicious food. There are nice small museums about the colourful history of the city as one of the most important trading hubs in Asia a few centuries ago and on Friday and Saturday an enjoyable night market takes place. The perfect spot to visit for a day or two before heading onwards to Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Stadthuys and Christ Church red

Asia, Malaysia, MalaccaRomy Schulz29 February 2020asia, malaysia, melaka, dutch, portugese, museum