Normally, most people choose Malacca as a short holiday destination mainly due to its historical buildings and heritage food. Think delicious chicken rice balls, Nyonya food, and others. Go figure. But if you are a typical history buff like me who likes the artsy fartsy stuff, you would find it very difficult to miss out on historical places like the famous Red Square and A Famosa. Without further ado, let's take a cue from my list of the top 5 classic recommended tourist places in Melaka that are eternally timeless due to their “je ne sais quoi” vibe, and therefore obligatory for every tourist in the world to visit when they come to Melaka.
For the uninitiated, Melaka's river is not merely a haven for giant monitor lizards and other scaly reptiles. This river is most popularly known as the Venice of the East, but minus the tourist-trap gondola rides that are notoriously famous in Venice. But thanks to the Malacca government's current efforts to boost tourism for the state, the Malacca riverside looks breathtakingly picturesque and is relatively clean today. If you don't believe, come here by yourself and take a look at the perfectly manicured flower beds that beautifully line up some of the river sides, or the multicolored bridges that cleverly interconnect pedestrians to the other side. After you get all tired from the touristy sightseeing, you can always kick back and relax comfortably at one of the endless stretches of hip riverside cafes available there and watch the odd giant monitor lizards or two swim past in the river from the sidelines as you sip a delicious cup of artisanal coffee in your hand.
No historical trip to Melaka is complete without a visit to the iconic Red Square. Like its namesake, these legendary buildings are all painted in striking red terracotta by the Dutch colonists in the 1700s. There, you find the Stadthuys, which was once the primary residence of the Dutch Government, now revamped into cultural museums to fit the current times, such as the Muzium Rakyat. Nevertheless, the Christ Church building is still the main attraction of this Red Square. This charming building stands out from the rest of the other nearby properties due to its unique Anglican architecture and majestic interior design that takes you a step back into time. There, some of the building features have an interesting story or two to tell about this town's historic development, such as the peculiar silver rooster figurine perched on top of the building itself.
Besides the Red Square, another historic location you have to pay a visit to is the legendary A Famosa Fortress. For thrill-seekers who believe in local myths and legends, we dare you to venture deep inside the A Famosa Fortress. Legend has it that as you journey deeper inside its dark passage, you will then encounter a giant serpent monster that will swallow you up whole in the Twilight Zone-like tunnel, since this vile creature actually craves fresh human meat. But funny jokes aside, you can always take a climb later to St Paul's Hill to visit the Porta de Santiago after having successfully escaped from the monster snake's massive jaws of death, much earlier at the A Famosa. As the oldest surviving European architectural building in Malaysia, the ruins of St Paul's were also once mysteriously linked to King Solomon's buried treasure. Otherwise, it would be absolutely laughable not to resist taking more than a few scenic photos of St Paul's Church, which was built in 1521 during the Golden Sultanate Age of Malacca.
The legendary Chung Wah is akin to a rustic-style chicken rice ball institution here in Melaka, considering the eatery is already more than 50 years old. Compared to its other competitors, Chung Wah chicken rice balls are an obligatory choice and the real deal. After all, the name Chung Wah is primarily responsible for pioneering this heritage Hainanese cuisine to massive fame among the locals and outsiders in Melaka. Like the real deal created by its Hainanese immigrant forefathers during the pre-independence days of old Malaya, Chung Wah only uses traditional poached chicken instead of the fried variety that is often preferred by many modern consumers today. As a result, the chicken flesh is juicy, smooth, and flavourful from the natural chicken juices. However, for maximum effect, you have to pair the chicken meat with its fragrantly warm and genuinely tasty hand-rolled chicken rice balls. For a slight spicy kick, you can dip the poached chicken flesh and rice balls in its deliciously tangy homemade chilli sauce, that are freshly made using only blended fresh chillies, fresh lime juice, and some natural seasonings.
To savor the yummiest cendol and nyonya laksa in Jonker 88 eatery here in Melaka, you have to first beat its notoriously long queue of other fellow foodies, which comprises locals and tourists alike. There, their signature Nyonya laksa features blanched vermicelli noodles that are generously topped with boiling spicy coconut curry, which immediately opens up your olfactory senses and gastronomical appetite. Naturally, this factor is primarily due to the laksa's delicious broth, which is then boiled for hours until all the laksa flavors permeate out, thus creating a good, heady blend of savory, spicy, and sweet from the use of fresh coconut milk, curry powder, and quality spices. Other yummy condiments include half an egg, fresh shrimps, fried tofu skin, minced mackerel flesh, shredded julienned cucumbers, and onions. To cool down your body from the spicy laksa heat and the hot Malaccan afternoon sun, you can order a bowl of its deliciously cooling nyonya cendol as dessert. The Nyonya cendol dessert at Jonker 88 is also something to rave about, largely due to the quality gula melaka and fresh, quality coconut milk used, which are then generously poured on top of the finely shaven ice and natural pandan juice cendol toppings to be deliciously consumed by its hungry patrons.
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Lim Su Yee (michellelimsuyee@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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