the christ church is possibly the most recognizable in malacca
One of my friends was about to end her 3 month stint here in Singapore so we decided to go on a daytrip to Malacca just a few weeks before she left for good. We met up at the Kovan Bus Terminal and paid S$19 (around US$14) for a one-way bus ride to the UNESCO World Heritage town in Malaysia. The ride took up almost 4 hours and was mostly uneventful.
red is the city’s predominant color
tourist traps if you ask me
Malacca is a compact city with many of the main sights just within walking distance. After arriving at our destination, we took a public bus (MYR 1) to the historical area near the Christ Church. We went on a Sunday so the place was brimming with tourists, mostly weekenders from Singapore.
windmill – remnants of dutch past
facade of the porta de santiago
We went to have lunch at the famous Jonkers Street. The food is almost similar to Singapore’s except they have this local specialty called “rice balls.” It’s meat-flavored rice shaped into a … you guessed it! I didn’t like it to be honest, but I was famished so I barely noticed the weird chewiness of the thing. Afterwards, we went to the Baba Nyonya Museum which is an old Peranakan house turned into a museum. It was ok – I’ve been exposed to this culture in Singapore so it wasn’t anything new.
former governor’s residence
We then proceeded to Porta de Santiago which is now just an isolated fort situated in a very commercialized part of the city. We didn’t stay for the night but those who stay overnight may enjoy the light and sounds shows in the area during the evenings.
ruins of st. paul’s church
We made the climb up a hill to reach the ruins of St. Paul’s Church. It’s just an empty shell now, but the view from the top is wonderful. There is also a bunch of large stone tablets neatly arranged by the church walls.
closer look at the ruins
panel inside the ruins
That was our last stop for the day, and we decided to rest for a while and have a little snack. We went to this dessert place in the mall right across Porta de Santiago. I had the golden pomelo dessert (US$2.50). It was a great way to end our trip as we were all soaking wet. Malacca may not be a mindblowing place, but it does live up to its reputation as a good daytrip destination. Malacca is also a foodie’s haven but I did not manage to try much owing to my short time there. For more restaurant recommendations in the city, you can check out this Malacca food guide.
Tip : Buy your return tickets in Malacca if you can. You will end up saving more than 50% of the ticket price.
ip : Buy your return tickets in Malacca if you can. You will end up saving more than 50% of the ticket price. – Very correct, more than 50% savings actually. The prices are the same except that it is SGD denominated in Singapore while it is MYR denominated in Malacca… 🙂