Six Thousand Meters of History

I love my new job.....

I'm travelling a lot more than I use to and it's all on company's expense. Haha.....

Well it's not all play and no work. Au contraire it's a working trip but I try to squeeze in some time to break away from it and explore the surroundings. I find it a waste of time to coop myself up in the hotel room after a whole day of dungeon treatment in the office/at work/in seminar halls. If i wanna sleep and watch TV, then take an off day and do it at home where I can have the comfort of my own bed, sitting in the living room on my own couch wearing whatever minimalist clothes I like to watch TV.... (too much info)

Any hoooo....

I was in Malacca for the past 3 days for a seminar. Won't bore you with what the details that bored the life out of me.....

But it was nice to explore yet another Straits Settlement State. There are 3 in total, Penang, Malacca, and Singapore. In the past 2 weeks I've covered the first 2. Unfortunately, there isn't any program in the near horizon that will allow me to complete the journey so soon (unless I pay on my own, which I wanna avoid haha).

Malacca differs from Penang in that it is not as straight forward. While Penang I've described it as "What You See Is What You Get".....I find Malacca charming with its richly mixed culture. It is a land that has seen more change of Rulers than any other state in Malaysia.....

Starting with the settlement of Parameswara back in the 1400s who founded the state of Malacca. And for the next 111 years, Malacca blossomed as a colourful port as a fulcrum of trade between the East and the West. This is likened to the Silk Road, only it is by sea travel. During this time also saw the birth of legendary warriors such as Hang Tuah, Hand Jebat, Hang Lekiu, Hang Lekir, and Hang Kasturi (please go wikipedia them yourselves to know more). It was also during this period that active trade with China took place, and saw active migration of the Chinese community to Malacca including a princess (Hang Li Po, no relation to the warriors mentioned earlier) who was married off to the Malacca Sultanate.

Hmmmmm.....before this becomes a history class, let's just skip to the jist of it. Malacca was then invaded by the ancestors of Christiano Ronaldo, and Jose Mourinho....yup those Portugese..... and followed by the likes of Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Rafael Van Der Vart....yup the Dutch..... Before Rooney, Beckham and Lampard came to claim a piece of the land too for the mighty British Empire......

Hence through history, we will be able to see why we Malaysians have such affinity to foreign football.......

Ok...coming back (FINALLY)...... I spent 2 lovely evenings in Malacca jogging through the town to capture whatever I could in what I would like to call it my Six Thousand Meters of History......

Streets of old town at night

Quite a cowboy town at night

At the corner of Jalan Bendahara is this building
which has a spice shop below

Leading to the Studhuys.....an eerie glow of red

What goes on under a bridge....

....Apparently just an occasional barge comes through

Ok.....so some people do cam whore....just dont whore himself

By the river bank

The Church of St Francis Xavier....
I remember visiting it once when i was younger
No matter how HOT the outside world is...
...once you step inside, the temperature drops
Could almost send a shiver through you.

Sometimes i wonder, if the other cities in Malaysia are not
gazetted by UNESCO as a world heritage city, can we be
less responsible in preserving its heritage...
...so many colonial building in KL has been demolished all
in the name of condos and office and shopping centers
and even the minister says its because the building owner
never applied for heritage status.....

Through these hallowed corridors I walk...

More picture, different angle of the same thing...

This church located at the Studhuys is a historical relic...
Seen so many old photos of it standing tall and proud through
the test of time

Not part of the original Studhuys
This clock tower was added in 1886.
Clock is not running on Swiss Mechanism .
Its a Seiko, circa 1982

Ho ho....my favourite part of the Studhuys
Technology....
This cannon can turn from the center axis, 20 degrees
to the left and another 20 to the right.
It can be moved forward and back
And it can be aimed with further elevation of the turret
Complete

Close up of the movement mechanism

So many trips to Malacca....first time seeing this

Cuts a real menacing look to protect the buildings

Studhuys.... (means Red Buildings)

Dungeon doorbell

Soon to be extinct I believe
Church Street
In Malay and in Jawi.....
Soon it will be be converted into a total Malay name
with no religious meaning
Perhaps "Jalan Bangunan Merah" (Red Building Street)

Always wondered....what if they ran out of cannon balls
Can they use enemy heads....
....Answer was YES

Quaint lil cafe by the river

I know it has been restored....but I love the unfinished look

Every line a different character
Every line crooked but aiming towards the same goal
Every individual imperfection made perfect collectively
No need for a fascade
No need for a coat of paint as make-up

Bridge over troubled waters?
More like a bridge to Kampung Morten

Stairway to heaven perhaps.... 

So Kampung Morten is a living heritage village
Preserved by the local authorities against development
Real people stay in these real houses
They are also open to Home Stay programs

Malay village house

Chinese house

And more Malay houses

The daunting entrance to Majestic Hotel

Majestic Hotel has been restored by
YTL and now enjoys a resurrected
air of exclusivity and class...
...yet I just cant take my eyes off the
HUGE jar of flower biscuits that they
serve freely...... Sighhh Childhood
tid bits are the best

Monument at Bukit Cina

The mighty Admiral Cheng Ho

Trishaws (Beca) getting ready for Daytona 500

Nobody takes a superhero seriously these days
especially after the movie "Kick Ass"
Making him pint size makes the poor admiral
vulnerable to harassment.
This lady here is showing how to kidnap a person....

He ain't heavy....but he ain't no Harley either

The final resting place of Hang Jebat

Interesting fact
The only few places left to get Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa is at
Kampung Baru KL (the original) and apparently in Malacca.
Of which, sales have been bad so they have rebranded it
calling it "Abangs"

My favourite pitstop.....Nadaje (Thank you Wong!!)
Mille crepe at its best
At least 18 layers of crepes with fresh cream between each layer.
Each bite you take, you can actually feel the layers come apart in your mouth....
Best taken with a cup of coffee because of the high cream content of the cake.
I love the original best...they have other funky flavours like durian, coffee, etc
Best eaten on the stop. If you wanna take away, make sure to consume within 2 hours
Else you want sour cream cake....ick ick ick
If it is refrigerated, it is still recommended to consume within 24 hours
Can't get a FRESHER cake than that.....
Has a very short expiry time....
Top floor of Padang Pahlawan Shopping Center if you wanna go