I'm back in Thailand but I want to post about my time in Malacca (Melaka) before the experience fades away...Luckily I prepared the pictures before I left π
I think I still need more time to reflect on my time in Malaysia, it was definitely a place that grew on me. And that's quite unusual for me, usually, I feel instantly if I like a place or not. I'm very happy that I decided to go there and I think I'll return at some point. I felt Malaysia has many layers, maybe that's why I needed some time to feel into it.
And Malacca will forever have a special place in my heart π The kindness I felt in the men I met there deeply touched me.
Malacca is a popular tourist destination, I was definitely not the only one visiting π And in the beginning, it was just a bit too much for me. Also, I visited during the school holidays so there were a lot of children everywhere. Not the environment I would choose for myself, haha.
As you can see in the picture below, Malacca is a UNESCO World Heritage City. A place rich in history, and during the 16th century Malacca developed into the most important trading port in Southeast Asia.
Below you see the Red Square (Dutch Square).
Malacca is full of old, charming buildings, and on the weekends there's a night market at Jonker Street. It was described somewhere as the best street food in SEA. I wouldn't say so myself, but I'm not the best person to ask, since I don't eat meat and I could hardly find any vegetarian food. (The market was a lot busier than the picture below reflects).
I tried this black tofu though, it was ok but tasted very much like 'regular' tofu (I'm not a tofu fan).
The beautiful Chinese New Year decorations were still in place (on one of my last days in Malacca the restaurant where I was having lunch was busy with taking down the decorations).
There's a nice riverwalk that has many restaurants, cafes, and bars. But I'm not really out in the evenings so I didn't see much of that.
One day, on my way to a restaurant, I was walking through an area with old buildings looking like the one in the picture below. It was such a contrast because there are also a lot of new, modern buildings in Malacca.
Later I learned that there's a whole village with buildings like this, called Kampung Morten, a traditional Malay village. The picture above isn't from Kampung Morten though.
You might see the sign to the left in the picture below and the old traditional houses (you only see the roofs really, and in the background, you have a lot of modern buildings).
A nice garden in Kampung Morten π
Not so many people were out walking during the day, it was pretty hot but I'm not complaining!
More old charming buildings.
How can you not love this? π
One highlight of my stay in Malacca was a visit to the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum. Four generations of Peranakan Chinese lived in this household before it was opened as a museum by the family in 1985.
The cultural diversity of Malacca and Malaysia really fascinated me.
I'll end this post with some pictures from my favorite restaurant in Malacca, Patma's. The man running the place cooked with so much love, his food was absolutely delicious! As soon as I entered the place I could feel my body relaxing. The building had a strong energy and was very beautiful. I went back several times and on my last visit he joined me (it was a quiet day) and shared about his life journey and his plans for this place (he had only been open for about a year).
He rents this old 3-story building. I started to imagine how it would be to live in such a place.
If I ever return to Malacca, I'll for sure visit this restaurant again.
I know there's so much more to see in Malaysia but I felt it was time to return to Thailand for some beach time π At the moment I'm in Krabi town, tomorrow I'll travel to Koh Yao Noi and I'll start the island life with a yoga retreat ππ½
Thanks for reading πΈ
Wishing you a lovely day π