Day Trip to Malacca

Malaka, Malacca, Malaca, however you wish to spell it is a port down on the southern tip of Malaysia bordering the strait of malacca. This is a strip of water connecting the South China Sea and the Andaman sea so it is a very important strait for trade. It also transports over 50% of the world’s petroleum.

I won’t spoil too much as Victoria and Simon are coming to Malaka.

Malacca was colonized by the Portuguese in the 1500s before the Dutch and then the British had control. There are remnants of Portuguese forts and lookouts scattering the coast.

We started our tour at Saint Peter’s church. We couldn’t go in because there was a Mass as it was Sunday.

Next we walked around the Dutch square and even spotted a water fountain with Queen Victoria on it.

Then we visited the grave of Francis Xavier.

During the Portuguese rule a man called Francis Xavier was responsible for spreading Christianity to Malaysia. He was based in Malacca for most of his life. After his death there was a dispute over where his body would rest. They decided to open his grave after 6 months to chop off an arm to keep in Asia and his body to Rome. They found that his body was still pristine with no signs of decay. He was then pronounced a saint. A statue was erected in Malacca. In a storm one night a tree fell on the statue and the only part to break was the same arm that was chopped off.

We then had a few hours free time on Jonker Walk, a popular shopping street for foods, crafts, souvenirs, and other vintage oddities.

On the way back the traffic was awful. We ordered in some food and went to bed.

-M