On 24th September 2022 Malaysian Mensa held it first on-site testing at Melaka. As one of the testing officers in Klang area, I am very interested to do testing at Melaka.
One of the Melaka Mensan, Ahmad suggested we have Melaka day trip after the test and the NATCOM approved the proposal. Several members from Johor and Ipoh comes to Ipoh to help with the testing - and - to enjoy the day trip.
Malaysian Mensa Melaka Test
Ahmad managed to secured iSpace @ Port Historia Melaka to host the testing site. iSpace is a training rooms and seminar rooms, for rent in Kuala Lumpur and Melaka. The place is full equipped with projector, wifi, flip chart, marker pens, coffee, tea and water.
Once we are done with testing which ended before noon, we all head to the Melaka city.
Calanthe Art Cafe
Calanthe Art Cafe aka Malaysia 13 States Coffee is located nearby Jonker Street. Taken from their website: Coffee plants belong to the Family of Rubiaceae and Genus of Coffea. The genus of Coffea consists about 25 species. But only three species are suitable for commercial purposes. They are Coffea arabica, Coffea robusta and Coffea liberica. Coffee plants were originally from Continent Africa. Coffee Arabica was brought to Malaysia in 1779. However, Coffee Arabica was not growth well in Malaysia. Later, Mr. Leonard Wray successfully introduced Coffee Liberica in 1875.
Nowadays, Coffee Liberica is suitable to plant in Peninsular especially in the state of Johor and Selangor. Meanwhile, Coffee Robusta is suitable to plant in the north of Peninsular as well as in Sabah and Sarawak. Calanthe Art Cafe is the Only One café combines 13 states' coffees of Malaysia for your curiosity taste.
I must say the menu is quite pricey but they're not bad, They even have stroopwafels haha. I only had cendol drink with Portuguese egg tart and they cost Rm19! Also this place no longer have physical menu, you need to scan the barcode on your table for the menu and to order the food. The place have many interesting quotes and art instalments.
Compulsory group selfie aka wefie is a must hehe. Thank you Daryl for the photo!
After we done with our brunch, we decided to head to main city. Along the way we passed the famous Jonker Walk and Hard Rock Cafe. Around the heritage city we see many remnants or new instalments inspired by the Portuguese and the Dutch architecture.
Portuguese control of Melaka, a city on the Malay Peninsula, refers to the 130 year period (1511–1641) when it was a possession of the Portuguese East Indies. It was conquered from the Melaka Sultanate as part of Portuguese attempts to gain control of trade in the region. Although multiple attempts to conquer it were repulsed, the city was eventually lost to an alliance of Dutch and regional forces, thus entering a period of Dutch rule.
Cendol Jam Besar
The location of the 'cendol jam besar' (lit. big clock cendol - I will explain what is cendol below), just opposite the clock tower, Melaka red buildings.
Nothing nice than having ABC (Ais nkacang, literally meaning "bean ice", also commonly known as ABC, is a Malaysian dessert which is common in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Traditionally, an ice shaving machine is used to churn out the shaved ice used in the dessert, originally hand cranked but now more often motorised) and cendol (Cendol is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. It is commonly found in Southeast Asia and is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, and Myanmar) during sunny day by the river of Melaka.
Hang Boba
I love this! The name and the branding is uniquely Melaka! The usage word of "Hang" and its mascot of kancil (mouse-deer) which are quintessential Melaka (even tho I originally mistaken the mascot as a squirrel which confused me as I find it so random. Took me months to realised it's the mouse deer which makes more sense now haha).
Lemme explain why. The word "Hang" here is derived from Hikayat Hang Tuah, a Malay work of literature that tells the tale of the legendary Malay warrior, Hang Tuah and his four warrior friends - Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu - who lived during the height of the Sultanate of Melaka in the 15th century.
As for the mouse deer mascot, here is the history how Melaka was founded. As the legend goes, Parameswara (a Palembang prince who sought to find a new spot to establish his new kingdom after fleeing Singapura fallen by the Majapahit army) was resting under a tree near a river during a hunt, when one of his dogs cornered a mouse deer. In self-defence, the mouse deer pushed the dog into the river. Impressed by the courage of the deer, and taking it as a propitious omen of the weak overcoming the powerful, Parameswara decided then and there to found an empire on that very spot. He named it 'Melaka' after the tree where he had just taken shelter at, the Melaka tree.
Stadthyus
The Stadthuys (an old Dutchspelling, meaning city hall) is a historical structure situated in the heart of Melaka City, the administrative capital of the state of Melaka, Malaysia in a place known as the Red Square. The Stadhuys is known for its red exterior and nearby red clocktower. It was built by the Dutch in 1650 as the office of the Dutch Governor and Deputy Governor.
When Melaka was handed over to the British in the 19th century, the Melaka Free School was opened in the vicinity of the Stadthuys on 7 December 1826, by missionaries residing in the state, in response to a letter dated 19 April 1825, signed by a J. Humprey, J. W. Overee and A. W. Baumgarten, which called for an English institutional education to be built in Melaka. The school which the British provided free education to residents was eventually renamed Melaka High School in 1871 upon a takeover by the British government, and moved out to its present site at Chan Koon Cheng Road in 1931.
Situated at Laksamana Road, beside the Christ Church, the supposed oldest remaining Dutch historical building in the Orient, is now home to the History and Ethnography Museum. Among the displays in the museum are traditional costumes and artifacts throughout the history of Melaka, which makes it Melaka's premier museum.
Outside next to the Stadthuys is the Christ Church, a18th-century Anglican church in the city of Melaka City, Malaysia. It is the oldest functioning Protestant church in Malaysia and is within the jurisdiction of the Lower Central Archdeaconry of the Anglican Diocese of West Malaysia (forgot to take this photo during the day).
I really should taken the photo during the day with better lighting. Oh well.
Muzium Sastera Melaka
AKA Melaka Literature Museum is a museum about Malaysian literary works in Melaka City which resembles the structural design of a residence and was officiated by Chief Minister Mohd Zin Abdul Ghani in 1984.
The museum's building was built during the British Malaya on St. Paul's Hill and was formerly used as residence and prison. It also housed the Melaka State Development Corporation (Malay: Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Melaka) until 1974 before it was moved to Ayer Keroh as its current location.
The tired gang who enjoying the aircond and seat after whole day under the sun haha.
The museum exhibits material pertaining to the written history of Melaka, the writings of Munsyi Abdullah and local Malay folklore. It also displays the growth of literature from the period of the Melaka Sultanate to contemporary literary scene. The front of the museum displays a mural that depicts of evolution of writing in Malaysia from the use of stone tablets, to the introduction of Arabic script, the precursor to Jawi, ending with the modern tools of the computer and keyboard. A large section is devoted to the tale of Hang Tuah. The museum also showcases the earliest known Malay letters, dating to the 16th century, the contributions of Malay authors, and the influence of Islam on the nation's laws. Displays are done using graphical panels, exhibition boxes, audio visual and kiosk info.
Muzium Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka
AKA the Governor's Museum, since the musuem located next to the lterature museum, we decided to check it. The museum sat atop St. Paul's Hill in Melaka City which exhibits the personal belongings of various governors of Melaka since the independence of Malaya.
The museum's building was formerly used as the official residence and office of the Dutch Governor of Melaka. It was then used as the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Melaka until September 1996, before being turned into a museum, which was officially opened to the public in 2002.
We still wondering who gave the governor this odd, tall statue. Next to the musuem is the famous A Famosa Fort and for some reason we decided not to visit it. I think because most of us had visited this site way too often since this site had een over promoted for Melaka.
A Famosa (Malay: Kota A Famosa; "The Famous" in Portuguese) was a Portuguese fortress built in Melaka in 1512. The oldest part of the fortress was a five-storey keep which gave its name to the fortress as a whole. Some time following the Battle of Melaka (1641) and the occupation of the city by the Dutch, the keep was destroyed but the outer walls of the fortress were reinforced. However, in 1807 the British destroyed most of the fortress. The Porta de Santiago gateway, and the restored Middelburg Bastion, are the only parts of the fortress that remain today. They are among the oldest European architectural remains in Southeast Asia and the Far East.
Muzium Pendidikan
AKA Education Museum, also located next to Literature Museum. After we are done with the Governor's Museum we headed to the next nearby museum which is this one. The museum exhibits the historical development of the state's education system from the Melaka Sultanate, British Malaya, Japanese occupation and the present time.
The building that houses the museum was built in 1884, during the British Malaya era and its design is a mix of British, Dutch, Moorish and Anglo-Chinese architecture styles. Its windows are of Dutch design with no wind holes, using British materials and bricks and Indian double-layered roof and roof tiles. In 1931, it housed the Melaka High School. But due to the growing number of student intake, the school had to be relocated to Chan Koon Cheng Street. The building then housed the Melaka Labour and Audit Department until 1978. After that, the department relocated to the Federal Building at Hang Tuah Street and the building was left vacant. In 2003, the building underwent renovation and the Melaka Museum Corporation proposed to the Melaka State Government to convert the building into the Museum of Education due to its historical past of housing the Melaka High School.
[Left to Right] University graduation robe, lower and high secondary school uniforms, extracurricular activities uniform; Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah (Red Crescent Society), Puteri Islam (Islamic Princess), Pandu Puteri (Female Scout), Pengakap (Scout), kadet Remaja (Teen Cadet).
Portuguese Settlement, Melaka
Despite we still have many museums to go, the day is getting darker so everyone decided to end the museum hopping and to go for dinner at the famous Portuguese Settlement.
The Portuguese Settlement (Saint John's Village; Portuguese: Aldeia de São João; Malay: Kampung St. John, Kampung Portugis) is an area of Ujong Pasir in, Melaka which serves as a home for the Kristang people. The Kristang people are a Malaysian ethnic group with mixed Portuguese and Malay heritage, originating from the time of the Portuguese rule in Melaka (16th to 17th century).
In 1933, 11 hectares of land at Melaka were purchased with the purpose of creating a haven for the scattered Kristang people. The swampy land was cleared and 10 wooden houses with earth floors and attap roofs were built. Saint John's village, as that simple fishing village was originally known, soon attracted additional Kristang from other areas of Melaka, and grew to become one of Melaka's main tourist attractions, improving the standard of living of its villagers.
Like many other Portuguese-speaking communities around the world, the Portuguese Settlement holds a yearly "June festival" that opens with Festa de São João ("Feast of Saint John", June 23) and closes with Festa de São Pedro ("Feast of Saint Peter", the fishermen's patron saint, June 29). At the festival one can hear Kristang folk songs and watch dancers in colourful costumes perform to the rhythm of branyu music. An important event in the festival is the blessing of the local fishermen's boats, specially decorated for the occasion, to assure good catch.
The foodcourt next to the sea is pretty chaotic! People try to get you to go to their restaurant. The good news is, once you settled down they will leave you alone. The foods are delicious but pretty pricey. Also make sure to order the correct size depends on the pax.
After we are done with dinner we head back to the city to enjoy the famous Jonker Street weekend night market. The market is only on Friday to Sunday.
Oh one thing, Melaka city will is always filled with bright, light up trishaws. It cost Rm15 per ride. While they're available during both day and night, I suggest you to ride at night as it's less hot and the lighting of the trishaws are more vibrant (duh).
Jonker Walk Night Market
The Jonker Walk (Malay: Persiaran Jonker, Chinese: 雞場街; pinyin: Jīcháng jiē) is the Chinatown area in Melaka City in the state of Melaka located along Jonker Street (Malay: Jalan Hang Jebat). It starts from across Melaka River near the Stadthuys, with the street in the area filled with historical houses along its left and right sides dating back to 17th century, many of which are shops selling antiques, textiles, foods, handicrafts and souvenirs such as keychains and shirts.
As mentioned before, the area turns into a night market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the evening from 6 p.m. until 12 midnight, with its street blocked for traffic.
Didn't try this too. They only have 3 drinks option. They we passed it, the 100th Family Mart opened in Malaysia, of course I have to take photo in front of it!
The FamilyMart Company, Ltd. (株式会社ファミリーマート, Kabushikigaisha Famirīmāto) is a Japanese convenience store franchise chain. It is Japan's second largest convenience store chain, behind 7-Eleven. There are now 24,574 stores worldwide in Japan, Taiwan, China, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Finally we done with the day and headed back to KL. It's quite unfortunate we missed going up the Taming Sari Tower. Of course I'm going to throw some trivia: Taming Sari Tower is a 24-story, 110-meter-tall gyro tower in Melaka City. It is the first and tallest gyro tower in Malaysia. The name of the tower, Taming Sari was taken from the legendary keris that which belonged to Hang Tuah.
Also we missed the famous Muzium Samudera (lit Ocean Museum), the famous museum inside a real, Portuguese ship at Jalan Quayside, Melaka, and also Pahlawan Walk Market (lit. Warrior's Walk Market), where you find many authentic native merchandises.
I hope I can visit Melaka again and this time stay for few days to enjoy everything Melaka can offer. But for now I did have great fun.