We toured the ancient city of Malacca/Melaka on a day trip from Port Dickson by bus. It was arranged by the rally folks so there was a good group of us. We had an English speaking guide, but there were too many people for all of us to hear and keep up with him all the time. Some folks spread out to explore on their own. We followed the guide, even if we couldn't always hear what he was saying about the sites we visited.
This old wooden waterwheel was at the site of an old fort in the downtown area where we started the walking tour.
Part of the old fort still stands hundreds of years after being built. by the Portuguese.
Modern museums are now in the old buildings.
Some of the old 'tunnels' that were underground in the area they are now reclaiming. The Portuguese were famous for tunnels, but they aren't very tall.
The oldest fort entrance in the area. It dates back to 1689 or so and is a landmark here.
Another view of the entry to the fort.
Military vehicles on display. Old ones, no longer in use.
The fort entry again.
Burial tablets that have been stood up for preservation. Each of these would've covered a grave or the place in a church where the persons remains would have been stored.
St. Francis Xavier statue at his church. His right hand is missing.
In the heart of the historic district on the river, we find this Hard Rock Café. The tour guide was certain someone was bribed to allow its building in this part of town, right on the river at a bridge. It did seem out of place in the old city.
A stone lion at the entrance to a Chinese temple. The ball in his mouth moves but cannot be removed. Touching it is supposed to bring good luck.
The brilliant colors inside the ornate temples. Such artwork.
More temple statues inside.
Even the facia above the doors was so artfully decorated. The sea creatures depicted here seem pretty lively.
The walls are often 3D in their decoration. The bas-relief scenes are being cleaned up to reveal these great colors.
We visited a shoe shop where the man's family had been involved in the foot binding business in years past. These are some of the tiny shoes he made for bound feet for the Chinese girls and ladies. It was considered very chic to have tiny feet, but the tortuous pain involved in making and keeping them that was seems barbaric today.
The old ways are very interesting....
A statue of a dark child sitting on a chair. Unusual here.
A replica of a ship in the old city.
A wall of colorful garments for sale in a fabric shop. The Muslim women get dressed in such finery quite often. The displays were like looking at artwork in fabric.
Jason and I wandered off to a non-touristy part of Melacca and found an old Chinese shop with strange things for sale. These are shark fins strung along the ceiling for sale for people to make shark fin soup.
Bins of dried mushrooms of all sorts lined the sidewalk at the door in the shop.
An ancient well, preserved in the Cheng Ho museum.
A package of dried squid for sale. These are found in the snack aisles of stores!
A banner to promote crime-free living. Young police cadets or students encouraged us to sign their banner and gave us pens and junk packets for doing so. If you look hard, you can see YOLO's signature to the left of the arm. We were waiting for the bus and didn't have much else to do, so why not?
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