My sojourn to Malaysia has exposed me to a lot of different people, cultures and ways to doing things. Last weekend will go down as a memorable one of sorts. It marked my first Chinese New Year celebration is this truly diverse society. It was amazing to see all the different “races” in the South Eastern nation unify to celebrate the annual curtain opener for their Cantonese cousins.
![]() |
| Stadhuys, Melaka |
My girlfriend and I decide to spend the Chinese New Year in the iconic city of Melaka. We arrived at midday to a city reading for the festivities. The city was aglow with crimson red, traditional Chinese decorations and lights reading to illuminate their colorful city. It was nice to also see a good number of other tourists converge on the small city to join in the New Year celebrations.
![]() |
| St Paul's Church |
After checking into we our hotel and settling in we decided to take a walk in the city. Our walk began on the popular Jonker street or walk as the locals prefer to call it. The rather long stretch of road is home to all manner of shops and stalls; peddling all manner of goods and mementos that will appeal to even the most laid back traveler. I was amazed at the number of European tourists I came across in the street; the sheer number of French, English and Dutch speaking people left me wondering if I was in a Belgian town.
![]() |
| Independence Memorial, Melaka. |
While Melaka is miles from the shores of Europe, it shares a distinct similarity with many tourist cities in the EU. In this respect, Melaka is a tourists haven; its plethora of museums, temples, mosques, and other religious places of worship. The architecture is a mix of old and new; where modern steel and concrete meets crimson red and old structures of historic value. Its canals, bricks structures and low lying bridges present a rare glimpse into the ways of the former Dutch inhabitants of the city. The iconic Stadhuys attests to this period of time.
![]() |
| Islamic Museum, Melaka. |
| Fort A Famosa |
Like the Dutch, the Portuguese also left quite a mark on the old city. The Fort A Famosa meaning "The Famous" in Portuguese, Kota A Famosa in Malay), located near the church of St Paul and the Sultan of Melaka's palace, is a reminder that the Portuguese once inhabited the city. The old stone structure dates back to many years to the 16th century and is thought to be among the oldest remaining architectural landmarks of European heritage still standing in Asia. The Porta de Santiago, a small gate house, is the only remaining part of the fortress still standing.
![]() |
| The Orang Utan House |
Other interesting sights to see in the Melaka are Orangutan House famous for its bespoke unconventional, yet Tee shirts. The prices are little steep for ordinary Tees though, but I guess some tourists might find the alright.
Well that is pretty much is all we saw in Melaka. The city is amazing, and although we didn't get to see many locals, it is was worth a visit. Accommodation and travel to the city is cheap. Travel time is approximately 2 hrs from the capital Kuala Lumpur via coach from TBS. More so all the tourist attractions are within close range which makes it easy to navigate. however, this also means one can pretty much see the entire city in a few hours. In all, it was worth it and I hope you can also make it. Till then....byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

























