Melaka River Cruise

If you had a chance to visit Malacca, do not forget to ride the Malacca River Cruise.

From its role as a meeting point between the East and West in the 16th Century, the Melaka River has morphed into a tourism destination today. Both locals and foreigners come to soak in its history from the diverse architecture found along its banks. There are old churches, mosques, bridges, clan houses, warehouses, temples and villages that have withstood the test of time.

When I first saw the Melaka River 20 years ago, it was small and murky, with fishing boats crowding the river mouth. It was hard to imagine that this was the same river that attracted the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British to build a port and fortress here. Today, I see a modern waterfront with gardens, a fort, a fountain, performance stages, breezy walkways and a large windmill.

The Melaka River with its cruise is the biggest surprise. The muddy, murky water is now quite clear, with a tinge of emerald green. Clean embankments on both sides stretch for several kilometres. The river has also been widened and a mechanical device has been installed to control the depth of the water. The idea was to make the river completely pollution-free, so as to develop exquisite gardens on its banks, and pave the pedestrian pathways to perfection.

Passengers on the Melaka River cruise get a feel of the multi-cultural and historical fabric of the country. One can even see the Melaka tree, under which Parameswara was so inspired by the sight of a mouse deer kicking a dog that he named the place Melaka.

The 26 fibre-glass boats are named after historic figures such as Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Munshi Abdullah and Tun Perak. Passengers are also serenaded with traditional songs such as dondang sayang. 

         
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There are two types of cruises. One offers recorded commentaries and the other has a tour guide on board. The approximate touring time for Melaka River Cruise is about 45 minutes (9 KM) from the Quayside Heritage Centre to Taman Rempah, Pangkalan Rama. The boats are available daily at every thirty minute interval between the following times: 9.30am to 5pm and 6pm to 12 midnight.

A must-see on the cruise is Kampung Morten, a living museum showcasing a village that's been around for hundreds of years. There are private museums here where one can get a deeper understanding of the local Malay culture including their costumes and crafts like embroidery work.

The houses are fine examples of Malay architecture, with sweeping staircases in the centre and a verandah where family members can sit in the evenings to enjoy the air.

You can also see the replica of a pirate ship, the Eye On Malaysia ferris wheel, the abandoned Cathay cinema as well as the old express bus terminal. There is also a replica of a royal windmill and a fort, complete with cannons around the walls.

The cruise boat passes under many bridges that had important functions in the old days. The first one, Tan Boon Seng Bridge, marks the strategic place captured by the Portuguese in 1511 in their bid to occupy Melaka. The other bridges are Chan Boon Cheng Bridge, Ghostbridge of Melaka, Old Market Bridge and Jalan Hang Tuah Bridge.

MELAKA RIVER CRUISE
Venue : The Melaka River jetty in front of the Quayside Heritage Centre.
Departs daily from 9am to 11.30pm
Ticket : Adult RM10, child below 12 : RM5
Group Tour : RM100 per boat
Can be arranged by calling Melaka River Cruise at 06-2814322 or cruise guide Bernard Kenneth Gooting at 012-9127210

Nearby Attractions

There are plenty of attractions near the Melaka River Cruise.  A few of them are:

• The Stadthuys
• Christ Church Melaka
• The Maritime Museum
• Jonker Walk

There are also couples of attractions within walking distance (about 15 ~ 20 minutes) :

• Menara Taming Sari (a revolving observation deck from a height of 80 meters)
• St Paul’s Hill (A Famosa)
• Dataran Pahlawan MegaMall
• Mahkota Parade Shopping Mall
• Istana Museum Melaka

So, this ride was so exciting and fun. It is just not a ride, but along the ride, there were a history tells!

So, just enjoy your right. Relax your mind. And take a fresh air and enjoy view of Malacca River.

A' Famosa

A' Famosa is a place that all visitors must visit while travel to Melaka.

A Famosa (Malay language: Kota A Famosa), or "The Famous" in Portuguese, is a fortress located in Malacca, Malaysia. It is among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia. Only a tiny gate (called the Porta de Santiago) is all that is left of a once-mighty fortress.

Only remaining entrance only.

The name is often mispronounced as /eɪ/ Famosa, even among Malaysians (as though the Portuguese definite article "a" were the letter "A" in the English alphabet). A more accurate pronunciation would be /ɑ/ Famosa (approximating 'ah').

I am not sure if it was built without a roof or the roof collapsed.

The British in Penang were temporary caretakers of the then Dutch-controlled Malacca during the Napoleonic Wars. However, they were reluctant to hand Malacca back because they feared it might jeopardize the development of their new settlement in Penang. Hence they decided to destroy the regional influence of Malacca by diverting trade away from Malacca to Penang, the British planned to destroy the Malacca Fort and its city and move the 15,000 people to Penang. It was envisaged that Malacca would not rival Penang in terms of trade when the Kew treaty of 1975 expires which orders the returning of Malacca back to Dutch hands if the city was demolished and depopulated.

A Famosa history dates back to 1511 when the Portuguese
conquered Melaka. After establishing outposts like Macau and Goa,
the Portuguese fleet commanded by Alfonso de Albuquerque
attacked and defeated the armies of the Malacca Sultanate.

The Governor of Penang ordered Captain William Farquhar to have the respective fort demolished in 1807. However during this time, Stamford Raffles who hails from Penang arrived in Malacca for his sick leave. He managed to rescind the demolition and depopulation process with the consent of Lord Minto, the Governor General of India. Raffles managed to save the archway of the Malacca Fort which can be seen to this day. The destruction of the Malacca Fort cost 70,000 sterling pounds and involved several hundred workers.

HISTORY

In 1511 a Portuguese fleet arrived under the command of Alfonso de Albuquerque. His forces attacked and successfully defeated the armies of the Malacca Sultanate. Moving quickly to consolidate his gains, Albuquerque had the fortress built around a natural hill near the sea. Albuquerque believed that Melaka would become an important port linking Portugal to the spice trade from China. At this time other Portuguese were establishing outposts in such places as Macau, China and Goa, India in order to create a string of friendly ports for ships heading to China and returning home to Portugal.

As we entered the “gate” and this is the view from behind.
Once a gate to a fortress, it is now used by local artists
to sell their art work. As hot as the weather was when we were
visiting, these bricks of ancient times seemed to be able to shield
the heat so that people “staying” within these walls,
do not feel hot at all.

The fortress once consisted of long ramparts and four major towers. One was a four-story keep, while the others held an ammunition storage room, the residence of the captain, and an officers' quarters. Most of the village clustered in town houses inside the fortress walls. As Melaka's population expanded it outgrew the original fort and extensions were added around 1586. The fort changed hands in 1641 when the Dutch successfully drove the Portuguese out of Melaka. The Dutch renovated the gate in 1670, which explains the logo "ANNO 1670" inscribed on the gate's arch. Above the arch is a bas-relief logo of the Dutch East India Company.

From the Fortress and looking out to the
sea to watch out for incoming enemies.

The fortress changed hands again in the early 19th century when the Dutch handed it over to the British to prevent it from falling into the hands of Napoleon's expansionist France. The English were wary of maintaining the fortification and ordered its destruction in 1806. The fort was almost totally demolished but for the timely intervention of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, who happened to visit Melaka in 1810. Because of his passion for history, this small gate was spared from destruction.