MALACCA: world heritage

 

Malacca was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. The place is still full of old colonial buildings built back in the day by the Portuguese or Dutch or British. They each took their turn colonizing Malacca because of its awesome port. 

We walked around the town square with its old Dutch buildings painted red, peeked at the original pews in the Christ Church and watched the street performers around the fountain.

 

 

  

Then we hiked it up the hill to St. Paul's Church built in 1521 by St. Francis Xavier, a Portuguese missionary.

A Portuguese fort was down one side of the hill and the Melakan Sultanate's Palace was down the other side. The palace is now the Melaka Cultural Museum - which we would have loved to see, but ran out of time.

We went during the Malaysian school holidays so there were a lot of people there that day: kids playing in the courtyard with bubbles, a man playing guitar, school groups, hawkers trying to sell key chains in the corner, local tourists. This gorgeous girl let me take her picture.

Malaysians are mostly Muslim, and many women wear the hijab to cover their heads, long sleeves and long pants or skirts. Walking around in the hot tropical sun I was again amazed at their modesty and devotion to their religion. Especially when it is SO HOT outside.