In the Bible we read that God said: “Let the earth bring forth the livings after his kind” a statement that the offspring shall be like their parents.
Walking on the banks of the Melaka River or Sungai Melaka bring me to realize that statement. In one day, I couldn’t complete the walk in a day if you take the starting point from the location of the Saint Francis Xavier church on Jalan Laksamana or Quayside Road. The building of this church is beautiful and to enjoy the holiness, you must step in to take a closer look.
Before, I begin to discover Melaka I get a map from the tourist information unit located within the Dutch Square. With the map, I drafted the directions to walk, the locations where I should stop, the sites which I must see, the food and beverages operators which I must try, what are the things I must buy and the events or traditions that I must note. One day walk is not enough to do all that and therefore I make it a 3-days walk.
The idea of walking to discover Melaka arises from the statement “Melaka, Venice of The East” which I read in a book. In order to make sure the discovery is an comfortable and enjoyable one, it would be convenient to put up in guest house or hotel which is close to the river. Here are some: Casa del Rio, Sterling Hotel, The Gallery, Wana Riverview, The Swiss Garden, Ramada Plaza, Majestic, and The Pines close to the Spices Garden. To suit my plan, I selected The Sterling Hotel, a boutique hotel which sit on Jalan Temenggong a road formerly known as Egerton Road.
Repeated from generation to generation, Bee Loon, a trader who has been giving school-going children the best in shirts and trousers is a history by itself. Bee Loon is associated with The Sterling Boutique Hotel.
When the penjajah or the colony masters controlled Melaka, they not only introduced new languages, new cuisines, or new infrastructure but they also introduced education. As far back as 1826, Malacca High School was set up. The old folks told me they wore starched-shirts to school and looking at their old photographs reflect a sense of discipline.
Across the road, Eng Chee Seng believed in making mooncakes without preservative added to old families who generations are tied together in celebrating the Mooncake Festival this Sunday. The floor is tiled with Indian Kolam before I reached the Madras Café. Adjoining a colonial shop is the Soya Bean seller started by his grandfather who was born in China. His worker tell me to finish the drink to enjoy its freshness made from his home.
The Malay cobbler who sit in a small hut repairing shoes must have acquired the skills from the Chinese Clog repairer. Closing up to the river, I see the Chan Koon Cheng bridge and the Discovery Café behind it. An old man resting on the wakafnear to the pigeon-corner revealed to me that if the weather is hot, I could get a bowl of brewed herbal tea when night come. He further added, “The herbal stall has been there over a hundred years” Marking that homemade herbal seller on the map, I climbed the stair to the bridge to the old Confucius hall opposite of Guan Huat Seng.
One of the corner-stones in our civilization is the system of weights and measures. Guan Huat Seng and many traders who once served the pre-independence economic activities by using the Dacing.
Like the Nile in Egypt, the Tigris in Iraq, the Yangtze in China, Melaka begins by its river and this explain why the Dutch Square, Jonker Walk, the Little India, the Kampung Morten … and so forth prefer river sites for their homes. Today, many of these homes have open to the public and each home has a story to tell. The Nyonya homes has plenty of customs, rites and rules and to see them yourself, enjoy your visit to the Baba-Nyonya Museum. A living museum, the kitchenware, tableware and the utensils are dedicated and there are rules on how and when to use them. Their lifestyle is a result of intermarriages between Chinese and the Javanese. If you care to understand history, walk over to the Zheng He Museum before you enjoy my favorite lunch set at Hard Rock Café. Maybe you prefer Ice Lemon Tea, but Melaka homes like the Ceylon tea introduced by the Dutch and British when they controlled the island.
After a sumptuous lunch, walking through the Queen Victoria fountain, and the former United Malayan Banking Corporation UMBC, you may like to take a selfie with Lim Brothers Book Store before it is gone for good. Rather than touching on knowledge and reading, you may find out how the older generation collect leaves, flowers, and butterflies as their bookmarker. On this spot, you are in the smoke-free zone gazette implemented by the Dewan Undangan Negeri headed by YAB Datuk Seri Ir. Hj Idris bin Haron.
Over 3 days and 2 nights, I am only able to write this much because I only a portion of the river banks Would continue writing of my mapped walk along the Sungai Melaka in my next blog post and subsequent blog posts.