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Its colonial past was one of the primary reasons we had chosen to visit Malaysia and wherever we went, we got more than what we had expected. George Town, for example, turned out to be so much more than we had thought it would be. Same was the case with Malacca. There was so much history everywhere in this small little town that I remember we had once wondered if there was a happening part of Melaka. That’s when we came to know about the Jonker street.
Things To Do In Melaka
Doesn’t matter if you are a sucker for history or just like to have your beer sitting by the riverside, Jonker Street is one of the must do things in Melaka and you should not miss it.
Having said that, if you are looking for a lot of places to see around the street, you will be disappointed because there are not many. The Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, the oldest Buddhist place of worship in the country and the Pogyatha Vinoyagar. There’s also the Baba-Nyonya Heritage Museum which is actually a collection of three beautifully restored houses arranged to look like a typical 19th-century residence which in the year 1896, was transformed into a museum. But these apart, my main interest lied in the age-old merchant houses and shops lining the street.
If you are someone who is fascinated by old, colonial buildings, you cannot not fall in love with this crowded street and the areas surrounding it. To me, it seemed, as if every building spoke something, something about the glorious past about the days of its affluence when Chinese traders who arrived in droves, in order to escape the Manchu rule back home.
The Melaka River And The Town Around It
Sitting on the bank of the Melaka River, I could not help but imagine how it would have been during the Dutch Malacca era. With hordes of Chinese traders coming to this town for business, the vibrant market that it would have been back then. I am sure the place would have been as crowded as it is now just that it would have been different. Now it is us, the tourists back then, it would have been buyers and sellers.
Have you been to the Jonker street?
Why are these streets so empty bhai?
These photos are mostly of the streets/lanes around Jonker street.
Lovely blog fantastic images. Thanks for sharing
Thank you.
This picture of the river bank is inviting to sit, relax and enjoy a chilled beer! Beautiful account of Malacca Rajiv, love to explore Jonker street…
Well guess what! That’s exactly what I did, sitting by the river doing nothing, just watching the river flow at its speed and imagine, how it would have been during the Dutch time. Thank you, I hope you get to visit it soon 🙂