Mais duas horas e pouco de autocarro e eis chegamos a Malacca, uma terra com raízes portuguesas, com certeza!
A estação de autocarros fica localizada na preferia de Malacca e a melhor solução foi mesmo um táxi que nos levou directamente ao Hotel Courtyard @ Heeren, que fica mesmo no coração da cidade.
Como chegamos numa sexta-feira, aproveitamos e fomos conhecer a afamada Jalan Hang Jebat, a rua central da Chinatown, conhecida também como Jonker Street. Mesmo a poucos metros do hotel, conseguimos perceber logo a dimensão da rua. Às sextas e sábado, a rua é tornada num mercado nocturno que se extende pela incrível rua, cheia de barracas com comeres tradicionais, gadgets, souveniers e acessórios. É um espaço incrível onde aproveitamos para experimentar alguns petiscos e comprar os ímans da Malásia.
Entre os famosos tuk tuks decorados com muitas luzes, bonecos, animes, flores e música (muita música), é fácil e engraçado andar por Malacca à noite. É uma cidade que tem muito para oferecer e sentimos desde logo a presença portuguesa.
Tivemos a sorte de neste dia estar a haver um desfile onde constatamos os costumes e a dedicação que estes têm pela religião, com imensas pessoas, de todas as idades, a cantar e a mostrar os seus Budas, cada um decorado à sua própria maneira.
After a journey of 2 to 3 hours, we
arrived Malacca by bus. We knew that we had to visit this city due to its
Portuguese roots.
The bus station is located a few minutes outside of Malacca and the best solution is a taxi that took us directly to the Courtyard @ Heeren Hotel, right in the heart of the city.
We arrived on a Friday so we took the opportunity to discover the famous Jalan Hang Jebat, the center street of Chinatown, also known as Jonker Street. Just a few meters from the hotel, we can notice right away the dimension of this night market. On Fridays and Saturdays, this street is turned into a night market that stretches along the crowded street, full with traditional food, gadgets, souvenirs and cheap keepsakes.
Surrounded by the remarkable tuk tuks decorated with many lights, dolls, anime, flowers and music (lots of loud music), it is easy and fun to walk through Malacca at night. It is a city that has a lot to offer and we could see right away the ancient structures from the Portuguese Empire.
We were lucky to see a parade where we saw their traditional customs and the dedication for their religion, with lots of people, of all the ages, carrying along with them a Buddha. Unforgettable experience.
The bus station is located a few minutes outside of Malacca and the best solution is a taxi that took us directly to the Courtyard @ Heeren Hotel, right in the heart of the city.
We arrived on a Friday so we took the opportunity to discover the famous Jalan Hang Jebat, the center street of Chinatown, also known as Jonker Street. Just a few meters from the hotel, we can notice right away the dimension of this night market. On Fridays and Saturdays, this street is turned into a night market that stretches along the crowded street, full with traditional food, gadgets, souvenirs and cheap keepsakes.
Surrounded by the remarkable tuk tuks decorated with many lights, dolls, anime, flowers and music (lots of loud music), it is easy and fun to walk through Malacca at night. It is a city that has a lot to offer and we could see right away the ancient structures from the Portuguese Empire.
We were lucky to see a parade where we saw their traditional customs and the dedication for their religion, with lots of people, of all the ages, carrying along with them a Buddha. Unforgettable experience.
Na manhã seguinte, despedido-nos do Courtyard @ Heeren, que é um espaço encantador e com um agradável pequeno-almoço, para irmos fazer uma tour pela cidade. Aproveitamos a oferta da cidade e fizemos uma free tour, que há às terças, quintas e sábados desde o Tourism Information Center, às 9h30. Em aproximadamente 3 horas conhecemos os pontos mais emblemáticos da cidade: A'Famosa Fort, Christ Church, The Stadthuys, St. Paul's Church, Melaka Sultnate Palace, Menara Taming Sari,...
Sem dúvida que sugiro pois aprendemos muito sobre a cidade e como éramos os únicos portugueses no grupo, o guia aproveitou para fazer perguntas sobre a nossa história para poder assim contar melhor todas as raízes nacionais que podemos encontrar. Não podem deixar de conhecer toda esta experiência cultural numa cidade com impressões holandesas, britânicas e, claro, portuguesas.
Next morning we checked-out of the Courtyard @ Heeren which is a lovely space with a nice breakfast, to go on a city
tour. We did a free tour, which happens on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays starting
from the Tourism Information Center, at 9:30 am. In approximately 3 hours explored
the most emblematic points of Malacca, a UNESCO World Heritage site:
It’s a perfect way to explore Malacca
and to learn more about its history. We were the only Portuguese people in the
group, so the tour guide took the opportunity to ask questions about our
history so he could better explain all of our national roots in the city.
You can not miss all of this cultural
experience in a city with Dutch, British and, of course, Portuguese backgrounds.
Almoçamos mais uma vez arroz com galinha (mas sabe sempre bem) e voltamos para a estação de autocarros, desta vez em direcção a Singapura.
We had lunch, rice with chicken (always a safe and good choice) and went back to the bus station so we could go back to Singapore.
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