A TRYST WITH THE PAST

The sleepy Malaysian city of Melaka charms visitors with its mishmash of cultures, ancient religious structures, and simple life.

- SUSHEELA NAIR

REVISITING MEMORIES OF pre-COVID vacations with friends and family has become my favorite exercise to cope with the cabin fever and sense of doom evoked by the second wave. One such vacation that keeps cropping up in conversations is Melaka (also spelled Malacca). I vividly remember rambling down the meandering lanes of the Malaysian city a few years ago. It seems surreal now, a vacation without masks or physical distancing.

Melaka is not as flamboyant as Kuala Lumpur, but it abounds in history and architecture. It is no wonder tourists come in hordes to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though it’s small enough to explore on foot, Melaka has sufficient attractions to fill an itinerary of several days.

I wandered at leisure in this ancient city, admiring its old churches, Hindu temples, gilded Chinese temples, grand mosques, opulent mansions, red colonial buildings, and streets lined with tile-roofed louvered shophouses where traders reside. The foreign influences —from early Indian civilization to Portuguese and Dutch, were discernible. I was, at times, transported to the late 18th century when Melaka was a busy outpost for the British, who stormed this part of the world in search of spices and stayed back to reap the benefits of the lucrative trade.