Malacca | Malaysia

I Continue From Here: Sandakan | Borneo | Malaysia

A Place to Wind Down

15,16 September 2026

I reached the Malacca bus station and took a Grab taxi to Yote 28 Hostel. This turned out to be one of the best hostels I have stayed in. It had been recommended by the Austrian girl I had met in KL at the beginning of my journey. The interiors were super cool, clean and spacious, the staff were friendly, and the highlight of the place was its four adorable cats.

However, I had messed up my booking and reserved an expensive double-bed dorm. Luckily, the young man at reception was very friendly. He was from Bangladesh and immediately started speaking to me in Hindi. He explained to his Malay colleague how similar our languages were, given their shared Sanskrit roots. I told him about my booking error and asked if he could accept a cancellation so I could book again. He obliged, and I happily made a new reservation. I lost some money to Hostelworld's cancellation charges, but it was still a good deal.

After freshening up, I went downstairs to play with the cats. I then took a walk towards the city centre. Along the way, I came across another Bangladeshi man selling tender coconuts. The Bangladeshis I had encountered in Malaysia seemed to be among the friendliest people I had met. They were always warm and helpful.

The town centre, particularly Dutch Square, was somewhat crowded with tourists. Decorated cycle rickshaws were a popular way to get around, with loud music blaring as they carried tourists on leisurely rides through the streets.

I walked to Jonker Street, which was supposed to host a night market, but the place looked rather dull, with little activity. I walked to the end of the street and returned. On the way, I tried the famous durian egg tart. Thankfully, the rich flavour of the egg filling overshadowed the pungent smell and taste of durian. What remained was a mild durian flavour, which I actually enjoyed.

I took a walk along the river and watched the beautiful wall paintings. Along the river, there were many restaurants and the servers, mostly Bangladeshis, invited me to try the food there and marketed the beer and other alcoholic beverages available there. 

I returned to the hostel and went to the Turkish restaurant next door for dinner, where I tried pide. It was only after I had finished eating that the server came over to chat with me. That was when I learnt that the restaurant was run by Pakistanis, not Turks. He was from somewhere near Lahore, and the owners (A middle-aged couple) also came over to say hello.

The next morning, I took a long walk towards the Strait of Malacca to visit Masjid Selat Melaka. The walk was refreshing. The area looked like a newly developed settlement, with wide roads and brand-new buildings, yet there seemed to be hardly anyone living there. The place was deserted, the shops were unoccupied, and there were very few people around. I wondered if something had gone wrong with the development plan.

At the mosque, I had to rent a lungi because I was wearing shorts. I went inside, but the mosque did not impress me as much as some of the mosques I had visited in Jordan. Outside, I bought some rambutan and drank tender coconut water at a stall run by a Malay Chinese couple. The durians that they were selling outdoors looked almost artificial. 

I walked back towards town and found a good Tamil restaurant, where I had a masala dosa for brunch.

Later, I visited the historic town centre. I walked past the former Sultan's Palace, now the Muzium Istana Kesultanan Melaka, and the remains of the Portuguese fort, A Famosa, before making my way up to St. Paul's Church.

There, I met an elderly artist who struck up a conversation with me and asked where I was from. He told me that he had three wives and that the son of his second wife was the artist I had spoken to earlier. He added that none of his wives were Indian. I wondered whether he was merely making an observation or expressing some kind of regret.

I then visited the Stadthuys, which houses the History and Ethnography Museum. I learnt quite a bit about Malacca's history, and some of the paintings depicting historical events were impressive. They did not appear particularly old, though, and were probably painted in the 1970s to represent events from the region's past.

At the Literature Museum, I learnt about some of Malaysia's national literary figures, including Samad Said and Abdul Husein. I made a mental note to look for their books when I returned to KL.

As I was leaving the museum, I met a man preparing for a quiz to mark Malaysia Day. Observed on 16 September, Malaysia Day commemorates the formation of Malaysia in 1963, when Malaya, North Borneo (now Sabah), Sarawak and Singapore came together to form a federation. Singapore subsequently separated from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.

The man had a book by Samad Said, but unfortunately, it was not in English. We chatted for a while, and as we parted, he handed me a fridge magnet that he had brought to give away to quiz participants. It was a small, unexpected gesture that made the encounter memorable.

I then walked back to Jonker Street and wandered into a few art galleries. I met a lovely Chinese couple whose collection I really enjoyed. The man had been painting for more than 40 years, and it was wonderful to see the work of someone who had dedicated so much of his life to art.

From there, I walked to Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, a Chinese temple in the old town.

Later, I found myself near Menara Taming Sari, where I sat down with a glass of the local favourite, coconut shake. I stayed there for almost an hour, watching people go about their evening as the sun set and families gathered around the plaza to eat, relax and spend time together.

Malacca may not have had a great deal to offer in terms of attractions, but it had a certain charm. After a long journey through Malaysia, it felt like a pleasant place to slow down, observe the world around me and simply unwind before heading back home.

To Be Continued...