Inside Malaysia - Backpacking to Malacca

Collage Photo of my Travel to Malaysia.

Our 2 nights and three days in Singapore are over… weeew! So we need to move on.. And moving on means a new place to wander! Selamat Datang ke Malaysia (Welcome to Malaysia)! Wow…next stop is Malaysia - an interesting multi-cultural destination.

If you had more time while in Singapore, why not also visit Malaysia. Since, Singapore is just a small part of the Malaysia peninsula, and then it might be better for you to get there as well.

Getting there

There are two ways to travel across Malaysia it’s either by air or by land. On our part, we traveled by bus to see the country side, and it is much cheaper, more comparable to plane where you need to check-in for two hours prior to departure. Eventually, there are a lot of super VIP buses with at least 27 spacious seats and huge seating spaces. You can also incline to as much as 70 degrees while letting the automatic back- massager do the trick for the whole duration.

Starmart Express Air Asia Liner Bus bound for Malacca, Malaysia.

Head on to Golden Mile Complex (the express bus hub in Singapore), at 5001, Beach Road #01-16, Singapore 199588. There are a lot of buses to choose from, and it could be a rewarding experience to find a cheaper good air-conditioned bus bound for Malaysia. We took the Starmart Express Air Asia Liner bus bound for Malacca. StarMart Express operates daily bus service to Malacca, KL, Ipoh, Taiping, Penang, Butterworth and etc. The bus is equipped with a massage chair so you can relax all the way. Singapore to Malacca cost 25 SGD and some buses charge more than that.

We departed at exactly 1 pm in Singapore and arrived at Melaka Central Station at around 4pm after several immigration round-ups between the two countries. Buses will give 15-30 minutes allowance on each border for immigration check-ups.

Another important aspect of this journey is to find something that you can keep your luggage for a while and eventually there is a luggage center of the station! They are open from 7:00 am- 9:00pm. Leave all the burdens..he he..heavy backpack and etc.

You can see this sign.. Beg is Bag. :)

Currency

Malaysian paper bills.

Their money is called Malaysian Ringgit (RM). 1 RM is equivalent to 13.00 PhP. 13 times bigger than Philippine money at the moment. It doesn't matter…goods are way much cheaper in Malaysia... i could still recall during my childhood, my mom used to do some barter trading in Zamboanga City, Philippines because the prices of most Malaysian imported products are inexpensive. Now, i have experienced it first-hand! You can eventually haggle or negotiate on some products down to its cheaper prices here. 

First Stop - Malacca, Malaysia

  This new UNESCO heritage location is a melting pot of Malaysian history with influences from the British, Dutch, and Portuguese.

Our tourist guide in Malacca for less than 2 hours.

First of all, we hired a taxi or teksi (in malay) for 50 RM, sounds like a bit expensive right? Eventually, we barter for 1 hour and 30 minutes to visit some tourist spots in Malacca. Unlike Singapore, cabs here aren't moderated and speak less English,  so they could just give you some price so be careful on whom you deal with.

Things to Do in Malacca, Malaysia

You can basically visit some major sites in Melaka for less than two hours… so here are the places we visited after we haggle with the teksi price. hehe.

1. St. Peter's Church

The oldest Catholic Church in Malaysia, built in 1710 and is currently operating.  Maryber Franz Amboer a Dutchman donated this area, which was eventually outside the city proper of Melaka at that time. The church bell is the oldest item which was manufactured in Goa in 1608.

Old St. Peter's Church.

2.  Church of St. Francis Xavier

This neo-gothic structure was built in 1849 by a French priest under the name of Father P. Fabre dedicated to St. Francis Xavier. It is located on Jalan Laksamana, which is eventually across the Melaka River.

St. Francis Xavier Church, Melaka, Malaysia

3. Melaka River

Once on a pretty nasty condition, the state government realized its tourism value and eventually cleaned it up. River cruising is available and can be availed per minimum of eight persons. Flotillas of small boats have a capacity from 20-40 seats, and the tours usually took about less than an hour. 

The Beautiful Melaka River.

4. Christ Church

Completed in 1753 after almost a decade of construction, still it is Malaysia's oldest functioning as Protestant church. 18th century Dutch architecture is prevalent with its massive red granite plinths, Dutch roof tiles and huge walls. One thing to note is that inside the church, there is a brass Bible which reflects the first verse of St. John inscribed in Dutch.

Christ Church Melaka

5. Melaka Maritime Museum and Flor De La Mar

A replica of a Portuguese ship Flor dela Mar is housed at the museum, thought to be carrying plundered treasures from Malacca on its way to Portugal when it sank off the coast of Sumatra. The museum which was opened to the public in 1994 could help you understood and enlightened on the historical events in Melaka.

The richest vessel ever lost at sea, Flor De La Mar. 

6. Malacca Proclamation of Independence Memorial

 The building houses massive collections of photograph and records of the early history of the Sultanate of Malaysia. It caters for an extensive timeline from independence down to present modern-day Malaysia.

Proclamation of Independence Memorial, Melaka, Malaysia.

As for the experienced, a 1:30 hrs for the site-seeing is a way a lot better than nothing...but there still so much to do in Melaka; I hope I could go back somehow...prices of goods, here are much cheaper than Kuala Lumpur, which will be featured on my next post anytime soon.